Some recent research on outdoor school environments has focused specifically on participatory school ground design, which actively involves children in the design process. Their actual engagement, however, is generally limited to the early design phases. This study investigated the play behaviors of children on a renovated school ground that had previously engaged students in the renovation process. The intent of the study was to generate insights and design guidance for future school ground renovations.
This study used behavior mapping, interviews, and field notes to collect information about children's play behaviors on a schoolgrounds that had been renovated 12 months prior to the study. Behavior mapping is an observational method allowing researchers to systematically record behavior as it occurs in specific locations. Behavior mapping was used in this study to investigate the spatial distribution of children's (n = 342) play behaviors in eight different behavior settings. A total of 110 behavior mapping scans were completed over a ten-day period, with each scan lasting 10-minutes. The two researchers conducting the behavior mapping also kept field notes to record any interesting observations, unique activities, and other relevant information not captured by the behavior mapping coding system. Fifty-two students (kindergarten through 8th grade) participated in small-group interviews focusing on their views and experiences relating to the playground elements and landscaped design features. The student interviewees had not participated in the original redesign process. The school principal and eight educators participated in individual interviews focusing on their views of the renovated playground and their observations of the students' play behaviors.
Results indicate that children generally used the entire school ground, with some variations based on age and gender. Students in grade 1–4 displayed the greatest spatial range, and more boys than girls accessed the open space of the grass field. Students of all ages spent more time in settings that afforded active play. These settings included the play equipment area, sports courts, and the grass field. Gender variations were less apparent in the natural design setting, which afforded active, imaginative, and constructive play among both girls and boys. Younger children and girls accessed the natural area more than older children and boys. The most common form of play in the natural area was constructive play, often involving loose materials. While the play equipment area was popular with many children, it was used more often by the younger children than the older children. Some of the younger children expressed frustration about crowding in this area, and older children complained about the lack of challenge. Older students (grade 5–8) used the seating area more than the younger students.
Results revealed aspects of the school ground design that warranted further improvement, especially in relation to affordances for social interaction, girls' preferred play choices, and older children's sense of challenge. Specific design recommendations are offered along with the suggestion that outdoor school environment projects should involve children throughout the entire design and re-design phases of the project.
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