ORCID Profile
0000-0002-7288-2669
Current Organisation
Macquarie University
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Research Topics
In Research Link Australia (RLA), "Research Topics" refer to ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes. These topics are either sourced from ANZSRC FOR and SEO codes listed in researchers' related grants or generated by a large language model (LLM) based on their publications.
Top 5 Research Topics
ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)
Other Medical and Health Sciences | Medical and Health Sciences not elsewhere classified | Mental Health | Recreation And Leisure Studies | Public Health and Health Services | Community Child Health
ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)
Mental health | Allied Health Therapies (excl. Mental Health Services) | Child health | Behaviour and health |
Related Links
Publications
Is Parent Engagement with a Child Health Home-Based Record Associated with Parents Perceived Attitude towards Health Professionals and Satisfaction with the Record? A Cross-Sectional Survey of Parents in New South Wales, Australia
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 30-07-2020
Abstract: We examined parent views of health professionals and satisfaction toward use of a child health home-based record and the influence on parent engagement with the record. A cross-sectional survey of 202 parents was conducted across New South Wales (NSW), Australia. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were conducted to identify predictors of parent engagement with the record book using odds ratio (OR) at 95% confidence interval (CI) and 0.05 significance level. Parents reported utilizing the record book regularly for routine health checks (63.4%), reading the record (37.2%), and writing information (40.1%). The majority of parents (91.6%) were satisfied with the record. Parents perceived nurses/midwives as most likely to use/refer to the record (59.4%) compared to pediatricians (34.1%), general practitioners (GP) (33.7%), or other professionals (7.9%). Parents were less likely to read the record book if they perceived the GP to have a lower commitment (Adjusted OR = 0.636, 95% CI 0.429–0.942). Parents who perceived nurses/midwives’ willingness to use/refer to the record were more likely to take the record book for routine checks (Adjusted OR = 0.728, 95% CI 0.536–0.989). Both parent perceived professionals’ attitude and satisfaction significantly influenced information input in the home-based record. The results indicate that improvements in parent engagement with a child health home-based record is strongly associated with health professionals’ commitment to use/refer to the record during consultations/checks.
Kinaesthetic sensitivity and motor skills of school-aged children with a congenital visual impairment
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 2003
Reframing risk: Working with caregivers of children with disabilities to promote risk-taking in play
Publisher: Elsevier
Date: 2020
Spying on children during a school playground intervention using a novel method for direct observation of activities during outdoor play
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 10-07-2018
The Clinical use of the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition (Bayley-III) in Australia
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 12-2009
Abstract: The Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition (Bayley-III) is a standardised assessment used to assess the developmental functioning of infants and young children from 1 month to 42 months of age (Bayley, 2006a). The Bayley scales are recognised internationally as one of the most comprehensive developmental assessment instruments (Sattler & Hoge, 2006) used to examine the major facets of a young child's development (Bayley, 2006a). The primary purpose of the Bayley-III is to identify children with developmental delay and to provide information for intervention implementation (Bayley, 2006a). The domains of early development covered increased from two to five including cognition, language, motor, social-emotional and adaptive behaviour with the publication of the third edition (Bayley, 2006a). While the original Bayley scales were predominately used by psychologists, publication of later editions led to accredited use, within the Australian and New Zealand context, by developmental paediatricians, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and speech pathologists (Bayley, 1969 Bayley 1992 Pearson Clinical and Talent Assessment, 2009). Although the Bayley-III is more comprehensive and a broader range of professionals now use the scales little is known about the clinical application. The current study aimed to explore the use of the Bayley-III in practice and views on the current US norms. An online survey was conducted and the findings revealed that the majority of respondents were interested in Australian local norms the predominant age range assessed was the 24- to 42-month-old group and the most common clinical group seen and assessed was children presenting with global developmental delay. While the majority of the respondents used the Bayley-III approximately once a month or more, at least one third used it less often. However anticipated use over the next 12 months indicated a notable increase from 30% currently using it once or twice weekly up to 65%.
