Influence of Playgrounds on Childrens Lives, and Educational Achievement - Literature review Example

Critically Examine Recent Research into the Influence of Playgrounds (situation and design) on Children’s Lives, and or Educational Achievement Student’s Name: Instructor’s Name: Course: Date: Table of Contents 1.0.Introduction 3 2.0.Influence of Playground Design on Academic Achievement of School Children 4 3.0.Situation of the Playground and its Impact on Children’s Lives 7 4.0.Playgrounds and Academic Achievements 9 5.0.Conclusion 11 6.0.References 12 Critically Examine Recent Research into the Influence of Playgrounds (situation and design) on Children’s Lives, and or Educational Achievement 1.0. Introduction According to Broadbent and Poon (2015) the situation and design of a playground determines the extent to which learners will be stimulated to learn, grow and perform in their academics. Broadbent and Poon (2015) remind policy makers that appropriate playgrounds that conform to specific requirements of children’s lives and education achievement should be carefully planned and designed. The need is not only to optimize experiences that support process of lives and learning but one which works well with their academic performances. Studies have moved from seeing good playgrounds as ones that have been enriched with facilities (Abrami et al. 2012; Chen 2002). Recent studies that have fused learning theories see playgrounds as a factor to consider when dealing with lives and education achievement of learners. This study looks at playgrounds as tools within schools that have influence on the quality of teaching and learning. Researches that will be reviewed will aim to support the connectedness between playgrounds and children’s lives and or educational achievement. To conceptualise the argument, we argue that the issue of children’s lives and educational performance do not entirely depend on the teachers and as such, the study incorporates different theoretical models that help to evaluate the extent to which the situation and design of playgrounds affect processes of teaching and learning among children. 2.0. Influence of Playground Design on Academic Achievement of School Children Children’s access to their respective playgrounds should be of minimal disturbance in that there should not be obstacles. This view has been supported by Chen (2002) who noted that playgrounds have to be fitted with enough space to allow sufficient circulation of light and fresh air. By having enough space, it allows children to share and form groups creating a discussion surrounding. Playing entails critical thinking and sharing of ideas and thoughts hence making it easy to raise ideas when environment is spacious. Studies that have connected size of playground with academic achievement have noted that playgrounds play vital roles in ensuring an efficient learning process for the student (Brydges et al. 2015; Dabbagh and Kitsantas 2012). Recent studies from Dabbagh and Kitsantas (2012) noted that well-spaced playgrounds is significant in that it optimizes the children learning process and achievement of their classroom goals through taking into account motivations, interactions, expectations, and behavior of the learners. A design of a playground provides room for developing a learning environment that makes the children feel safe and faces the challenge of achieving improved grades. Over time, studies have noted the need to have children commit to short term memories for assessment rather than learning the concepts (Brydges et al. 2015; Dabbagh and Kitsantas 2012). The idea entails engaging children in lectures through asking questions and the application of both verbal and non-verbal methods which ensures students pay attention. However, with well-designed playgrounds, there will be enhancement of goal achievement (Karabenick and Zusho 2015). While researchers have agreed on the importance of playground, its design is something researchers have not been keen to assess. This study recognized that time in classrooms is affected by transitions between playtime and classes due to a poorly designed playground. Conclusions drawn from these studies are that there are interruptions of classes due to poor or delayed transitions from playground to classes. However, with a design that will minimize interruptions, Karabenick and Zusho (2015) recognize that it will help in maintaining a positive ambiance in the class which is a foundation to an effective teaching process. Kondo et al. (2012) link the idea of transition with children interactions. According their studies, playgrounds should be designed in a manner that it gives learners much time for interactions. Accordingly, playgrounds should always ensure that children associate, interact, face each, talk to each other or mingle with each other. The study took case studies from 14 different playgrounds in Australia, including the Victorian kindergarten program and concluded that the idea of allowing children to interact in the playground should be a concern in designing any playground because it increases their performance. A high level of children’s engagement is attributed to an increase in their ability to think critically and get meaningful learning experiences (Liaw and Huang 2013). The conclusion made by Liaw and Huang (2013) was supported by Endedijk et al. (2014) who noted that there is one major strategy that educators can use in designing playgrounds so that they can encourage interactions. The strategy is flipping and it involves re-purposing of the playground time to inquiry, assessment, and application so that children are involved in interactions at one time. The objective of applying this strategy is to give children some control over the play, which increases the probability of meeting their needs. In this case, educators expect teachers to allow children to interact freely in the playground (Endedijk et al. 2014). The playground will give children an opportunity to express themselves and make their contribution, which they could not get, if the playground designed to isolate them. Studies have talked about playground design and active learning processes among children. According to Endedijk et al. (2014), when playground are designed to have materials that are related with what children learn in class then children will be able to make direct contribution in their playgrounds instead of just sitting and listening as others play. However, the study noted that teachers should apply different methods within the playground in order to encourage children’s participation. This approach means designing a playground to have a session for question and answer gatherings, integration of discussion into learning, and experiential events. However, inclusive strategies become effective when educators set clear expectations, provide useful feedbacks, and design evaluation mechanisms that are effective to the processes of playing. As such, teachers will get the opportunity to understand the unique needs, disabilities, and abilities of their children. An understanding of how children learn, both in terms of theories of cognition and their practical application, is crucial to designing playgrounds. That is, constructivism is a theory of learning that fits the context of this research and further provides context in understanding the connectedness between a well-designed playground and academic achievement of children. According to the theory, good learners are able to learn by constructing understanding for everyone when learning environment has been designed to meet their expectations (Devine et al. 2015). The research is therefore shaped or contextualized by the theory in the sense that educational achievement is about appreciating the fact that learners need to learn how to learn, including the fact that design of playground should be guided by teachers in a favourable environment. 