Turkish and English Parents' Perspectives on Play: A Cross-Cultural Comparison

Year 2026, Volume: 7 Issue: 1, 85 - 102, 29.12.2025

Selcen Aydogan , Ayşe Öztürk Samur

https://doi.org/10.63612/ijesp.1796576

Abstract

This cross-cultural study examines perspectives on play (game) among Turkish and English parents, using Social Cultural Theory framework. Participants included ten volunteer mothers, ten volunteer fathers of children aged 2-6 years. The study employed a qualitative phenomenological approach, collecting data through semi-structured interviews with ten main questions. The results revealed that the participants' definitions of quality play had a common theme of supporting the holistic development of the child, the principle of suitable to the child. However, English mothers valued creative, thought-provoking games that taught social rules, while Turkish mothers emphasized competitive, sharing games that supported physical, spiritual, and communicative development. Both Turkish and English parents identified hide-and-seek and ball games as favourite traditional activities, emphasized the importance of developmentally appropriate, creative, safe, and well-designed toys. Both Turkish and English mothers reported using paper and sewing materials in homemade play materials. Mothers in both cultures found it appropriate for their children to play digital games alone, whereas fathers in both cultures preferred to play digital games with their children. These findings reveal both similarities, differences in how adults in different cultures view play within a child's social environment, highlighting the need for further in-depth investigation to fully understand the cultural nuances.

Keywords

Turkish and British , play , parents , child , culture

Ethical Statement

The ethics application for the study was made on 29.02.2024 and the research was carried out with the approval of Aydın Adnan Menderes University, Education Research Ethics Commission dated 05.03.2024 and numbered No: E-84982664-050.04-506468.

Thanks

We would also like to thank the participating parents for their contributions.

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