Predictors of parent use of a child health home-based record and associations with long-term child health/developmental outcomes
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 07-2021
Creating play opportunities on the school playground: Educator experiences of the Sydney playground project.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 16-12-2020
Abstract: Children with disabilities often experience unsupportive environments that restrict their play opportunities and inclusion on the school playground. This exclusion can perpetuate inequities for children with disabilities, with lifelong implications. The Sydney Playground Project uses a simple, innovative intervention consisting of placing recycled materials on the playground and engaging parents and educators in risk reframing sessions to create increased playground choice, control, independence and inclusion for all children. The purpose of this study was to learn from participants about the utility of the intervention for promoting choice and control among children with disability on the school playground. Data included evaluative interviews with 27 school staff (teaching assistants, teachers, therapists, school leadership) across five participating schools after completing of the intervention. Analysis was thematic and explored prominent ideas first within schools, and then between schools. Prior to the intervention, participating school staff focused on active supervision to support play and student needs. During the intervention, school staff experienced role shift and confusion as they allowed the children increased independence while using the recycled materials and learned to navigate how much independence to give the children. Children engaged in increased imaginative and social play, and school staff adopted higher expectations of children's capabilities. Interventions such as the Sydney Playground Project that collaboratively shift adult perceptions to focus on the capabilities of children with disabilities and increase the supportiveness of the physical environment have great promise in increasing play choice and inclusion on the school playground.
Autistic tendencies: Are there different pathways for blindness and Autism Spectrum Disorder?
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 05-2005
Abstract: For many of the children who are blind and who also display features of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) it is possible that their characteristics, while being representative of ASD, actually follow a different pathway to those children who have ASD and are sighted. It is proposed that these children should be viewed as having specific features rather than being a part of the collective of ASD. This article explores this issue by comparing the criteria for ASD with behaviours of both children who are sighted and those who are blind. Additionally, the diagnoses of blindness associated with neurological involvement and early medical complications are discussed. The effectiveness of intervention strategies and programmes is explored.
Construct Validity and Test–Retest Reliability of the Coping Inventory (CI) for Children With Developmental Disabilities
Publisher: AOTA Press
Date: 31-05-2019
Abstract: OBJECTIVE. A reliable, valid, and readily usable method of measuring coping is essential for occupational therapy practitioners and researchers working with children with developmental disabilities. The aim of this study was to examine evidence for the construct validity and internal and test–retest reliability of the Coping Inventory (CI), a 48-item survey designed for use with children. METHOD. School staff (N = 39) completed CIs for 79 students with developmental disabilities age 5–13 yr (mean = 8.0, standard deviation = 2.0) who were primarily boys (n = 52 68%) with autism spectrum disorder (n = 40 of 47 diagnoses provided). We used Rasch analysis to examine construct validity, internal reliability, and possible redundancy of items and intraclass correlations, Pearson correlations, Bland–Altman plots, and t tests were used to examine test–retest reliability. RESULTS. Rasch analysis provided evidence of construct validity: All items correlated positively with the overall measure data from 94% of items conformed with Rasch expectations, and the items form a logical hierarchy. Intraclass correlations revealed an average coefficient of .96, providing evidence of test–retest reliability. CONCLUSION. The CI demonstrated good evidence for construct validity and internal and test–retest reliability. Redundancy of items suggests that some items could be eliminated after further research.
