Research 

This research involved studying the childhood play of three generations within one family based in the Venda region, Limpopo Province, South Africa. Two main questions were asked: 1. What is the nature of intergenerational shifts or continuities in children’s play within one Venda family? 2. What are the factors that bring about the shifts or continuities? The Gudani family was studied as a single case. The case study was approached with an understanding proposed by Stake (1998, 2008) and supported by others like Flyvbjerg (2006), who regard it not always a research method, but also the object of study. Handling the family as a bounded system, information was gathered from multiple sources, situating the case within its context. Interviews were conducted with a grandparent, the parents and children in order to gain an understanding of their childhood play, foregrounding participants' own view of what constitutes play. In addition, an ethnographic lens was used to investigate the third generation's everyday culture, with specific attention to their play. 

Thesis (PhD)--University of Cape Town, 2009