Professional Documents
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Research-Based Case For Recess
Research-Based Case For Recess
edu
November 2013
dren get 10-20 minute breaks between 45-minute lessons or five-minute breaks and a long lunch. Finnish and
Turkish children have 15 minutes to play after each 45
minutes of work. Ugandan students have an eight-hour
school day, but they have a half hour of play in the
morning, one hour for lunch and play, and 1.5 hours of
activity time (sports, music, art, free-choice playtime) in
the afternoon.
In the U.S., policy and practice vary considerably
from state to state and from school to school. The probability of children having 150 minutes a week of PE and
at least 20 minutes a day of recess was more likely in
states with laws requiring PE and encouraging recess.5 A
study conducted in 2006 indicated 57% of school systems required regularly scheduled recess in elementary
school.6 However, according to a study published in
2011, only 40% of school systems had an explicit recess
policy. Figures may vary in these studies, depending
upon who is being surveyed and whether questions involve recess policy or recess practice.
School systems may claim on surveys they have recess when they sometimes have it. But who actually gets
recess is another matter and appears to be a social justice
issue. With a randomly selected sample of children on a
What do elementary school principals say?
playground made dramatic progress over the year, becoming happier and easier to get along with due to the
attention and support of the staff.44 Some schools train
peer coaches as conflict managers45 and play partners to
help individual students manage their own behaviors.46
There is evidence these playground interventions generalize to better behavior in other settings. Peaceful Playgrounds (peacefulplaygrounds.com) and Playworks
(playworks.org) are two programs that provide structure designed to teach social skills. A recent Stanford
study found that Playworks schools, compared to control group schools, reported fewer incidences of bullying
and more vigorous physical activity at recess as well as
smoother transitions to the classroom.47 Teaching children games and how to play fair can be useful especially
for children not experienced with recess, with the caveat
that structured activities should not be required.
Supporters of Recess
The Alliance for Childhood, the U.S. Play
Coalition, and the American Association for
the Childs Right to Play (IPAUSA) are strong
supporters of recess. The following organizations, representing PE teachers, elementary
and middle school principals, early childhood
specialists, and pediatricians, have made
major pro-recess statements:
* American Academy of Pediatrics
* National Association for Sport and
Physical Education
* National Association of Early Childhood
Specialists in State Departments of
Education (NAECS/SDE)
* National Association of Elementary
School Principals
* Ranger Ricks Recess Campaign (from the
National Wildlife Federation)
the playground. However, according to some researchers, game playing in the classroom is typically in
a closed setting where the children cannot withdraw
from the game.41 Recess provides a more open setting
where children are free to leave the play situation. In
open settings, children must learn to resolve conflicts to
keep the game going, resulting in low levels of aggression on the playground.41, 36 Interviews with fourthgraders suggest recess may be the only opportunity for
some children to practice their social skills with other
children.42 Many classrooms allow very little interaction. Furthermore, latchkey children, who lock themselves at home after school with TV and computer
games as companions, often have no peer interactions
once they leave school.
An important aspect of play is the ability to choose
and make decisions. One study found that 8-9 year-olds
were able to set goals for their recess experience that
included achievement, social relationships, and the need
for fun and challenge.43 In interviews of fourth-graders
on the difference between PE and recess, the dominant
response was recess involved choice of activities and
play partners, whereas in PE they were told what to
do and with whom. Some of the children noted recess
was the only time of the day when they could make
choices and that the ability to choose made them feel
respected.42
Recess provides an excellent opportunity for learning
social skills. Students who have been long deprived of
recess may not know how to behave when recess is reinstated. In an urban Boston public school, researchers
noted many children with challenging behaviors on the
In Conclusion
Advocates for the wellbeing of all children need
to be concerned about the number of children
deprived of recess. Given the strong evidence
suggesting recess meets so many physical, social,
emotional, and academic needs, recess for all is
a goal worth pursuing.
References
1
10
11
Jensen, E. (2005). Teaching with the brain in mind, 2nd Edition. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Center on Education Policy (2008). Instructional time in elementary schools: A closer look at changes for specific subjects.
Washington, DC. See http://www.cepdc.org/displayDocument.cfm?DocumentID=309
12
Burris, K. & Burris, L. (2011). Outdoor play and learning: Policy and practice. International Journal of Education Policy and
Leadership, 6(8).
13
Slater, S.J., Nicholson, L., Chriqui, J., Turner, L., & Chaloupka,
F. (2012). The impact of state laws and district policies on physical education and recess practices in a nationally representative
sample of US public elementary schools. Archives of Pediatrics
and Adolescent Medicine, 166(4), 311-316.
14
15
Cady, J. R. (2009). A qualitative case study on the impact of recess and in-class breaks, in the American public schools,
through the eyes of elementary school administrators, teachers,
and students. (Doctoral dissertation, Capella University).
16
17
18
The State of Play, 2010, pg. 3, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, http://www.playworks.org/files/StateOfPlayFeb2010.pdf
19
Barros, R.M., Silver, E.J., & Stein, R.E. (2009). School recess
and group classroom behavior. Pediatrics, 123, 431-436.
20
37
Jarrett, O. S. & Duckett-Hedgebeth, M. (2003). Recess in middle school: What do the students DO? In D. E. Lytle (Ed.) Play
and educational theory and practice: Play and culture studies,
Vol. 5 (pp. 227-242). Westport, Connecticut: Praeger.
21
38
22
39
Carmichael, C. M. (2008). On the playground: Discourse, gender and ideology in English learner peer cultures. (Doctoral dissertation, The University of Arizona).
40
41
42
Maxwell, D. M., Jarrett, O. S., & Roetger, C. D. (1999, January). Recess through the childrens eyes. Paper presented at the
Conference on Qualitative Research in Education, University
of GA.
43
Dwyer, S. A. (1999). Exploring childrens goals for recess engagement. (Masters Thesis, University of Alberta).
44
Meier, D., Engel, B. S., & Taylor, B. (2010). Playing for keeps:
Life and learning on a public school playground. New York:
Teachers College Press.
45
Evans, K. C. & Eversole, D. (1992). Children as conflict managers. Journal of emotional and behavioral problems, 1(2),
39-40.
46
47
48
Jarrett, O.S. & Stenhouse, V. (2011, November). Problem solution project: Transforming curriculum and empowering urban
students and teachers. Urban Education, 45(6), 461-495.
49
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Studies, Vol. 3: Theory in context and out (pp. 147-179). Westport, CT: Ablex.
25
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28
Dale, D., Corbin, C. B., & Dale, K. S. (2000). Restricting opportunities to be active during school time: Do children compensate by increasing physical activity levels after school?
Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 71(3), 240-248.
29
30
31
Bishop, J. C. & Curtis, M. (Eds.). (2001). Play today in the primary school playground. Philadelphia: Open University Press.
32
Schaefer, C. E. & Reid, S. E. (Eds.) (1986). Game play: Therapeutic use of childrens games. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
33
34
35
36
Published by
In collaboration with
www.allianceforchildhood.org
and
www.ipausa.org