3.0. Situation of the Playground and its Impact on Children’s Lives Situation of the playground is essential in ensuring engagement of learners as it creates an environment that ensures children participate through interactions. Bondareva et al. (2013) recognized that situation of a playground help teachers to monitor plays and set the tone that involves the learners in the curriculum. Situation of the playground affects both the teacher and the learners since it seeks to improve the behavior and engagement of the students while at the same time it helps the educator monitor processes of play. Bondareva et al. (2013) argue that situating playgrounds close to homes or in a noisy place affects social life of children thus negatively affects the behavior of students. Therefore, in situating playground, it is essential to consider the background of the children and the factors they are subjected to in their social context. The perspective of locating playground is to achieve a learning environment that engages all the students and works for them towards achieving the study goals. Skinner's children management model efficiently illustrates this research’s suggestion of situating playgrounds in places where there will be minimum disturbance since Skinner also believed in creating an enjoyable learning process that involves all the students (Skinner and Pitzer, 2012, p. 39). It therefore means that if playgrounds are situated in places where they maximise play they will enhance children’s lives through fostering for their participation. A section of studies have opined that education should teach learners skills demanded by the labor market, however, it is playground that orient them towards the job market (Chen et al. 2014; Endedijk et al. 2014). Playground situation is geared towards developing the capacity of children to learn, think, and reason which would facilitate the other factors in life such as skills. However, in the process of tasking playgrounds with the responsibility of developing children and making environment conducive, it has to be noted that in any playground environment there is independent and dependent learners. Basically, scholars have been making contrast between independent and dependent learners to understand specific strategies and teaching processes to be adopted in identifying playgrounds (Endedijk et al. 2014). The process of locating a playground should recognize the fact that children’s lives, and or educational achievement already depend on the types of learners. For instance, there are dependent learners who are passive recipients of information and knowledge or to say the least, they are passive recipients of teaching such that situation of the playground may have little impact on their live and academic achievement. To the extent, these learners will often accept teachers as experts in the process of teaching and gain little from playgrounds unless they are guided or the play is controlled to suit their academic needs (Lajoie et al. 2013). By contrast, independent learners will often remain active when it comes to regulating and directing his or her playing process (Nicol and Macfarlane‐Dick 2006). Based on this position, situation of playground is likely to help to make children fuse information with minimum teacher intervention as teaching. Applying situation of playgrounds within the context of different theoretical models including constructivist, operant conditioning and psychological behaviorism, it is essential to note that situation of playgrounds should be chosen so that specific needs including cultural environment in which learning is taking place is considered. Isolated playgrounds should not encouraged as studies have found it to be oxymoron meaning that such playgrounds discourages self-directed and instead, enforces less interactions and fails to investigate social interaction between learners and teachers (Orsmond and Merry 2013). 4.0. Playgrounds and Academic Achievements There has been surge in research regarding the incorporation of playground as a factor that supports independent learning or instructional tool that facilitates learners to explore independently (Panadero et al. 2016). These studies have focused on the incorporation of effective playground since it creates physical environment between teachers and learners that support independent learning. The second strategy is that playgrounds are as essential components that create independent learning among children. According to Panadero et al. (2016), physical environment in education setting refers to the situation in which independent learning is made to take place and such places have to be made effective for independent learning. The most informative theory best placed to explain how playgrounds promote academic performance is self-directed theory proposed by Boyatzis (Brydges et al. 2015). According to the theory playgrounds serves as a discovery and starting point from which learners develop the culture of finding new knowledge independently. Teachers are therefore advised by the theory to create such environment because they support the development of independent minds and the ability to move towards action. Of course the theory recognizes that teachers should be cautious when adopting this approach because it may not suit everyone but it is suggested that the approach remain essential component in developing academic excellence among children. According to Pintrich (2004) there are three benefits of playgrounds to the academic performance and general lives of children. First, the role of playgrounds is to instill confidence in children and make them develop enthusiasm to the process of teaching and learning. The second step in making children to achieve academic performance is individualization. According to Endedijk et al. (2014), indvidualisation within playgrounds is