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This book is a research guide for implementing contemporary playground strategies to promote active, healthy students. A number of school playground strategies have succeeded in reducing the decline in students' activity levels by introducing equipment and policies that encourage further engagement. The book outlines these strategies and ideas and offers insights into their multiple levels of influence on engaging students in school playground activities that can promote student health.
It also discusses previous investigations into the effect of playground strategies on students' activities and the differences between structured and unstructured playground activities; investigations that have explored the translatability and feasibility of specific school playground strategies and potential recommendations for future school playground research. It also provides observations on the features students desire in their playgrounds and what features are important in terms of safe activities, enjoyment levels, which in turn offers suggestions for future research directions.
List of contents
Chapter 1 The importance of school playground for active, healthy students.- Chapter 2 School playgrounds as a place of learning.- Chapter 3 The state of playgrounds in Australian schools.- Chapter 4 Adult decisions on students' play within primary school playgrounds.- Chapter 5 Individual influences on students within school playgrounds.- Chapter 6 Social environmental influences on students within school playgrounds.- Chapter 7 Physical environmental influences on students within school playgrounds.- Chapter 8 Policy influences on students within school playgrounds.- Chapter 9 Measurement of students' playground activity levels.- Chapter 10 What students want within school playground to to be active and healthy.- Chapter 11 What students want and need within school playgrounds for play.- Chapter 12 Students' enjoyment of school playground activities.- Chapter 13 School playground strategies to promote structured activities.- Chapter 14 School playground strategies to promote unstructured activities.- Chapter 15 Evaluating the translatability of school playground strategies.- Chapter 16 Recommendations for future school playground strategy research.
About the author
Dr. Brendon Hyndman is an academic in Personal Development, Health & Physical Education at the School of Education at Southern Cross University (SCU). Prior to this he was the manager of the Bachelor of Teaching & Learning (Pre-service) and a lecturer in Education (Health & Physical Education/Teaching & Learning) at the School of Education at Charles Darwin University (CDU), Australia. He has undertaken lecturing stints at the School of Education at RMIT University and the University of Western Sydney. Dr Hyndman has extensive school-based teaching/research experience within a diverse range of primary, secondary and tertiary settings and has been involved in teacher education since 2009. Since 2012, he has established himself as an international leader in school physical activity research and has published extensively on the influences on students’ school playground physical activities.
Dr Hyndman’s research has focused on schools as a crucial setting todevelop students’ physical activity participation, health and overall wellbeing. As childhood is a time for students to understand the world through a variety of activities and play, his research has guided teacher awareness of the range of influences and strategies to develop students’ engagement in physical activities via both informal, pedagogical and curricular approaches. The originality, innovation and impact of Dr Brendon Hyndman’s research is showcased by the interest studies both nationally and internationally.
Summary
This book is a research guide for implementing contemporary playground strategies to promote active, healthy students. A number of school playground strategies have succeeded in reducing the decline in students’ activity levels by introducing equipment and policies that encourage further engagement. The book outlines these strategies and ideas and offers insights into their multiple levels of influence on engaging students in school playground activities that can promote student health.
It also discusses previous investigations into the effect of playground strategies on students’ activities and the differences between structured and unstructured playground activities; investigations that have explored the translatability and feasibility of specific school playground strategies and potential recommendations for future school playground research. It also provides observations on the features students desire in their playgrounds and what features are important in terms of safe activities, enjoyment levels, which in turn offers suggestions for future research directions.
