Young Children and Educators Engagement and Learning Outdoors: A Basis for Rights-Based Programming

Blanchet‐Cohen, Natasha; Elliot, Enid

doi:10.1080/10409289.2011.596460

Cited by 47 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Experiences in outdoor settings, particularly natural areas, can be important places for young children's learning (Davies 1996;Cosco 2007;Blanchet-Cohen & Elliot 2011), and the teachers in our study expressed how natural features -such as areas that attract butterflies, trees for climbing and mounds of sand for digging -engage children's senses and provide opportunities for hands-on learning. Forest kindergartens, where children are outdoors for nearly the entire school day, have been in place for over 50 years in parts of Europe, but we lack any direct comparisons of children's learning in these environments compared with more traditional indoor settings (Knight 2011).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

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

Gehris

Gooze

Whitaker

2014

Child

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

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

Gehris

Gooze

Whitaker

2014

Child

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“…Another possible limitation to consider relates to our focus on independent active free play that occurs outside of supervised/adult-directed settings. There is qualitative research examining play during (for example) recess, after-school programs, and in kindergarten settings (e.g., [ 27 , 28 ]). Play in these contexts provides important developmental opportunities and contributes to children’s overall engagement in physical activity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the range of studies returned was too diverse for meaningful comparison, so further screening and selection was required [ 26 ]. For instance, upon further screening we identified studies that initially appeared to examine independent active free play but focused exclusively on activities occurring during school recesses, supervised/adult-directed after-school periods, and kindergarten programs [ 27 , 28 ]. These studies in adult-directed settings a were excluded because the strong element of adult involvement meant that they were not studies of independent active free play as defined in this study.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A meta-study of qualitative research examining determinants of children’s independent active free play

Lee

Tamminen

Clark

et al. 2015

Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act

104

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PurposeTo produce a meta-study by completing a systematic review of qualitative research examining determinants of independent active free play in children.MethodFollowing systematic electronic and manual searches and application of inclusion/exclusion criteria, 46 studies were retained and subjected to meta-method, meta-theory, and meta-data analyses, followed by a final meta-synthesis.ResultsIdentified determinants of independent active free play were child characteristics (age, competence, and gender), parental restrictions (safety concerns and surveillance), neighborhood and physical environment (fewer children to play with, differences in preferences for play spaces between parents and children, accessibility and proximity, and maintenance), societal changes (reduced sense of community, good parenting ideal, changing roles of parents, privatization of playtime and play spaces), and policy issues (need to give children voice). An ecological model depicting these factors, and the relationships therein, was created.ConclusionsThis comprehensive meta-study helps establish a knowledge base for children’s independent active free play research by synthesizing a previously fragmented set of studies. Parents’ perceived safety concerns are the primary barrier to children’s active free play. These safety concerns are moderated by child-level factors (age, competence, gender) and broader social issues. Interventions should focus on community-level solutions that include children’s perspectives. From a methods perspective, the reviewed studies used a range of data collection techniques, but methodological details were often inadequately reported. The theoretical sophistication of research in this area could be improved. To this end, the synthesis reported in this study provides a framework for guiding future research.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12966-015-0165-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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“…Additionally, these outdoor-focused programs often cater to a limited number of teacher candidates and are not a part of every teacher's education. While Canadian society appears to embrace the dominant view that schooling should take place indoors, green schoolyards and naturalized outdoor environments have the potential to provide for a holistic education (Blanchet-Cohen & Elliot, 2011). Just as the role of a teacher may need to be adapted outdoors, how teaching and learning is conceptualized may also need to be altered.…”

Section: Shifting From a Culture Of Excuses To A Model Of Encouragementmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Excuses to Encouragements: Confronting and Overcoming the Barriers to Early Childhood Outdoor Learning in Canadian Schools

Coe¹

2016

J Child. Stud.

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<p>Drawing on outdoor education literature, this paper aims to address issues related to outdoor learning, and to confront some of the potential barriers and concerns that educators, administrators, parents, and researchers may have with regards to outdoor learning. While forest and nature-based programs provide an ideal educational setting for children to connect and interact with the natural world, they are not always easily accessible or practical for a majority of young Canadians. There are, however, approaches and ideas that can be drawn from these specialized outdoor early years programs and applied more broadly in contemporary urban and rural Canadian schools. A conceptual shift from a culture of excuses to a model of encouragement is presented, suggesting that educators should view outdoor learning as a pedagogical and problem-solving exercise.</p>

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Young Children and Educators Engagement and Learning Outdoors: A Basis for Rights-Based Programming

Cited by 47 publications

References 16 publications

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

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

A meta-study of qualitative research examining determinants of children’s independent active free play

From Excuses to Encouragements: Confronting and Overcoming the Barriers to Early Childhood Outdoor Learning in Canadian Schools

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