Low levels of after school-hours social interaction and physical activity of 5-7 year olds
Publisher: Pacific Early Childhood Education Research Association
Date: 31-05-2018
Children’s access to outdoors in early childhood education and care centres in China during the COVID pandemic
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 18-10-2023
Increasing physical activity in young primary school children--it's child's play: a cluster randomised controlled trial.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2013
DOI: 10.1016/J.YPMED.2013.02.007
Abstract: To explore the effects of an innovative school-based intervention for increasing physical activity. 226 children (5-7 years old) randomly selected from 12 Australian primary schools were recruited to a cluster randomised trial with schools randomly allocated to intervention or control conditions. The 13-week intervention comprised: (1) altering the school playground by introducing loose materials and (2) a teacher-parent intervention exploring perceptions of risk associated with children's free play. The primary outcomes were total accelerometer counts and moderate-vigorous physical activity during break times. Testing took place in Sydney, 2009-2010. 221 participants were tested at baseline. Mixed-effect multilevel regression revealed a small but significant increase from the intervention on total counts (9400 counts, 95% CI 3.5-15.2, p=0.002) and minutes of MVPA (1.8 min, 95% CI 0.5-3.1, p=0.006) and a decrease in sedentary activity (2.1 min, 95% CI 0.5-3.8, p=0.01) during break times. We retested children in one intervention school after 2 years they maintained the gains. Capturing children's intrinsic motivations to play while simultaneously helping adults reconsider views of free play as risky provided increases in physical activity during break times. Using accelerometry as the sole measure of physical activity may underestimate the effect. ACTRN12611000089932.
Parent engagement with the New South Wales child health home-based record
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 23-04-2021
DOI: 10.1111/CCH.12871
Abstract: In 2018, World Health Organization endorsed universal use of home‐based records to improve care for mothers, pregnant women, newborns and children. New South Wales (NSW), Australia has had universal use of a child health home‐based record since 1988, with the first major update in 2013. Since the update, limitedbelief is sufficient for constituting evidence has been collected about factors influencing parent use of the record. This study aims to examine parent engagement with the record and whether it is influenced by child's first‐born status and Parent Evaluation of Development Status (PEDS) outcome. A survey of 202 parent–child pairs and a review of 20 record books were conducted in NSW, Australia. Odds ratio (OR) at 95% confidence interval (CI) and .05 level of significance, bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were conducted to examine the influence of first‐born status, child's PEDS outcome and other parent–child characteristics on parent engagement with the record. Parents engaged with the home‐based record by taking it for routine checks (80.7%), writing (74.8%) or reading (75.8%) information. Parents of first‐born children were more than three times likely to take the record book for routine checks compared with parent of later‐born children (adjusted OR [AOR] = 3.70, 95% CI 1.12–12.20). Similarly, parents of children with low PEDS level of risk were significantly less likely to read information in the record book compared with parents of children with high risk (AOR = 0.28, 95% CI 0.08–0.98). Parent record input through direct observation significantly decreased from 85% at 1‐month to 60% at 12‐month postnatal. Data about at least one vaccination event were recorded in all the record books examined, while 85% had all recommended vaccinations recorded. Parents valued/engaged regularly with a child health home‐based record, and the record may be a useful tool for early detection and monitoring of child developmental concerns. Therefore, continued promotion of the use of child health home‐based record appears to play an important role in improving child health and development.
“How about We Give It a Go?”: A Case Study on Supporting Breastfeeding Families in an Australian Child Care Centre
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 23-10-2020
Abstract: The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for six months and continuation of breastfeeding for up to two years. Formal child care has an important role in supporting breastfeeding, as many Australian infants commence care before two years of age. Currently, little is known about support or barriers in child care contexts. The present qualitative instrumental case study explores practices which protect, promote and support breastfeeding at a child care centre located in the Australian Capital Territory’s outer suburbs. Extending from a previously published collective case study, a cultural-institutional focus of analysis was used to explore the roles of proximity, flexibility and communication in supporting breastfeeding within a child care centre located close to an infant’s home. Interviews with centre staff and mothers, triangulated with observations of the centre environment and policy documents provide insight into the environment. Affirming the roles of flexibility in routine and staff rostering and two-way communication, findings suggest longer-term benefits may be derived from selecting a child care centre close to an infant’s home, provided mothers can overcome barriers to breastmilk expression in the workplace. The study recognises the role of non-lactating caregivers in the transition to formal child care, and of the support culture for educators who breastfeed. This study extends the knowledge base of breastfeeding support interventions in the child care setting to inform future research and policy.
