Outdoor Recreation within the School Setting: A Physiological and Psychological Exploration

Abstract

School recess is a crucial outdoor recreation period to develop health behaviours such as physical activity, social and thinking skills that can track into adulthood. As students in some schools can be immersed in playground recreation opportunities via up to 4200 school breaks during their schooling (three times per day, 5 days per week, 39 weeks per year, 7 years of primary school), the school playground has become an emerging focus for researchers to facilitate important health outcomes. Outdoor recreation activities during school recess can contribute up to half of a child's recommended physical activity participation. Ensuring there is an enhanced understanding and awareness of what can enhance or hinder outdoor recreation activities within school contexts is therefore important to develop both physical and psychological strategies to help promote sustainable health outcomes. Despite outdoor recreation during school recess periods being a vital setting to develop physical, social and cognitive habits, the possibilities during this period have only started to gain momentum in the first two decades of the twenty-first century. This chapter will outline the important link between school playgrounds for outdoor recreation during school recess and the various physiological and psychological effects that have been revealed from various strategies that have been implemented for children with typical and atypical development.

Perceptions and Experiences After Participating in a Two-Year Outdoor Adventure Programme

“…The students reported that their participation in the programme boosted their autonomy. This finding is consistent with the suggestions of Hyndman and Wyver (2020), as well as Scarf et al (2018), who claimed that the participation of students in outdoor and adventure activities empowered their autonomy. A rational explanation for the promotion of student autonomy after their participation in schoolyard activities could be the fact that following specific rules was not stressed, as they were provided with the autonomy to plan activities when creating their games.…”

“…Adventure activities encourage group acceptance and therefore significantly increase bonds between adolescents (Scarf et al, 2018). Students are provided with many opportunities to acquire experience in overcoming difficulties that arise from relationships with their peers (Hyndman & Wyver, 2020). Moreover, adventure or outdoor recreational activities have been positively related to the physical quality of life and relatedness (Mullins, 2014).…”

“…Consequently, the more autonomous they feel, the more satisfied they feel, and they are active. They also manage to respond better to environmental necessities, developing either personal or social skills (Hyndman & Wyver, 2020). Enriching school curricula with such programmes would enhance student well-being (Mackenzie & Hodge, 2020).…”

“…Physical and psychological benefits are obtained with outdoor entertainment while interacting with peers. In this way, providing more opportunities for interaction outdoors enhances student effectiveness in dealing with other people, which will be an essential social tool for them in the future (Hyndman & Wyver, 2020), and favours the development of cooperation and affiliation among participants.…”