to understand specific needs of learners, their abilities, weaknesses and strengths. This step augurs well with constructivists theory that when children are understood and their needs met within playgrounds then they will be able to create ideas and develop skills independently and in accordance with their abilities. The third aspect is aspiration. At this level, children will have been supported along through and they are now willing to explore independently and at the same time, teachers will be giving children their expectation on a given task which should be studied independently. There are two theories that have been presented to support the adoption of playground as tools that promote academic performance. These theories include Situation Cognition and Distributed Cognition. Beginning with Situation Cognition, the theory believes that learning take place effectively when situated within a given context. According to the theory, the development of knowledge and competence depends on the environment designed for children to interact. When the playgrounds have been developed to conform to children’s needs then they will likely improve their performances. Distributed Cognition affords students more power. Putting the theory differently, this is a model that stresses on student centered approach in the playgrounds. According to proponents of the theory, cognition occurs when learners are presented with the technologies in the playground to explore beyond their limits (Sontag and Stoeger 2015). 5.0. Conclusion The aim of this paper was to critically evaluate recent studies into the influence of playgrounds on children’s live and or educational achievement. One of the findings from these studies is that learning and development is attained in children through well-established playgrounds so as to promote their levels of understanding which in return enhance educational performance. The study further finds that playgrounds help children to manage their tasks and explore more independently and put into practice their own judgments, trying the consequences out for themselves. 6.0. References Abrami, P.C., Bernard, R.M., Bures, E.M., Borokhovski, E. and Tamim, R.M., 2012. Interaction in distance education and online learning: Using evidence and theory to improve practice. In The Next Generation of Distance Education (pp. 49-69). Springer US. Bondareva, D., Conati, C., Feyzi-Behnagh, R., Harley, J.M., Azevedo, R. and Bouchet, F., 2013, July. Inferring learning from gaze data during interaction with an environment to support self-regulated learning. In International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education (pp. 229-238). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Broadbent, J. and Poon, W.L., 2015. Self-regulated learning strategies & academic achievement in online higher education learning environments: A systematic review. The Internet and Higher Education, 27, pp.1-13. Brydges, R., Manzone, J., Shanks, D., Hatala, R., Hamstra, S.J., Zendejas, B. and Cook, D.A., 2015. Self‐regulated learning in simulation‐based training: a systematic review and meta‐analysis. Medical education, 49(4), pp.368-378. Chen, C.M., Wang, J.Y. and Chen, Y.C., 2014. Facilitating English-Language Reading Performance by a Digital Reading Annotation System with Self-Regulated Learning Mechanisms. Educational Technology & Society, 17(1), pp.102-114. Chen, C.S., 2002. Self-regulated learning strategies and achievement in an introduction to information systems course. Information Technology, learning, and performance Journal, 20(1), p.11. Dabbagh, N. and Kitsantas, A., 2012. Personal Learning Environments, social media, and self-regulated learning: A natural formula for connecting formal and informal learning. The Internet and higher education, 15(1), pp.3-8. Devine, L.A., Donkers, J., Brydges, R., Perelman, V., Cavalcanti, R.B. and Issenberg, S.B., 2015. An equivalence trial comparing instructor-regulated with directed self-regulated mastery learning of advanced cardiac life support skills. Simulation in Healthcare, 10(4), pp.202-209. Endedijk, M.D., Brekelmans, M., Verloop, N., Sleegers, P.J. and Vermunt, J.D., 2014. Individual differences in student teachers' self-regulated learning: An examination of regulation configurations in relation to conceptions of learning to teach. Learning and individual differences, 30, pp.155-162. Endedijk, M.D., Vermunt, J.D., Meijer, P.C. and Brekelmans, M., 2014. Students' development in self-regulated learning in postgraduate professional education: a longitudinal study. Studies in higher education, 39(7), pp.1116-1138. Karabenick, S.A. and Zusho, A., 2015. Examining approaches to research on self-regulated learning: conceptual and methodological considerations. Metacognition and Learning, 10(1), pp.151-163. Kondo, M., Ishikawa, Y., Smith, C., Sakamoto, K., Shimomura, H. and Wada, N., 2012. Mobile assisted language learning in university EFL courses in Japan: Developing attitudes and skills for self-regulated learning. ReCALL, 24(02), pp.169-187. Lajoie, S.P., Naismith, L., Poitras, E., Hong, Y.J., Cruz-Panesso, I., Ranellucci, J., Mamane, S. and Wiseman, J., 2013. Technology-rich tools to support self-regulated learning and performance in medicine. In International handbook of metacognition and learning technologies (pp. 229-242). Springer New York. Liaw, S.S. and Huang, H.M., 2013. Perceived satisfaction, perceived usefulness and interactive learning environments as predictors to self-regulation in e-learning environments. Computers & Education, 60(1), pp.14-24. Nicol, D. J., & Macfarlane‐Dick, D. (2006). Formative assessment and self‐regulated learning: A model and seven principles of good feedback practice. Studies in higher education, 31(2), 199-218. Orsmond, P. and Merry, S., 2013. The importance of self-assessment in students’ use of tutors’ feedback: A qualitative study of high and non-high achieving biology undergraduates. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 38(6), pp.737-753. Panadero, E., Jonsson, A. and Strijbos, J.W., 2016. Scaffolding self-regulated learning through self-assessment and peer assessment: Guidelines for classroom implementation. In Assessment for Learning: Meeting the Challenge of Implementation (pp. 311-326). Springer International Publishing. Pintrich, P.R., 2004. A conceptual framework for assessing motivation and self-regulated learning in college students. Educational psychology review, 16(4), pp.385-407. Skinner, E. A., and Pitzer, J. R. 2012. Developmental dynamics of student engagement, coping, and everyday resilience. In Handbook of research on student engagement (pp. 21-44). Springer US. Sontag, C. and Stoeger, H., 2015. Can highly intelligent and high-achieving students benefit from training in self-regulated learning in a regular classroom context?. Learning and Individual Differences, 41, pp.43-53. Read More