Kinaesthetic acuity and motor skills of preschool children with a congenital visual impairment preliminary findings
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 05-1997
Outdoor Time, Space, and Restrictions Imposed on Children’s Play in Australian Early Childhood Education and Care Settings during the COVID Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Survey from Educators’ Perspecti
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 18-09-2023
A playful introduction
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 02-01-2019
Early Childhood Teachers' Beliefs about Children's Risky Play in Australia and Norway
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 2012
DOI: 10.2304/CIEC.2012.13.4.300
Abstract: 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 decision-making in providing developmentally challenging play environments for children.
Social Competence and Language Skills in Mandarin–English Bilingual Preschoolers: The Moderation Effect of Emotion Regulation
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 30-09-2015
Why do outdoor play and learning matter?
Publisher: Routledge
Date: 25-07-2020
A Ten-Year Review of Primary School Flexible Learning Environments: Interior Design and IEQ Performance
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 26-04-2021
DOI: 10.3390/BUILDINGS11050183
Abstract: Flexible Learning Environments (FLEs) arose as enablers for implementation of student-centric pedagogical approaches. Interior design is the key to the success of FLEs, providing the physical infrastructure needed for students to engage on several learning activities, from in idual to group work, which take place in a variety of zones ranging from low to high energy. Therefore, a harmonious synergy between the interior design and subsequent Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) performance of FLEs’ physical configuration and learning activities is needed. The objective of this paper is to systematically review (in accordance with the PRISMA method) existing literature related to FLEs within primary school settings, typically catering to children aged 5–12 years old, to understand the body of work investigating the design and performance of FLEs over the last decade (2010–2020). Key findings suggest that the proximity and acoustic and visual permeability of zones found in FLEs may give rise to inadequate IEQ conditions delivered to students. In addition, it could be inferred from the results of the literature review that interior design and IEQ have not been sufficiently investigated in an integrated manner.
Is parent engagement with a child health home-based record influenced by early child development and first-born status? hypotheses from a high-income countries’ perspective
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 04-2020
Guest editor's introduction
Publisher: Pacific Early Childhood Education Research Association
Date: 31-05-2018
Parenting style as a context for emotion socialization
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 27-07-2009
The dynamics of early childhood spaces: opportunities for outdoor play?
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 12-2010
Relationships between proficiency with grammatical morphemes and emotion regulation: a study of Mandarin–English preschoolers
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 27-10-2016
The influence of play context and adult attitudes on young children's physical risk‐taking during outdoor play
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 03-2011
Educators’, children’s and mothers’ use of temporal language in reminiscing and future talk conversations
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 02-08-2023
Lower parent tolerance of risk in play for children with disability than typically developing children
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 04-05-2019
Outdoor play and learning
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 02-01-2018
Outdoor Play Decisions by Caregivers of Children with Disabilities: a Systematic Review of Qualitative Studies
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 13-10-2016
Toddlers' emerging symbolic play: A first-born advantage?
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 05-2004
Impacts of COVID-19 Restrictions on Young Children’s Outdoor Activity: A Systematic Review
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 16-10-2022
Abstract: We sought to identify and synthesise available evidence to aid the understanding of the impact that COVID-19 restrictions had on the outdoor activity of children aged from birth to 12 years. Seven databases (Education Research Complete, ERIC, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, SPORTDiscus, Psychology and Behavioural Sciences Collection, WHO COVID-19 Database) were searched for relevant journal articles in English published from 2020 on. Four qualitative and eleven quantitative studies were included after screening. JBI’s Critical Appraisal Tools were used for quality assessment. All qualitative studies showed an increase in outdoor activity. Less than half of the quantitative studies indicated an increase. Family demography, home characteristics, access to outdoor spaces, and parental support/encouragement/co-play were influential factors. The evidence also supports the recommendation for educators to increase children’s outdoor play time to adhere to the physical distancing guidance and sanitisation requirements. Limited evidence suggests that when COVID-19 restrictions led to decreased outdoor activity, it was associated with less peer socialisation. We identified significant gaps in understanding of the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on young children’s outdoor activity.
