This study investigates teachers’ and parents’ conceptions of play-based learning in young children’s English acquisition. A total of 15 semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents in both the interior of British Columbia and China, as well as Chinese teachers and foreign teachers who teach English as a Second Language for young children in China. Findings indicate that parental beliefs in the effectiveness and importance of play determine the implementation of play-based learning. Within preschool parents, they consider play as an ideal approach to cultivate preschoolers’ interests in English and motivation to learn English, so they welcome the use of play in English program. However, when children get older, and enter the zone of primary school age, parents expect more academic performance. An emphasis on scores supercedes other priorities and they are likely to reject play-based learning. Interview data detected high parental involvement in young children’s English learning. Findings also identify teachers’ enactment and concerns in relation to play pedagogy. Consequently, the researcher suggests implications from a multi-dimensional lens, including parents, teachers, school leaders and policy makers.
