Barriers to children’s outdoor time: teachers’ and principals’ experiences in elementary schools

Patchen, Amie K.; Rakow, Donald A.; Wells, Nancy M.; Hillson, Samantha; Meredith, Genevive R

doi:10.1080/13504622.2022.2099530

Cited by 8 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…The natural environment is often viewed as an optimal setting that offers various stimuli, promoting positive emotions in children through discovery, observation and sharing (Bento & Dias, 2017; Wilson, 2018). However, schools tend to prioritize safety over outdoor activities in natural environments, limiting opportunities for children to interact with nature (Dillon & Dickie, 2012; Patchen et al., 2022). This study demonstrates that the construction of small gardens within school grounds, coupled with targeted teaching interventions, can also foster children's interest in nature.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The natural environment is widely recognized as an optimal setting that facilitates the positive development of children through exploration and shared experiences (Bento & Dias, 2017;Wilson, 2018). However, due to school-prioritized safety concerns, outdoor activities in natural environments are often limited (Dillon & Dickie, 2012;Patchen et al, 2022). Furthermore, a survey conducted by Hand et al (2017) in three cities in New Zealand revealed that, despite having the opportunity to access wild areas with abundant biodiversity, children exhibit a stronger preference to experience nature within the gardens of their residential areas.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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School garden and instructional interventions foster children's interest in nature

Kong,

Chen

2024

People and Nature

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Children's interest in nature is crucial for their understanding and appreciation of the natural environment, as well as for their mental health and biodiversity conservation efforts. To foster this interest, it is important to establish a theoretical framework and explore practical applications. Given the current trend of children spending more time with screens and less time in nature, school gardens offer potential solutions. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a 4‐month teaching programme conducted in a school garden to promote children's individual interest in nature. 24 Grade‐4 students participated in weekly 40‐min activities, which were divided into three treatments: natural observation with assigned tasks, natural observation with open‐ended tasks and inquiry‐based activities. Participants maintained individual portfolios consisting of questionnaires, nature journals, observation descriptions and interviews. Qualitative and quantitative data were analysed to categorize children into three types: those with initiated interest, those with enhanced interest and those with no significant change. Thematic analysis was used to identify factors influencing children's interest in nature based on qualitative data. The results showed that 17 out of 24 children were classified as either ‘interest‐initiated’ or ‘interest‐enhanced’, indicating a generally positive outcome. The school garden provided a novel and safe environment that empowered children to learn and explore autonomously. Teacher scaffolding further supported their curiosity towards the garden's organisms, potentially leading to the development of their individual interests in nature. This study emphasizes the positive impact of involving children in garden‐based activities in primary schools. Implementing a diverse school garden with informative labels and explanation boards, along with teacher support, represents a promising approach to cultivating children's interest in nature. We recommend implementing mini botanical gardens and club activities in schools to bridge formal and informal education. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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School garden and instructional interventions foster children's interest in nature

Kong,

Chen

2024

People and Nature

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“…Efforts to promote more physical activity outdoors are thwarted to some degree by parents and school administrators, especially in countries with highly competitive educational systems, such as China. Their major concern is that increased outdoor physical activity time will reduce studying time and hence compromise academic performance . To date, high-quality evidence regarding the effect of increasing outdoor physical activity at school on children’s academic performance remains inconclusive, and none of these studies originated from China.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Their major concern is that increased outdoor physical activity time will reduce studying time and hence compromise academic performance. 8 , 9 To date, high-quality evidence regarding the effect of increasing outdoor physical activity at school on children’s academic performance remains inconclusive, 10 , 11 and none of these studies originated from China.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Extracurricular After-School Physical Activities on Academic Performance of Schoolchildren

Wang,

Xiong,

Zhang

et al. 2023

JAMA Pediatr

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ImportanceThe beneficial effects of increasing outdoor physical activity time on children’s myopia onset and physical well-being are widely acknowledged. However, in countries with competitive educational systems, such as China, parents and school administrators may be relatively reluctant to increase the extracurricular physical activity time for children due to concerns that this action will compromise children’s academic performance.ObjectiveTo investigate whether additional extracurricular physical activity time after school compromises the academic performance of schoolchildren.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis cluster randomized clinical trial was conducted from October 2020 to June 2021 in Yudu, Jiangxi, China. Eligible children in grades 3 and 4 from 24 elementary schools were randomized to the intervention or control group. Primary analysis was conducted in the full sample using the intention-to-treat principle.InterventionsThe intervention group received 2 hours of after-school physical activity time outdoors on school days. The control group was free to arrange their after-school activity.Main Outcomes and MeasuresThe primary outcome was the between-group mean difference in mathematics test scores at the end of 1 academic year, with a noninferiority margin of −3.3 points. Standardized mathematics tests, physical fitness assessments (in reference to the 2018 National Physical Fitness Survey Monitoring Programme in China), and cycloplegic autorefraction were performed at baseline and the end of 1 academic year. Myopia was defined as a cycloplegic spherical equivalent refraction of −0.5 diopters or less in either eye.ResultsA total of 2032 children (mean [SD] age, 9.22 [0.62] years; 1040 girls [51.2%]) from 24 schools were randomized to the intervention group (12 schools; 1012 children) or control group (12 schools; 1020 children). The mean (SD) mathematics score at the end of 1 academic year was 78.01 (17.56) points in the intervention group and 77.70 (17.29) points in the control group. The adjusted between-group mean difference was 0.65 points (95% CI, −2.85 to 4.15). The adjusted between-group mean difference in physical fitness score was 4.95 points (95% CI, 3.56-6.34; P &lt; .001) and −1.90% (95% CI, −18.72% to 14.91%; P &gt; .99) in myopia incidence.Conclusions and RelevanceResults of this trial indicate that, compared with the control practice of free play after school, adding 2 hours of extracurricular physical activity outdoors after school was noninferior in academic performance and had superior efficacy in improving physical fitness.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04587765

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Communities of practice and the elevation of urban elementary teacher discourse about critical pedagogy of place

Richmond,

Hunter,

Tal

et al. 2024

Cult Stud of Sci Educ

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Children who live in under-resourced communities and attend under-resourced schools deserve access to high-quality teachers and educational opportunities to support their success and well-being. This study emerged from a professional development (PD) for urban teachers working in such schools, to expand educational opportunities for elementary students through outdoor science teaching. Engaging frameworks of communities of practice (CoP) and critical pedagogy of place (CPP), this critical ethnographic study investigates how urban elementary teachers engage in discourse about critical issues of place. Additionally, the investigation seeks to understand how a CoP supports such discourse. The primary data for this study were multiple sets of researcher field notes collected from participant teachers during virtual spring and in-person summer PD. Over the course of the PD, participants shifted from viewing their outdoor teaching spaces with a deficit perspective to an asset-focused one. As they visited one another’s teaching sites, the CoP the teachers were a part of created opportunity for discourse about social justice linked to issues of place within their particular school neighborhoods. The ability of urban elementary teachers to connect social justice to issues of place and to the teaching of science has implications for countering the injustice that characterizes many urban communities in the USA and elsewhere.

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Barriers to children’s outdoor time: teachers’ and principals’ experiences in elementary schools

Cited by 8 publications

References 40 publications

School garden and instructional interventions foster children's interest in nature

School garden and instructional interventions foster children's interest in nature

Effect of Extracurricular After-School Physical Activities on Academic Performance of Schoolchildren

Communities of practice and the elevation of urban elementary teacher discourse about critical pedagogy of place

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