Play and divergent problem solving
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 10-1999
An observation-based instrument to measure what children with disabilities do on the playground: a Rasch analysis
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 02-01-2019
Playful interaction: occupational therapy for all children on the school playground.
Publisher: AOTA Press
Date: 09-2008
Abstract: We examined the impact of an intervention on the playfulness of 5- to 7-year-old children who are developing typically. Materials that had no defined purpose were placed on a school playground for 11 weeks. The Test of Playfulness (ToP) was used to compare videotaped play segments pre- and postintervention. Teachers who did playground duty were interviewed regarding changes in play. ToP data were analyzed using a Wilcoxon signed- ranks test. Interview data were analyzed for themes. ToP scores were significantly higher after intervention (Z = −1.94 p = .025, one-tailed Cohen's d = 0.55). Teachers reported that children were more social, creative, and resilient when the materials were on the playground. Children who were creative, rather than very physically capable, became leaders in activity. Our results revealed a potential role for occupational therapists with typically developing children in schools. This finding has clear implications for children with disability.
Before ‘us’ and ‘now’: developing a sense of historical consciousness and identity at the museum
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 11-06-2019
Use of mental state language during educator-child and mother-child conversations about the past and future
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 27-11-2020
Outdoor Learning Environments
Publisher: Routledge
Date: 25-07-2020
The Sydney playground project- levelling the playing field: A cluster trial of a primary school-based intervention aiming to promote manageable risk-taking in children with disability
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 14-11-2015
Effects of Targeted Reading Instruction on Phonological Awareness and Phonic Decoding in Children with Down Syndrome
Publisher: American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD)
Date: 03-2011
DOI: 10.1352/1944-7558-116.2.111
Abstract: This research evaluated the effectiveness of reading instruction targeting oral reading and phonological awareness for children with Down syndrome (affecting chromosome 21). The participants were 7 children ranging in age from 2 years, 11 months to 10 years, 8 months. Each child acted as his/her own control, with assessments of language, cognition, phonological awareness, word and short-passage comprehension, and oral reading ability conducted on four occasions (initially, preintervention, postintervention and delayed postintervention) over approximately a 12-month period. The intervention was conducted over 10 weekly sessions and involved in idual instruction. The postintervention assessment results provided evidence that phonic reading instruction was generally effective in improving reading skills and phonological awareness of children with Down syndrome.
Parental use and views of the child personal health record
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 07-2012
DOI: 10.1017/EDP.2012.2
Professional attitudes towards children’s risk-taking in play: insights into influencing factors in Dutch contexts
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 04-02-2019
The risk is that there is ‘no risk’: a simple, innovative intervention to increase children’s activity levels
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 03-2009
Are Parent-Held Child Health Records a Valuable Health Intervention? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 14-01-2019
Abstract: Parent-held child health record (PHCHR), a public health intervention for promoting access to preventive health services, have been in use in many developed and developing countries. This review aimed to evaluate the use of the records toward promoting child health/development. We searched PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar to identify relevant articles, of which 32 studies met the inclusion criteria. Due to considerable heterogeneity, findings were narratively synthesised. Outcomes with sufficient data were meta-analysed using a random-effects model. Odds Ratio (OR) was used to compute the pooled effect sizes at 95% confidence interval (CI). The pooled effect of the PHCHR on the utilisation of child/maternal healthcare was not statistically significant (OR = 1.31, 95% CI 0.92–1.88). However, parents who use the record in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) were approximately twice as likely to adhere to child vaccinations (OR = 1.93, 95% CI 1.01–3.70), utilise antenatal care (OR = 1.60, 95% CI 1.23–2.08), and better breastfeeding practice (OR = 2.82, 95%CI 1.02–7.82). Many parents (average-72%) perceived the PHCHR as useful/important and majority (average-84%) took it to child clinics. Health visitors and nurses/midwives were more likely to use the record than hospital doctors. It is concluded that parents generally valued the PHCHR, but its effect on child health-related outcomes have only been demonstrated in LMIC.
