Southern Ontario Principals' Perspectives on Recess in Low-Income Neighbourhoods

Elementary school recess is now generally understood to be a necessary part of a child’s school day. Therefore, it is important to move beyond research regarding the need for recess and capture the logistics and experiences of those directly involved. The present study utilizes a descriptive, exploratory approach to understand principals’ experiences of recess in low-income neighbourhoods. Participants included 12 principals from an elementary school board in Southern Ontario. Opened-ended questions regarding principals’ general recess experiences and their recess definitions were asked, along with self-report measures of recess activities, student engagement, supervision ratios, recess rules and restrictions, as well as suggestions for future improvements. The results revealed considerable inconsistencies across schools. This is important information as it is indicative of the need policy and guidelines in order to maximize a safe and positive recess environment for children.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A. Child and Youth Studies

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Faculty of Social Sciences

Department dc:contributor.department

Department of Child and Youth Studies

Grantor

Brock University

Year dc:date.issued

2016

Author dc:creator

• Vaantaja, Erin

• recess
• principal
• education
• policy

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/10464/10411

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:brocku.scholaris.ca:10464/10411