Boys and girls come out to play: Gender differences in children\u27s play patterns

This paper presents findings from The Irish Neighbourhood Play Study; a national, cross-border research project which recorded children’s play patterns in Ireland during 2012. The study incorporated 1688 families across 240 communities. This study recorded the play patterns of children in Ireland aged birth-14 years. The findings of the study are discussed here in the context of gendered patterns. Particular emphasis is placed on the skill differences developed through various play choices. These differences are explored within the context of established literature on the learning strengths of boys and girls. Established bodies of literature on children’s learning across gender lines has long been engaged in the debate about whether these differences are biological or socially constructed. This paper offers a parallel question; Are gender differences within learning, constructed through play choices within childhood? ©IATED (2017). Reproduced in Research Online with permission

The age of imagination: imagining play and invention: implications for creative development

This paper presents findings from The Irish Neighbourhood Play Study; a national, cross-border research project which recorded children’s play patterns in Ireland during 2012. The study incorporated 1688 families across 240 communities. Data was established on the play choices of children aged from birth to 14 years. Multiple differentials were explored including socio-economic and geographical environments. This paper focuses on the findings within imaginary play patterns for the full cohort. As such, it presents the play patterns for imaginary play in children aged birth-14 years. The findings are discussed in the context of developmental patterns with particular emphasis on the relationship between imaginary play and the development of creativity. Creativity is a key concept within contemporary education. Its central nexus is problem solving in the face of uncertainty. Within a rapidly changing world, it is a key skill requirement for today’s children as they grow towards efficacy within instability. The relationship between the development of creativity and children’s engagement with imaginary play practices are explored in this paper. ©IATED (2017). Reproduced in Research Online with permission

Children\u27s choices: the technology choices that children make within their free time. Influences and implications

The Irish Neighbourhood Play Research Project included almost 1700 families and 240 communities throughout Ireland. Using parental surveys and naturalistic observation, data was secured on how children in modern Ireland aged 0-14 are spending their free time. An all-island approach was taken incorporating cities, towns and rural areas across a variety of socio-economic groupings. Interesting findings arose from the data relating to the choices that children are making within their free time. This paper focuses on the choices they are making within technology use. Data on the children’s technological engagement will be presented and discussed through a child development lens. The positive and negative implications for both learning and development are raised. This generation of children will be the first to emerge into adulthood without ever experiencing a world without technology. For them, it will always have been central to their existence. What does this mean for the next generation of humanity? ©IATED (2016). Permission granted by IATED for inclusion in ResearchOnline@N

The influences of opportunity. Differences in children\u27s play choices across diverse communities in Ireland

This paper presents findings from The Irish Neighbourhood Play Project; a research study initiated by IT Sligo and Early Childhood Ireland in 2012. The focus of this paper is on the data section which highlights children’s play choices and opportunities across socio-economic communities. The study incorporated almost 1800 families across 240 communities. Data was collected within disadvantaged communities, middle class communities and affluent communities. Where and what children are playing was investigated. The choices children and families make within play have a direct effect on the developing brain of the young child (Acar & Torquati, 2015). This, in turn, affects school performance and engagement. Choices however, are often framed by opportunities; opportunities are framed by government policy and investment in community facilities as well as socio-cultural norms. The data from this project shows that children across socio-economic divides are engaging in dramatically different play, experiences and activities. Key differences also emerged in relation to how children in diverse communities are engaging with technology. The differences across multiple themes are startling and offer insights into the breadth of childhood experience across the Island of Ireland. ©IATED (2017). Reproduced in Research Online with permission

Is it time for the risky classroom? Dealing with risk and uncertainty is a natural part of adult life. Yet modern children are shielded from risk at every opportunity. A pedagogical shift is required

Risk within learning environments is a much debated topic within early childhood education. The sector sees and understands the benefits of risk but often remain risk adverse. No –one wishes for children to experience injury and as such safety measures are essential. However, risk has also been shown to be essential for holistic development and learning in the early years (Lights, 2014). It is very important in the formation of many important skills and contributes greatly to children’s holistic health (Brussoni, Olsen, Pike & Sleet, 2012). Contemporary research and the most up-to-date wisdom requires educators to embrace risk and risky play in order to maximise children’s learning opportunities (Brussoni et al, 2015). It is a type of play that supports the child to encounter and overcome challenge. It includes the development of self-belief in the face of adversity, resilience building and problem solving confidence as well as physical competence and survival skills. Taking risks also transfers into skills such as judgement and risk measurement as well as tenacity and the ability to try again after failure. But is risk endangered in modern childhood? This paper presents data from the Irish Neighbourhood Play Study. This study incorporated 1688 families across 240 communities. One of the things under investigation was the engagement with risk within neighbourhood play. The results indicate that the children were engaging in very low levels of risk. If the benefits of risk are to be experienced by this generation of children, educators may need to overcome their fears and reservations and learn to embrace and incorporate risk provision into Early Childhood pedagogies. ©IATED (2017). Reproduced in Research Online with permission

Let\u27s get real: are today\u27s children playing with nature? Do the educational aspirations of the nature play movement emerge within children\u27s neighbourhood play?

