Teachers' perceptions about children's movement and learning in early childhood education programmes

Gehris, Jeffrey S.; Gooze, Rachel A.; Whitaker, Robert C.

doi:10.1111/cch.12136

Cited by 63 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Current research indicates that early childhood care providers experience parent-related barriers to outdoor play but are interested in receiving training to expand outdoor play and increase opportunities for physically active learning (Copeland et al, 2009; Gehris et al, 2015). However, childcare providers’ perceptions of “parent barriers” may be over-emphasized as most parents in this study generally did not endorse the obstacles described by childcare providers in previous studies.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To our knowledge, no other studies have explored parent perceptions of outdoor play in early learning settings. Several studies have focused on teacher and provider perspectives which concluded that early childhood care providers support the need for outdoor active play to facilitate learning (Copeland, Kendeigh, et al, 2012; Copeland et al, 2009; Gehris, Gooze, & Whitaker, 2015). The results of this study indicate that parents also support outdoor play although parents and childcare providers may not be actively communicating with one another about this topic.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Parents’ Perceptions of Preschool Activities: Exploring Outdoor Play

Jayasuriya

Williams

Edwards

et al. 2016

Early Education and Development

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Research Findings Outdoor play is important for children’s health and development, yet many preschool-aged children in childcare settings do not receive the recommended 60 minutes/day of outdoor play. Childcare providers have previously described parent-related barriers to increasing outdoor playtime, including parents not providing appropriate clothing for their children and parents’ preference for academics over active play. This study explored parent perceptions and knowledge of outdoor playtime in childcare environments. On average, parents reported wanting their child to spend significantly more time playing outside during a full day of childcare than the recommended minimum. However, over one-half of parents reported that they did not know how much time their child actually spent playing outside and 43% reported that they did not know their childcare center’s outdoor play policies. Practice or Policy Childcare providers may over-perceive parent-related barriers to outdoor play. Parents generally support outdoor play for their preschooler during center-based childcare but are not well informed about outdoor playtime and policies. Encouraging communication between parents and early childhood educators about these topics could lead to more universal support and strategies for promoting outdoor and active play opportunities for children which are important for their health and development.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Parents’ Perceptions of Preschool Activities: Exploring Outdoor Play

Jayasuriya

Williams

Edwards

et al. 2016

Early Education and Development

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Therefore, the ways that teachers explain and propose OE activities to children, recognize their natural need to move and experiment and support their attempts, sensorial experiences, and actions in the outdoor context are critical to success (Nelson, 2006; Gehris et al, 2014). However, OE is rarely held as a priority by many teachers (McClintic and Petty, 2015) and they tend to give less time and attention to outdoor activities compared with indoor activities (Wellhousen, 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Outdoor Education in Italian Kindergartens: How Teachers Perceive Child Developmental Trajectories

2018

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Outdoor Education (OE) refers to organized experiential education that takes place in the outdoor, characterized by action-centered and thematic learning processes. Literature shows how OE may have beneficial effects on different areas of child development, including cognitive abilities, social skills, and motor development. This relationship is not necessarily linear, but moderated by different variables. Until now, few studies have examined, using rigorous methods, the role of OE in children's development and studies of preschool aged children remain lacking. The current study aimed to explore teachers' perceptions of children's developmental trajectories over 2 school years, investigating whether teachers' perceptions differed between two kindergartens, one characterized by a consolidated OE approach and the other one characterized by a more traditional method of education. The sample was composed of 20 teachers, evaluating 93 children aged 3–5 (M = 46.95 months, SD = 6.73; 42 males): 13 teachers were from a traditional kindergarten (Traditional Group- TG) and evaluated 52 children; 7 teachers were from an OE kindergarten (Outdoor Group—OE) and observed 41 children. All the teachers completed the Kuno Beller Developmental Tables (Mantovani, 1995), in order to describe specific child developmental areas in 4 consecutive moments during 2 school years (T1-T2: January-May 2014; T3-T4: October 2014-May 2015). The 20 teachers also completed the “Outdoor Activities/Trips Diary,” an instrument created for this study to collect qualitative data on the characteristics of outdoor activities. Results showed that, in all the developmental areas, OE teachers perceived higher scores over time were found for the Outdoor Group compared to the Traditional one. Specifically, GLM ANOVAs Repeated Measures revealed a significant interaction of the 2 variables Time and Groups (p < 0.001): contrast analyses showed that OE children, compared to the TG children, were perceived by their teachers with higher levels in all developmental areas at T1 and T2, but not at T3 and T4. The findings suggest that the OE activites, compared to indoor ones and according to teachers' perceptions, offer greater opportunities to promote the child's development at different levels, especially when children are younger. Future studies are recommended analyzing possible moderating variables and long term effects of OE.

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“…Cognitive engagement has a great impact on learning outcomes and this is why it is such considered also in e-learning technology research [15]. Analogously, self-confidence is one of the states that teachers used to monitor children learning outcomes [19].…”

Section: Childrenmentioning

confidence: 99%