Higher quality green schoolyards support more diverse forms of play, play with natural materials and positive student interactionsGreen schoolyards are nature-rich environments that offer a variety of natural elements designed to encourage children to play and interact with nature. According to existing research, green schoolyards offer more affordances for play than traditional schoolyards and support a variety of healthy recess behaviors, including positive social interaction and physical activity. Greater understanding, however, is needed to clarify how the design of green schoolyards influences children’s recess behaviors. This study investigated if the design of green schoolyards was related to the recess behaviors of Dutch primary school children. Differences in recess behaviors based on children’s gender and age were also examined.
Primary schools serving children in kindergarten through grade eight (ages 4-12) that had green schoolyards in the Netherlands were invited to participate in the study. Sixteen schools volunteered to participate, including two public schools, 10 religious schools and four schools that were based on specific philosophical belief systems. Behavioral observations were conducted for one day at each schoolyard during all recess times. Most schools provided multiple recess breaks that included a 15-minute morning and a 15 – 30-minute lunch break. Younger children commonly also had an afternoon 15 – 45-minute recess. The observations assessed children’s: 1) play behaviors utilizing the Observation of Playground Play (OPP) scale; 2) social behaviors with the System for Observing Children’s Activity and Relationships during Play (SOCARP); and 3) physical activity the System of Observing Play and Leisure Activity in Youth (SOPLAY). Children’s age and gender were also recorded during observations. In all, observations included 1,093 younger children (4–6 years old) and 1,846 older children (6–12 years old). Additionally, 76 teachers or teaching aids who regularly supervised recess completed surveys designed to measure general recess behaviors, which also focused on play patterns, social interaction and physical activity. The Green Schoolyard Evaluation Tool (GSET) was used to evaluate a variety of schoolyard elements, including greenery, landscape design, play and learning features and materials, water elements and habitat for animals. For each schoolyard, a total GSET score was calculated, with higher scores indicating that the schoolyard incorporated more features that were supportive of healthy child development. Statistical analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between the quality of the schoolyards (as measured by GSET scores) and recess behaviors.
Analysis revealed some significant differences in the recess behaviors of younger and older children. Younger children were most often observed engaging in building and manipulating activities, while older children were most often observed not engaging in play. For both younger and older children, schoolyards with high GSET scores were significantly linked to increased engagement in building and manipulating and playing with natural materials. Younger and older children in high GSET score schoolyards were also less likely to not engage in play than children observed in a schoolyard with a low GSET score. Further, in schoolyards with a high GSET score, younger children were more likely to engage in dramatic play, and older children were more likely to play on equipment, explore and investigate and were less likely to play in groups. No other significant differences in recess behaviors (play types, group size, social interactions, or physical activity) were identified between schoolyards with a high or low GSET scores. Gender was only found to play a significant role in the relationships between schoolyard design and traditional playground games and play with manufactured materials. Among younger children, traditional playground games and playing with manufactured materials were more frequently observed in schoolyards with higher GSET scores for girls, and children in mixed gender groups, than boys. However, among older children, girls and children in mixed gender groups were less likely than boys to engage in these same behaviors. Results of the teacher surveys revealed that in schoolyards with a higher GSET, both boys and girls engaged in significantly more building and manipulating as well as exploring and investigating types of behaviors. Girls were reported to participate in significantly more dramatic play behaviors in high GSET score schoolyards. Teachers also rated student interactions as more positive in schoolyards with a high GSET score, however, no significant differences were found in teachers’ reports of bullying between high and low GSET score schoolyards.
Findings suggest that higher quality, ‘greener’ schoolyards that feature more of the GSET recommended elements support more diverse forms of play, play with natural materials, and positive interactions between students. In these schoolyards, children were more likely to engage in building and manipulating, exploration and investigation, and dramatic play. Findings are supported by those of previous studies. Schoolyard design should intentionally incorporate elements identified by the GSET—the presence of vegetation, natural landscape features, play and learning components, water, and habitat for animals—to optimally influence children’s recess behaviors that may support their overall development. Future research might investigate children’s perceptions of their play in green schoolyards.
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