Views from inside the shed: young children's perspectives of the outdoor environment

Clark, Alison

doi:10.1080/03004270701602483

Cited by 32 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…The study was conducted in a school in rural Bangladesh, where the diverse surrounding countryside provides a stark contrast to the dull school environment, which may deter many children from going to or staying there. An inviting outdoor environment with shady trees and attractive plants being desirable by children accords with previous research (Clark, 2007;Tranter & Malone, 2004). The children who participated in this study valued natural features for both physical comfort and opportunities to explore and connect with nature, echoing findings by Merewether, (2015) and Noradahl & Einarsdóttir (2015).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 66%

“…Children's desires and preferences are influenced by their developmental needs, physical and social factors and gender (Aziz & Said, 2012). Children want areas where they can explore (Malone & Tranter, 2003;Noradahl & Einarsdóttir, 2015), be connect with nature (Christidou et al, 2013;Jansson, Gunnarsson, Mårtensson, & Andersson, 2014;Noradahl & Einarsdóttir, 2015), be physically active (Bland & Sharma-Brymer, 2012;Christidou et al, 2013;Merewether, 2015;Noradahl & Einarsdóttir, 2015) and socialise with their friends (Clark, 2007;Merewether, 2015;Noradahl & Einarsdóttir, 2015). Younger children also prefer places where they can engage in imaginative or pretend play (Clark, 2007;Merewether, 2015;Nedovic & Morrissey, 2013).…”

Section: Children's Preferences For Different Elements In the School mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Designing an outdoor learning environment for and with a primary school community: a case study in Bangladesh

et al. 2019

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In Bangladesh, school grounds are usually barren areas devoid of any designed features. This study explored children's, teachers' and parents' views of what would constitute an effective school ground for learning, socialising and play at primary schools in rural Bangladesh. Working within the theory of behaviour settings to design school grounds, several methods were applied: focus groups with children, teachers and parents, a drawing session with children and a child-led/teacher supported modelmaking workshop. The results suggest that children want to connect with nature, to explore their environment, to challenge themselves, to be physically active and to socialise with friends. They also wanted their school ground to be more attractive. The parents highly valued gardening whereas teachers preferred an area with loose materials where the children could learn by themselves. None of these ideas were mutually exclusive and the subsequent design was able to incorporate elements from all groups.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 66%

Section: Children's Preferences For Different Elements In the School mentioning

confidence: 99%

Designing an outdoor learning environment for and with a primary school community: a case study in Bangladesh

et al. 2019

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“…Some of the young children in the studies using the Mosaic approach have demonstrated how photography has enabled them to subvert the original research agenda. One example comes from the spaces to play study where the focus was on redesigning an outdoor play area (Clark 2005(Clark , 2007Clark and Moss 2005). A 3 year-old boy made a book about the outdoor space with his own photographs.…”

Section: The Role Of Young Children In Participatory Action Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Young Children as Protagonists and the Role of Participatory, Visual Methods in Engaging Multiple Perspectives

Clark

2010

American J of Comm Psychol

Self Cite

156

121

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How can the perspectives, insights and interests of young children, under 6 years-old, be given status in processes of change? This paper will examine the contribution participatory and visual methods can make to enabling young children to document their experiences and to facilitate exchange with adults. Examples will be drawn from three research studies in educational settings which have developed a specific research method, the Mosaic approach (Clark and Moss 2001; Clark 2004; Clark 2005) which brings together visual and verbal research tools. This paper will discuss how researching with young children rather than on young children can redraw the boundaries between adults' and children's roles in the research process including the relationship with the research audience.

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“…Another overarching theme of the newly revised curriculum focuses on the importance of utilising flexible learning environments with students and providing students with autonomy and voice in their learning. In relation to research, Clark (, ) argued that children should be provided with opportunities to be heard in studies in which they are participants. Barratt Hacking et al () contended that children should be engaged as active researchers in studies in which they are involved because they have the right to “participate in matters of relevance to them” and they offer “unique perspectives … of their own and other environments” (p. 438).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

A forest‐based environment as a site of literacy and meaning making for kindergarten children

Streelasky

2018

Literacy

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This study analyses the valued school experiences of 15 fiveand six-year-old Canadian children, through their creation of multimodal texts. Throughout the school year, the students spent a large portion of each school day in the expansive forest on the school grounds, and their texts revealed their significant interest in this natural outdoor environment. Specifically, the data revealed that the outdoor space provided a context where the children could engage with each other and the environment in meaningful, creative and collaborative ways. This research has the potential to contribute to our understanding of the capacity of young children to share their thoughts on their school experiences by drawing on a range of modes and to contribute to our understanding of the power of alternative learning spaces, such as forest environments, on children's literacy learning and development.

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Views from inside the shed: young children's perspectives of the outdoor environment

Cited by 32 publications

References 10 publications

Designing an outdoor learning environment for and with a primary school community: a case study in Bangladesh

Designing an outdoor learning environment for and with a primary school community: a case study in Bangladesh

Young Children as Protagonists and the Role of Participatory, Visual Methods in Engaging Multiple Perspectives

A forest‐based environment as a site of literacy and meaning making for kindergarten children

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