Analysis of the Company of Adults and the Interactions during School Recess: The COVID-19 Effect at Primary Schools

Abstract

The main objective of the study was to evaluate the interactions between students and schoolteachers during recess before and after the COVID-19 pandemic in primary schools in Catalonia (Spain). In a first phase, using an observational methodology, the behaviors of adults and students were diagnosed according to the type of school. The sample consisted of 23 schools, with 69 observations at different times of the school day. The COVID-19 outbreak made it necessary to extend the present study to identify changes in school recess forced by the pandemic. In this second phase, 34 school schoolteachers were interviewed. The results show little or no adult involvement during recess, beyond mere supervision, and the need for training to improve school recess management. Regarding the changes made during the pandemic, it is concluded that there was a good implementation of protocols, an increase in organization and a reduction in conflicts. The design of school recesses with the participation of schoolteachers and students is important, although during the pandemic, this idea has taken a back seat, with schoolteachers assuming the role of dividing groups and spaces, and supervising transitions. We emphasize the importance of training students to be more proactive in conflict resolution, to ensure self-care and individual and collective responsibility.

Evolution of Scientific Production on Health Literacy and Health Education—A Bibliometric Analysis

“…There are three levels in HL: (i) functional: basic competences of reading and writing to act efficiently in a health context; (ii) interactive: cognitive and social skills that allow for active participation in subjects related to health; and (iii) critical: competences associated with the making of decisions starting with a critical analysis and the use of information to participate in health actions [ 10 , 11 ]. These three levels articulate the degree of knowledge acquired by each individual as a function of age, culture, and prior knowledge, among others.…”

University Professor Training in Times of COVID-19: Analysis of Training Programs and Perception of Impact on Teaching Practices

“…The younger and older professors did not indicate this difficulty, either due to a greater motivation towards the improvement of teaching, or, because in the case of the older ones, they had the professional stability necessary for dedicating their time to the practice of teaching. References [17,[43][44][45][46] point to the need to establish a professional profile of educators that is more equilibrated between the different functions of a university professor, and which allow easing the tensions between teaching and research.…”

El recreo escolar un espacio de juego, comunicación y transmisión cultural (School recess a space for play, communication and cultural transmission)

“…Otros estudios como los realizados por Huéscar, et al (2020), Llorente-Cantarero y Gil-Lozano (2020), entre otros, muestran una tendencia a establecer control sobre los recreos e intervenirlos por medio de programas tendientes a incrementar el tiempo de actividad física, corregir conductas disruptivas, entre otras finalidades; en un estudio observacional realizado en 23 escuelas de Cataluña, antes y después de las medidas sanitarias por la pandemia, se demuestra afortunadamente, que las intervenciones de los adultos se focalizan en procesos de supervisión y de implementación de protocolos sanitarios (Arco et al, 2021); lo que refleja nuestra postura y de Jaramillo ( 2012), de proteger el recreo escolar como un espacio de libertad, que por cierto, no debe ser intervenido por la organizacion escolar, pero que sí debería ser más estudiado y mayormente comprendido.…”

“…Otra corriente focalizada en una mirada observacional, que sitúa el recreo como una oportunidad para comprender las formas de interacción entre pares, los tipos de juegos que surgen espontáneamente, las diferencias de género (Canto y Ruíz, 2005;Del Arco, et al, 2021;Fernández, et al, 2019;Pawlowski, et al, 2014;Pereira, et al, 2018;Rico, et al, 2020;Wollersheim y DiPerna, 2017); y finalmente la producción de estudios de opinión que recogen interéses de los estudiantes acerca de lo que esperan encontrar dentro de los patios escolares y sus preferencias de prácticas corporales (Abraldes y Argudo, 2008;Hyndman, 2017;Miller, 2009;Pellegrini y Holmes, 2006;Rodríguez-Fernández, et al, 2019).…”