ERIC Number: EJ1478099
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025
Pages: N/A
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0031-8981
EISSN: EISSN-2160-1682
Available Date: 0000-00-00
Children's Recess Affect, Enjoyment, Physical Activity, and Opportunities by Victimization, Developmental Level, School Region, and Recess Location
Ken R. Lodewyk; Lauren McNamara
Physical Educator, v82 n4 2025
Research on school recess has highlighted the need for more integrated and situated knowledge of students' recess experiences as a function of school and recess context. This study assessed differences in recess-specific negative affect; enjoyment and opportunities (indoors and outdoors), and physical activity and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) during outdoor recess as a function of victimization, developmental level (grades 4-6 or 7-8), and school urbanization (Greater Toronto Area) or in a small more isolated city or town within southwestern Ontario, Canada. Online surveys were completed during school by 445 students (209 boys; 236 girls) in grades 4-6 (n = 266) and 7-8 (n = 179) in 11 government-funded schools (four public in the GTA and seven Catholic in smaller cities and towns). MANOVA results revealed main effect differences by recess victimization, developmental level, and school urbanization, Students reporting victimization had significantly higher negative affect; lower recess, physical activity, MVPA, opportunities, and enjoyment in outdoor recess; and lower opportunities for play during indoor recess. Students attending school in the Greater Toronto Area were significantly higher in negative affect for recess and in enjoyment and opportunities for play during indoor recess. Finally, students in grades 4-6 were statistically higher than those in grades 7-8 in each of the measured variables except for negative affect. These findings help illuminate specific insight into the potential role of victimization, recess location (indoors or outdoors), developmental level, and school urbanization on students' school recess experiences.
Descriptors: Elementary School Students, Middle School Students, Recess Breaks, Student Attitudes, Physical Activities, Victims, Bullying, School Location, Foreign Countries, Rural Urban Differences, Play, Physical Environment
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education; Junior High Schools; Middle Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A