Effect of Play Based Learning Strategy on Preschoolers’ Acquisition of Socio-Emotional Skills in Babura Local Government Area, Jigawa State, Nigeria.

This study investigated the effect of play-based learning strategy on preschoolers’ acquisition of socio-emotional skills in Babura Local Government Area of Jigawa State, Nigeria. Three research questions guided the study, and three null hypotheses were tested. A quasi-experimental research design, specifically the pretest–posttest non-equivalent control group design, was adopted. The population comprised 7,919 five-year-old nursery school children in Babura Local Government Area, from which a sample of 379 preschoolers was selected from four schools using simple random sampling. Data were collected using the Preschoolers’ Socio-Emotional Skills Rating Scale (PSSRS), which yielded a Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient of 0.88, indicating high internal consistency. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions, while Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was employed to test the null hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that preschoolers exposed to the play-based learning strategy demonstrated significantly higher acquisition of socio-emotional skills than those taught using the demonstration strategy. Although male preschoolers recorded slightly higher mean scores than their female counterparts, the difference was marginal. Based on the findings, the study recommends that school authorities should provide a conducive learning environment equipped with adequate play-based instructional facilities to support the effective implementation of play-based learning. Teachers should encourage collaborative play activities involving both male and female preschoolers to promote equal opportunities for socio-emotional skill development. Furthermore, teachers should adopt play-based learning as a distinct instructional strategy rather than combining it with the demonstration strategy to maximize preschoolers’ acquisition of socio-emotional skills.