Examining the potential of the Creative Pedagogy of Play for supporting cultural identity development of immigrant children in Swedish preschools : A systematic literature review

Sammanfattning:        This study investigates the literature of the Creative Pedagogy of Play to examine the potential for this pedagogy to support cultural identity development of immigrant preschoolers in the Swedish context. Twelve articles were reviewed in order to characterize outcomes of the Creative Pedagogy of Play potentially relevant for this support. Identified outcomes included: recognizing and promoting children’s agency, co-creation of an imaginary world through diverse forms of expression, emotional involvement (“perezhivanie” as lived through experience), building peer relationships, valuing ambivalence, narrative teaching and narrative learning.  In this thesis, we argue that these outcomes of Creative Pedagogy of Play have the potential to create supportive conditions associated with the development of cultural identity (such as: social inclusion, respect for diversity, care, guidance and teaching offered by adults, recognizing children’s agency, and building relationships with friends and peers). The combination of these conditions creates a potential for the cultural identity formation through the Pedagogy of Play. Implications of this systematic review for early childhood education research and practice are discussed with particular focus on implications for engaging with questions of culture in preschool pedagogy.