The Irish Neighbourhood Play Research Project was a large scale research project which included almost 1700 participant families and 240 communities throughout Ireland. It used parental surveys and naturalistic observation to secure data on how children in modern Ireland aged 0-15 are spending their free time. An all-island approach was taken incorporating cities, towns and rural areas across a variety of socio-economic groupings. Interesting findings arose from the data relating to the choices that children are making within their free time. This paper focuses on the choices they are making within their engagement with nature and natural materials. Data on the children’s nature choices will be presented and discussed through a child development lens. The positive and negative implications for both learning and development are raised. This leads us to interesting questions about the role of nature within child development and learning. As an international nature play movement gains ground in raising awareness about the importance of nature based learning and its linkages with educational structure and pedagogy, this research into children’s nature choices is timely ©IATED (2016). Reproduced in Research Online with permission

Is play disappearing? Instances of no-play in children\u27s neighbourhoods: Implications for learning, development and curriculum

This paper presents data from the Irish Neighbourhood Play Study that explored children’s engagement in play. The data raises concerns around recorded instances of no-play in play environments. The instances of no-play were recorded during peak play time periods including weekend and afterschool hours. This data raises the critical question: Are today’s children being afforded sufficient time to play? Both the quality of opportunity to play and the quantity of time afforded to children to engage in play are important factors in children’s learning and development (Fisher, Hirsh-Pasek, Golinkoff, Singer & Berk, 2011; Whitebread, 2012). The data from the Irish Neighbourhood Play Study indicates that children may not be spending enough time playing in their neighbourhoods. In discussing the data, this paper evolves to explore the thesis that schools should attend to this absence of play by providing play-based education. A justification for play-based approaches within the school experience is underpinned by an evidence-based defense of the centrality of play within children’s academic and holistic development

Child\u27s play the developmental benefits of the play choices of modern children: Implications for school curricula

This paper presents data from the Irish Neighbourhood Play Study. The Irish Neighbourhood Play Study explored the play choices of children from 0 to 15 years of age. This paper reports the findings on the play choices of children and these are presented alongside the levels of engagement within each play type. Construction Play, Motor Play, Fantasy (Imaginative) Play and Social Play are all applied as broad categories with detailed data presented that drills down into what elements of play children are choosing within each category. The developmental benefits of each play type are then explored and discussed. These findings are viewed through an educational lens and contextualised within a curricular context. The critical questions arising from the findings concern the developmental benefits inherent to the types of play children choose for themselves and how these developmental benefits translate to the school context. This paper discusses these critical questions and suggests possible implications for school curricula when adopting play-based approaches

The role of research experiences in developing pre-service teachers’ epistemic beliefs

Persistent concerns about the theory-practice gap and desires for an ‘evidence-informed’ teaching profession have prompted research into how teachers' epistemic beliefs influence their acceptance or rejection of educational research. This study analyses longitudinal interview data from six pre-service teachers (PSTs) to explore how experiences of conducting research (in the domains of science or education) during initial teacher education (ITE) contribute to epistemological development. These research experiences provided opportunities for ad-hoc epistemological development, even in the absence of intentional efforts. Epistemic beliefs sometimes appeared to be supplanted, counterproductively, from science to education. The implications for teacher education and research are discussed

Playing for high stakes: Findings from the Irish neighbourhood play research project and their implications for education

The Irish Neighbourhood Play Research Project included almost 1700 families and 240 communities throughout Ireland. The findings hold clear implications for educational policy and practice. Using surveys, interviews and naturalistic observation, data was secured on how children in modern Ireland aged 0 - 15 are playing. An all-island approach was taken incorporating cities, towns and rural areas across a variety of socio-economic groupings. Interesting findings arose from the data relating to generational differences in levels of freedom, play, exercise, engagement with risk, with nature, with scheduled/timetabled extracurricular activities, with homework, with electronics, with creative activities and with traditional play types and games. Differences in play choices and experiences were also evident across socio-economic groupings, community types, gender lines, age ranges and housing types. This paper presents the data and asks what it means within a framework of educational implication. Most importantly: what can education do to redress these implications? Innovations in pedagogy and policy are required to meet the educational challenges implicit within this data. This ground breaking research on the changing face of childhood points clearly to the need for collaborative, co- participative, democratic, empowering and playful pedagogies and educational policies which support them