Frequency and duration measurements of children’s outdoor free play: A Scoping review

Outdoor free play encompasses unstructured, self-directed play in the outdoors and has been shown to support children’s health and development. Accurate and reliable measures are required to conduct research on children’s outdoor free play and examine cross-sectional and longitudinal variation. This study systematically reviews and evaluates measurement approaches for children’s outdoor free play used in existing literature. A scoping review was conducted to identify English-language peer-reviewed and grey literature that included measurements of the occurrence, frequency or duration of outdoor free play with children aged 2 to 17 years old. Studies were excluded if the outdoor free play measure included structured settings or activities, or focused on a specific location or play activity. Quantitative and qualitative content analysis was used to consider outdoor free play terminology, definition, and operationalization; positioning in relation to other variables and the topic of interest; and data collection context. A total of 4,860 unique studies were identified. After screening and full-text review, 184 papers were taken forward for analysis. Parent-recall questionnaires were used in 70.1% of included studies to measure outdoor free play, often using a single question to capture the variable. A lack of differentiation between outdoor play emanating from structured and unstructured settings was common, as was limited consideration of contextual factors such as season, school or non-school days, and time of day. The implications of existing approaches to measuring children’s outdoor free play and the need for valid and reliable measures to further research examining children’s outdoor free play are discussed

A Spatial Analysis of Functional Outcomes and Quality of Life Outcomes After Pediatric Injury

BACKGROUND: Changes in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) are more regularly being monitored during the first year after injury. Monitoring changes in HRQoL using spatial cluster analysis can potentially identify concentrations of geographic areas with injury survivors with similar outcomes, thereby improving how interventions are delivered or in how outcomes are evaluated. METHODS: We used a spatial scan statistic designed for oridinal data to test two different spatial cluster analysis of very low, low, high, and very high HRQoL scores. Our study was based on HRQoL scores returned by children treated for injury at British Columbia Children\u27s Hospital and discharged to the Vancouver Metropolitan Area. Spatial clusters were assessed at 4 time periods - baseline (based on pre-injury health as reported prior to discharge from hospital), and one, four, and twelve months after discharge. Outcome data were measured used the PedsQL™ outcome scale. Outcome values of very low, low, high, and very high HRQoL scores were defined by classifying PedsQL™ scores into quartiles. In the first test, all scores were assessed for clustering without specifying whether the response score was from a baseline or follow-up response. In the second analysis, we built a space-time model to identify whether HRQoL responses could be identified at specific time points. RESULTS: Among all participants, geographic clustering of response scores were observed globally and at specific time periods. In the purely spatial analysis, five significant clusters of \u27very low\u27 PedsQL physical and psychosocial health outcomes were identified within geographic zones ranging in size from 1 to 21 km. A space-time analysis of outcomes identified significant clusters of both \u27very low\u27 and \u27low\u27 outcomes between survey months within zones ranging in size from 3 to 5 km. CONCLUSION: Monitoring patient health outcomes following injury is important for planning and targeting interventions. A common theme in the literature is that future prevention efforts may benefit from identifying those most a risk of developing ongoing problems after injury in effort to target resources to those most in need. Spatial scan statistics are tools that could be applied for identifying concentrations of poor recovery outcomes. By classifying outcomes as a categorical variable, clusters of \u27potentially low\u27 outcomes can also be mapped, thereby identifying populations whose recovery status may decrease

The Role of Play and Objects in Children’s Deep-LevelLearning in Early Childhood Education

This research investigates the significance of the physical environment in early childhood education and care (ECEC) institutions as a facilitator of deep-level learning. Building upon Laevers’ concept of deep-level learning, this study explores the interplay between objects in ECEC settings, children’s play, and their deep-level learning. The primary objective is to examine the potential mediating role of play in the relationship between objects and deep-level learning. The research methodology involves the analysis of a sample consisting of 928 two-minute video observations collected from eight ECEC institutions in Norway. The results demonstrate a positive association between children’s engagement in play, their utilization of objects, and deep-level learning. The findings suggest that constructive and symbolic play partly mediate the positive relationship between deep-level learning and object utilization. These outcomes highlight the pivotal role of play in early childhood education and emphasize how elements within the physical environment can effectively support children’s learning.publishedVersio

Virtual Risk Management—Exploring Effects of Childhood Risk Experiences through Innovative Methods (ViRMa) for Primary School Children in Norway: Study Protocol for the ViRMa Project

Research indicates that risky play benefits children’s risk assessment and risk management skills and offers several positive health effects such as resilience, social skills, physical activity, well-being, and involvement. There are also indications that the lack of risky play and autonomy increases the likelihood of anxiety. Despite its well-documented importance, and the willingness of children to engage in risky play, this type of play is increasingly restricted. Assessing long-term effects of risky play has been problematic because of ethical issues with conducting studies designed to allow or encourage children to take physical risks with the potential of injury.Virtual Risk Management—Exploring Effects of Childhood Risk Experiences through Innovative Methods (ViRMa) for Primary School Children in Norway: Study Protocol for the ViRMa ProjectpublishedVersio

Play, Learn, and Teach Outdoors—Network (PLaTO-Net): terminology, taxonomy, and ontology

