TY - JOUR
T1 - Early childhood teachers' beliefs about children's risky play in Australia and Norway
AU - Little, Helenhelen
AU - Sandseter, Ellen Beate Hansen
AU - Wyver, Shirley
PY - 2012
Y1 - 2012
N2 - Positive risk-taking in the context of outdoor physical play is important for fostering children's optimal health and development. Despite this, there is mounting concern that many developmentally beneficial activities are now seen as dangerous and something to be avoided. However, perceptions of risk are very much subject to cultural interpretation, and the growing risk aversion evident in some developed Western societies, such as Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, is less apparent in other developed countries, notably some of the European and Scandinavian countries. To explore some of these cultural differences, early childhood practitioners from Australia and Norway were interviewed regarding their provision of outdoor play experiences for children and their attitudes towards risk-taking in play. Practitioners from both countries recognised the importance of risky play for children's development and well-being. However, differences in the extent to which children's risky play was supported were evident. Factors associated with the quality of the outdoor environment, regulatory requirements, and a litigious environment were identified as constraining teaching practice for the Australian practitioners. The findings have implications for the development of policy that supports teachers' pedagogical decisionmaking in providing developmentally challenging play environments for children.
AB - Positive risk-taking in the context of outdoor physical play is important for fostering children's optimal health and development. Despite this, there is mounting concern that many developmentally beneficial activities are now seen as dangerous and something to be avoided. However, perceptions of risk are very much subject to cultural interpretation, and the growing risk aversion evident in some developed Western societies, such as Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, is less apparent in other developed countries, notably some of the European and Scandinavian countries. To explore some of these cultural differences, early childhood practitioners from Australia and Norway were interviewed regarding their provision of outdoor play experiences for children and their attitudes towards risk-taking in play. Practitioners from both countries recognised the importance of risky play for children's development and well-being. However, differences in the extent to which children's risky play was supported were evident. Factors associated with the quality of the outdoor environment, regulatory requirements, and a litigious environment were identified as constraining teaching practice for the Australian practitioners. The findings have implications for the development of policy that supports teachers' pedagogical decisionmaking in providing developmentally challenging play environments for children.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84875237169&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.2304/ciec.2012.13.4.300
DO - 10.2304/ciec.2012.13.4.300
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84875237169
SN - 1463-9491
VL - 13
SP - 300
EP - 316
JO - Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
JF - Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood
IS - 4
ER -