Introducing the Play in Education, Development and Learning (PEDAL) Research Centre

Abstract

This paper provides an overview of the work being conducted at the Play in Education, Development and Learning (PEDAL) Research Centre, based in the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, UK. PEDAL has three main aims, (1) To conduct world-class research, (2) To build capacity in play research and (3) To influence policy and practice. The present paper provides an overview of the history and rationale for PEDAL, followed by some detailed examples of the foci of its work. Exemplar research is presented on the theme of ‘Measuring Play’; an endeavour that is common to many of the different research projects led by PEDAL investigators and Ph.D. students.