Research That Benefits Children and Families-Option1

This week I have found a research article that shows research benefiting children.  This article actually ties into my topic of the benefits of play on children.  This article is entitled, Bully-Proofing Playgrounds During School Recess, by Stephen Leff and J. Munro, PhD.  This article intrigues me because it is yet another link to making play successful and a learning opportunity.  if a child is being bullied, then negative connotations are then associated with play.


The authors' study took place in a large,K-4, urban, Philadelphia elementary school.  The authors describe the "low-level" aggression that takes place on the playground at this school.  Examples of low-level aggression include teasing, hitting, pushing or threatening.  Often, this can be worse in inner-city schools as they can be under-staffed on the playgrounds and usually have less equipment for all of the children to play on.  The authors noted that many schools have no plan in play that promotes positive social-skills on the playground. The authors suggest that schools devise a plan to empower those in charge of recess to be able to handle situations that arise in a positive manner and working with communities and schools to better construct, design and equip children's playgrounds.


How can this be done?  the authors took their research on what makes successful play and met with school staff and administrators and community stake-holders to devise an intervention plan for implementation on the playground. they took concerns of the children and their families to help devise this plan to meet the needs of the children at that particular school.


The plan they devised included coming up with more activities that children could play cooperatively and with not so much aggression.  they also wanted to promote better relationships between children of different ethnic backgrounds on the playground. Playground monitors were also given training on how to handle playground situations and how to structure activities that would promote positive play.  Students were informed of the changes that would be taking place at recess and they were also informed of the expectations that they would be held to at recess.


The results were a success.  The researchers came back to the school the following year.  They observed 32 different recess periods.They found that having structured activities helped with positive socialization and less aggression among students.  Also, with adults monitoring the activities and being an active presence during play, rather than standing on the sidelines, children of different ethnic backgrounds played more cooperatively together.


This article is definite proof of how researchers were able to make a positive impact on children through their research.  It also shows that research can be beneficial without being intrusive or hurtful to the children it used in the research.


References:


Leff, S. and Munro, J (2011).  retrieved on May 19, 2012 from  http://www.education.com/reference/article/promoting-social-skills-prevent-bullying/?page=3