Developing a blended professional curriculum for empowering early childhood teachers in loose parts play design in Thailand

Abstract

Despite the rising profile of play-based learning, many early childhood teachers find it challenging to incorporate Loose Parts Play–where children direct their own learning using open-ended resources. This educational design research study designed and tested a professional development programme in four Thai demonstration schools, using a sequential mixed-methods approach. The 102 teachers' needs assessment showed difficulties on theoretical grounds and a lack of support from institutional grounds. A hybrid learning course with six modules was developed and implemented with 38 teachers using a one-group pretest-posttest design. Results indicated that teachers’ design competencies increased significantly (t = 4.53, p<.001, d = 0.61). Participant satisfaction was high (M = 4.80). The mix of delivery models and reliance on locally available materials raises the possibility of potential relevance in low-resource settings. The lack of a control group limits causal inference, but this inquiry offers early evidence on the practicality of the curriculum and on transferable design principles.