Background: A recent dialogue in the feld of play, learn, and teach outdoors (referred to as “PLaTO” hereafter) demonstrated the need for developing harmonized and consensus-based terminology, taxonomy, and ontology for PLaTO. This is important as the feld evolves and diversifes in its approaches, contents, and contexts over time and in diferent countries, cultures, and settings. Within this paper, we report the systematic and iterative processes under‑taken to achieve this objective, which has built on the creation of the global PLaTO-Network (PLaTO-Net). Methods: This project comprised of four major methodological phases. First, a systematic scoping review was conducted to identify common terms and defnitions used pertaining to PLaTO. Second, based on the results of the scoping review, a draft set of key terms, taxonomy, and ontology were developed, and shared with PLaTO members, who provided feedback via four rounds of consultation. Third, PLaTO terminology, taxonomy, and ontology were then fnalized based on the feedback received from 50 international PLaTO member participants who responded to≥3 rounds of the consultation survey and dialogue. Finally, eforts to share and disseminate project outcomes were made through diferent online platforms. Results: This paper presents the fnal defnitions and taxonomy of 31 PLaTO terms along with the PLaTO-Net ontol‑ogy model. The model incorporates other relevant concepts in recognition that all the aspects of the model are interrelated and interconnected. The fnal terminology, taxonomy, and ontology are intended to be applicable to, and relevant for, all people encompassing various identities (e.g., age, gender, culture, ethnicity, ability). Conclusions: This project contributes to advancing PLaTO-based research and facilitating intersectoral and inter‑disciplinary collaboration, with the long-term goal of fostering and strengthening PLaTO’s synergistic linkages with healthy living, environmental stewardship, climate action, and planetary health agendas. Notably, PLaTO terminology, taxonomy and ontology will continue to evolve, and PLaTO-Net is committed to advancing and periodically updating harmonized knowledge and understanding in the vast and interrelated areas of PLaTO

Risky Play and Children’s Safety: Balancing Priorities for Optimal Child Development

Injury prevention plays a key role in keeping children safe, but emerging research suggests that imposing too many restrictions on children’s outdoor risky play hinders their development. We explore the relationship between child development, play, and conceptions of risk taking with the aim of informing child injury prevention. Generational trends indicate children’s diminishing engagement in outdoor play is influenced by parental and societal concerns. We outline the importance of play as a necessary ingredient for healthy child development and review the evidence for arguments supporting the need for outdoor risky play, including: (1) children have a natural propensity towards risky play; and, (2) keeping children safe involves letting them take and manage risks. Literature from many disciplines supports the notion that safety efforts should be balanced with opportunities for child development through outdoor risky play. New avenues for investigation and action are emerging seeking optimal strategies for keeping children “as safe as necessary,” not “as safe as possible.” This paradigm shift represents a potential for epistemological growth as well as cross-disciplinary collaboration to foster optimal child development while preserving children’s safety

A behavioural genetic analysis of attachment styles in adult twins

total of 219 twin pairs (115 monozygotic, 75% female) aged 16 to 79 years completed the Relationship Scales Questionnaire (RSQ) and the Relationship Questionnaire (RQ). Data analyses estimated the heritability of Bartholomew's four adult attachment styles, the self- and other-model dimensions, and examined gender differences in genetic and environmental influences. The results showed an additive genetic and a non-shared environmental component for the secure, fearful, and preoccupied adult attachment styles whereas the dismissing style was characterized by shared and non-shared environmental components. No evidence of sex-specific genetic or shared environmental effects was found. These results shed some light on the controversy between temperament theorists who emphasize genetic influences and attachment theorists who emphasize environmental influences on attachment.Arts, Faculty ofPsychology, Department ofGraduat

We are family : sibling attachment relationships among young adults

A total of 321 young adult sibling dyads (104 male-female, 108 male-male, and 109 female-female) and 131 singletons completed a set of questionnaires examining the sibling relationship from an attachment perspective. Four central research findings are presented: First, attachment to sibling was significantly correlated with parenting, adult attachment self-model, satisfaction with social support, frequency of contact, and personality traits. Specifically, increased independence encouragement and acceptance by parents, decreased maternal rivalry, a more positive self-model, larger and more satisfying social support networks, and greater frequency of contact between siblings were related to greater quality of attachment to sibling. Also, higher levels of NEO Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, and Emotional Stability were positively correlated with attachment to sibling. Second, there was considerable reciprocity in the attachment relationship for all pair types (r = .58) indicating that siblings' ratings of the quality of their attachment to each other tend to correspond quite highly. Third, more positive self- and other-models were related to increased ratings of positive relationship variables such as affection, emotional support, and satisfaction, and decreased ratings of negative relationship variables such as antagonism, quarreling and alienation. Fourth, concordance rates in attachment self- and other-models were very low, indicating that siblings do not resemble each other in the attachment dimensions. However, siblings appear to describe each other's attachment models relatively accurately, and perceive themselves as having similar self- and other-models to their siblings. Findings are discussed in terms of theoretical advancements for attachment theory and the sibling literature, and practical implications for fostering positive sibling relationships.Arts, Faculty ofPsychology, Department ofGraduat