Play-based English language teaching for socialization: a preschool study in Bangladesh

Abstract

The aim of this study is to explore how preschoolers of EMSs in Bangladesh develop basic social communicative skills in English through play-based learning. This paper adopted a qualitative research method to find out the strategies used by teachers to facilitate social communicative skill development through the classroom and the primary patterns of English that are used for preschoolers to teach basic social interactions with teachers, friends, and others in play-based learning settings. The study used semi-structured interviews and observation to find out the strategies used by teachers to facilitate social communicative skill development through the classroom, and the primary patterns of English, like greetings, asking permission, negotiations, functional language, and so forth, are used for preschoolers to teach basic social interactions with teachers, friends, and others through play-based learning settings. In addition, repetitive language phrases, gestures, visual support, language practice with teachers and friends, songs, rhymes, chants are used in daily class activities so that the preschoolers can learn social language automatically without any cognitive pressure.