Education Commons^™

The Effect Of Increased Recess Time On The Academic Achievement Of Elementary Students, Mark A. Taylor

ATU Theses and Dissertations 2021 - Present

Arkansas lawmakers enacted Act 641 of 2019, which increased recess time during the school day from 30 minutes to 40 minutes per day. Recess is defined as unstructured free play for students outside when possible. Recess is an important part of the school day. Recess improves social skills, time on task, positive attitudes towards school and increasing physical activity. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine if increasing recess time for third, fourth and fifth grade elementary students had an impact on ACT Aspire tests results. This study was a quantitative study using a series of independent t-tests. …

A Case Study On The Implementation Of Additional Daily Physical Activity Beyond The State-Required Guidelines, Frances Eugenia Phipps

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to provide an in-depth understanding of teachers’, principals’ and educational stakeholders’ viewpoints of students in 3rd, 4th and 5th grades pertaining to the incorporation of additional daily physical activity into the school day above the state-mandated 30 minutes in an elementary school in rural Western North Carolina. Research questions included: How does additional daily physical activity implemented in the school day influence student cognitive development? Why has additional daily physical activity time been incorporated into the school day? How does extended play benefit students beyond cognitive impact? Personal semi-constructed interviews with 11 …

Supporting Student Connectedness And Social Satisfaction During Recess, Elizabeth Teasdale Wells

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

This project examines the effects of how recess preparation and reflection can be focused on providing students an opportunity to connect socially and strengthen overall happiness. By investigating the role social satisfaction plays in a child’s life during recess, educators may gain knowledge about how to foster social connectedness for every child. While most studies about recess focus on a child’s level of physical activity or negative behaviors, researchers have yet to investigate recess as a place to improve a child’s well-being and social satisfaction. This study was conducted at a public elementary school through qualitative interviews and observations. Teachers, …

A Study Of The Purpose And Value Of Recess In Elementary Schools As Perceived By Teachers And Administrators, Vickie Beard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Children spend at least seven and a half hours or 46.9% of their waking hours in the school setting, which brings a unique responsibility to schools (Beighle, Erwin, Morgan, & Alderman, 2012). School systems are expected to educate children according to adopted state standards and encourage a healthy, active lifestyle. The concept then is to increase knowledge by putting focus on academic achievement as well as promoting good citizenship by developing children’s social, emotional, and physical development, which happens during recess. Yet, recess and free play opportunities are on the decline in school systems across our nation. This reduction or …

Exploring The Effects Of Recess On Academic Performance, Grace Grevengoed

Selected Honors Theses

This paper seeks to explore the effects of recess on an elementary student’s academic performance based on interviews completed with educational professionals. By answering the interview questions, these responses helped gauge the attitudes and perspectives these professionals have towards the inclusion of recess in their students’ days. Recess is currently being left out of daily routine for sake of more instructional time in a classroom. This study seeks to add to the stance of students needing recess as a time of unstructured play, in which they can learn meaningful interactions that would otherwise be omitted from their learning.

An Investigation Of The In-Practice Development And Implementation Of Recess And Pe Weather Policies In Maine Elementary Schools, Lauren E. Jacobs

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to investigate how Maine elementary schools decide when students may or may not go outdoors for physical education (PE) classes and recess based on weather conditions, and how those decisions impact the actual frequency that students are kept indoors. This topic is important from both education and public health perspectives because previous research has shown that exercise in outdoor settings has specific benefits compared to that done indoors. PE classes and recess in school provide all children with access to physical activity.

A mixed-methods approach was used and included three components: a statewide survey …

Where To Next For School Playground Interventions To Encourage Active Play? An Exploration Of Structured And Unstructured School Playground Strategies, Brendon P. Hyndman

Dr Brendon P Hyndman

An emerging public health priority is to enhance children’s opportunities for active play. Children spend a large proportion of weekdays in schools, making schools an influential and suitable setting to promote children’s active play. Rather than continually increasing the burdens placed upon busy teaching staff, the use of school playgrounds interventions have emerged as a critical strategy within schools to facilitate and develop children’s active play via an informal curriculum. This scholarly article provides a research-based commentary on a range of school playground interventions to encourage both structured and unstructured active play opportunities. Additionally, future research directions for school playground …

Evaluating The Effects Of The Lunchtime Enjoyment Activity And Play (Leap) School Playground Intervention On Children’S Quality Of Life, Enjoyment And Participation In Physical Activity, Brendon P. Hyndman, Amanda Benson, Shahid Ullah, Amanda Telford

Dr Brendon P Hyndman

Background: An emerging public health strategy is to enhance children’s opportunities to be physically active during school break periods. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the Lunchtime Enjoyment Activity and Play (LEAP) school playground intervention on primary school children’s quality of life (QOL), enjoyment and participation in physical activity (PA). Methods: This study consisted of a movable/recycled materials intervention that included baseline, a 7-week post-test and an 8-month follow-up data collection phase. Children within an intervention school (n = 123) and a matched control school (n = 152) aged 5-to-12-years-old were recruited for the study. …

Children’S Enjoyment Of Play During School Lunchtime Breaks: An Examination Of Intraday And Interday Reliability, Brendon P. Hyndman, Amanda Telford, Caroline Finch, Shahid Ullah, Amanda Benson

Dr Brendon P Hyndman

Background: Enjoyment and play during school lunchtime are correlated with children’s physical activity. Despite this, there is an absence of studies reporting children’s enjoyment of play during school lunchtime breaks. The purpose of this study was to examine the intraday and interday reliability of children’s enjoyment of school lunchtime play. Methods: Surveys used to assess children’s enjoyment of lunchtime play were distributed to and completed by 197 children (112 males, 85 females), aged 8–12 years attending an elementary school in Victoria, Australia. Children completed the surveys during class before lunch (expected enjoyment) and after lunch (actual enjoyment) for 5 days. …

A Model Playground Behavior Program For Primary Level Students In The Cashmere School District, Scott R. Griffith

All Graduate Projects

The purpose of this project was to design and develop a Model Playground Behavior Program for elementary-level students in the Cashmere School District, Cashmere, Washington. To accomplish this purpose, current research and literature on playground safety and programs were reviewed. Additionally, related information from selected school districts was obtained and analyzed for possible ideas or practices to be included in the model playground program.

A Proposed Guide For Playground Planning, Wayne Delbert Jensen

Graduate Student Research Papers

The purpose of this study was to investigate the importance of playground planning in the over-all school plan. One of the chief aims of the study was to demonstrate the need for larger school sites through the presentation of actual space requirements of various play areas needed in an adequate physical education and recreation program. The writer thought that a suitable explanation of the playground plan had to include a discussion of the importance of the playground to the entire community.