Playful learning designs in teacher education and early childhood teacher education: A scoping review

Play and its relation to children’s learning and development is thoroughly described in the research literature. However, the application and implication of play in higher education (HE) appears to be less systematically addressed. This article presents a scoping review of playful learning (PL) in teacher education and early childhood teacher education. The review indicates that the relationship between curricular learning goals and PL is often vaguely described, whereas generic competencies and motivation are in focus. Further, the theoretical grounding of PL appears ambiguous. At the end of the article, implications for future research and PL designs in HE are discussed.