Kondo et al. (2012) link the idea of transition with children's interactions. According to their studies, playgrounds should be designed in a manner that gives learners much time for interactions. Accordingly, playgrounds should always ensure that children associate, interact, face each other, talk to each other, or mingle with each other. The study took case studies from 14 different playgrounds in Australia, including the Victorian kindergarten program, and concluded that the idea of allowing children to interact in the playground should be a concern in designing any playground because it increases their performance. A high level of children’s engagement is attributed to an increase in their ability to think critically and get meaningful learning experiences (Liaw and Huang 2013).

The conclusion made by Liaw and Huang (2013) was supported by Endedijk et al. (2014) who noted that there is one major strategy that educators can use in designing playgrounds so that they can encourage interactions. The strategy is flipping and it involves re-purposing of the playground time to inquiry, assessment, and application so that children are involved in interactions at one time. The objective of applying this strategy is to give children some control over the play, which increases the probability of meeting their needs. In this case, educators expect teachers to allow children to interact freely in the playground (Endedijk et al. 2014). The playground will give children an opportunity to express themselves and make their contribution, which they could not get if the playground is designed to isolate them.

Studies have talked about playground design and active learning processes among children. According to Endedijk et al. (2014), when playgrounds are designed to have materials that are related to what children learn in class then children will be able to make a direct contribution in their playgrounds instead of just sitting and listening as others play. However, the study noted that teachers should apply different methods within the playground to encourage children’s participation. This approach means designing a playground to have a session for question and answer gatherings, integration of discussion into learning, and experiential events. However, inclusive strategies become effective when educators set clear expectations, provide useful feedback, and design evaluation mechanisms that are effective to the processes of playing.

As such, teachers will get the opportunity to understand the unique needs, disabilities, and abilities of their children. An understanding of how children learn, both in terms of theories of cognition and their practical application, is crucial to designing playgrounds. That is, constructivism is a theory of learning that fits the context of this research and further provides a context in understanding the connectedness between a well-designed playground and the academic achievement of children. According to the theory, good learners can learn by constructing understanding for everyone when the learning environment has been designed to meet their expectations (Devine et al. 2015). The research is therefore shaped or contextualized by the theory in the sense that educational achievement is about appreciating the fact that learners need to learn how to learn, including the fact that the design of the playground should be guided by teachers in a favorable environment.

The situation of the playground is essential in ensuring the engagement of learners as it creates an environment that ensures children participate through interactions. Bondareva et al. (2013) recognized that situation of a playground help teachers monitor plays and set the tone that involves the learners in the curriculum. The situation of the playground affects both the teacher and the learners since it seeks to improve the behavior and engagement of the students while at the same time it helps the educator monitor processes of play. Bondareva et al. (2013) argue that situating playgrounds close to homes or in a noisy place affects the social life of children thus negatively affect the behavior of students. 

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