Another Day without Play: A Qualitative Study Exploring Perceptions of Outdoor Play

• Other Authors: Cuencas, Jazmin (authoraut)
• Format: Others
• Language: English; English
• Published: Florida State University
• Subjects: Social service
• Online Access: http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/fd/FSU_migr_etd-2958

The decline of outdoor play in children's lives continues to demand investigation with an explicit goal to reveal and understand the child voice. This study aimed to explore children's engagement in outdoor activity as influenced by the perceptions of outdoor activity of parents and teachers. Children were expected to display similar engagement levels as their parent or teacher. Interviews conducted with six children and six adults revealed that outdoor play is held in high regard. However, observational results discovered that children spent 90% of their time indoors due to teacher perception of weather. The predicted levels of engagement, of each parent and their child, revealed evidence to support parental influence on children's engagement during outdoor play. However, the study revealed that children's outdoor play and potential engagement was influenced by the teacher involved in the study and her perceptions of outdoor play. === A Thesis submitted to the Department of Family and Child Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science. === Spring Semester, 2011. === March 21, 2011. === Bronfenbrenner, Early Childhood Education, Early Child Development, Outdoor Play, Child Perception, Parent Perception, Obesity, Engagement, Physical Activity === Includes bibliographical references. === Christine Readdick, Professor Directing Thesis; Ann Mullis, Committee Member; Juliann Woods, Committee Member.