How Rounders Revealed Group Dynamics in a Fifth-Grade Class

Motivated by empirical findings from a hermeneutic-phenomenological field study, this article examines teachers’ and pedagogues’ role in discovering barriers to and facilitators of school attendance during students’ play. Through field observations of interactionist factors for school attendance and qualitative interviews with students and school professionals, it is examined how moving bodies provide insights into the classroom community.
The study aims to identify how authentic, interactive, participatory, informal, and formative assessments of play can prevent school attendance problems. The study suggests that play is prioritized as part of the school curriculum and that school professionals are given the possibility of professional followership roles.