Appropriately responding to risk situations is a result of a child's direct experiences, as well as the guidance he or she receives. The purpose of this study by Little was to investigate factors that might contribute to parental strategies in guiding children in risk-taking behavior. Specifically, she examined the relationship between parents own risk-taking behaviors and beliefs and how they respond to their child's risk-taking behavior during outdoor play.
As part of this study, Little interviewed 26 parents of 4- to 5-year-old children from early childhood centers in different parts of Sydney, Australia and had parents complete a questionnaire about their risk-taking beliefs and behaviors. She also observed 12 of these parents interacting with their child for 20 minutes during play at a local playground to document children's risk-taking behavior and parent verbal and physical responses.
In analyzing the interview and survey data, Little found that 87% of parents recognized the importance of risk-taking and its positive impacts on learning and development. In addition, she found that 73% of parents believed risk-taking helped promote skill development, 51% believed it helped build confidence, and 38% believed it helped children learn how to avoid injury. In examining the observational data, Little found that children mainly engaged in lower level risk behaviors and that parents predominantly supervised their child's play passively and provided encouragement, instructions, physical support, and modeling to support their child's play, rarely intervening to prevent risky play. While the researcher could not conduct statistical comparisons between boys and girls, she did observe gender differences in children's risk-taking behavior. For example, she found that girls tended to show greater apprehension in engaging in activities beyond their current skill level. With regard to the relationship between parents' own risk-taking behaviors and beliefs and their response to risk-taking behavior, Little discovered that there was a significant relationship: children who engaged in higher risk behaviors had parents with higher total risk beliefs and behaviors. In the article, she discusses three possible explanations for this relationship.
This study provides important information about the influence of parent beliefs about risk and safety on children's risk-taking behavior.
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