Individual differences in children's risk perception and appraisals in outdoor play environments
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 12-2010
Understanding patterns of young children's physical activity after school - It's all about context: A cross-sectional study
Publisher: Human Kinetics
Date: 03-2015
Abstract: To promote healthy lifestyles, we need to understand more about the patterns of children’s activities after school. Twenty 5- to 7-year-old children and their parents participated in this study. Parents used ‘real-time’ diaries to report children’s activities and contextual information at 3 randomly selected times per day, over 4 week days. Reporting was repeated after 13 weeks. Simultaneously children wore Actical accelerometers. Approximately 300 simultaneous accelerometer measurements and diary entries were compared. Mean physical activity levels were highest when children engaged in activities generally considered as “active” and lowest for doing “nothing.” However, the range within activities was very large some children who reported TV/screen time accumulated high accelerometry counts and conversely, some children were practically sedentary during organized sports. Children spent most (78%) of their after school time indoors, but the children were significantly more active outdoors than indoors [ t (74.8) = 5.0, P .001]. Accelerometer data in conjunction with real-time diaries provide a more complete understanding of the value of outdoor play in increasing movement opportunities for children’s after school activities.
Young children's after-school activities- there's more to it than screen time: A cross-sectional study of young primary school children
Publisher: Human Kinetics
Date: 2015
Abstract: Children can spend substantial amounts of leisure time in sedentary activities, dominated by TV/screen time. However, objective real-time measurement of activities after school among young school children is seldom described. School children (n = 246, 5−7 years old, mean 6.0) and their parents were recruited by random selection from 14 schools across Sydney, Australia. Parents used a real-time objective measure (Experience S ling Method, ESM) to record children’s activities and whether they were indoors or outdoors at 3 random times each day after school. Data were collected across 4 weekdays in 1 week and then, 13 weeks later, another 4 weekdays in 1 week. Results were based on 2940 responses from 214 childparent dyads showed that 25% of behavior involved physical activity, 51% was spent in sedentary activities, and 22% was TV/ screen time. Most instances (81%) occurred indoors. Despite a high proportion of TV/screen time, children were also engaged in a range of other sedentary and physically active pursuits after school. Hence TV/screen time is not a suitable proxy for all sedentary behavior, and it is important to gather information on other non–screen-based sedentary and physically active behaviors. Future research is warranted to further investigate after-school activities in young primary school children.
Reminiscing and future talk conversations between young children, their early childhood educators and mothers
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2019
Girls’ perspectives on the ideal school playground experience: an exploratory study of four Australian primary schools
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 12-04-2018
Early Childhood Education Environments: Affordances for Risk-Taking and Physical Activity in Play
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
Date: 2018
Social competence, cultural orientations and gender differences
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 11-02-2016
The long–day childcare context: implications for toddlers' pretend play
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 03-2005
Uncertainty in the school playground: shifting rationalities and teachers? sense-making in the management of risks for children with disabilities
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 17-08-2016
Ten ways to restrict children's freedom to play: The problem of surplus safety
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 2010
DOI: 10.2304/CIEC.2010.11.3.263
Abstract: Play and playgrounds provide essential experiences for young children's growth, development and enjoyment of life. However, such play experiences are now limited for many children due to excessive fear of risk, or ‘surplus safety’. In this article, the authors examine the pervasiveness of surplus safety in the lives of young children. They argue that restrictions now imposed on children's play to promote safety may, paradoxically, expose children to more serious short and longer term threats of illness and limit children's life opportunities. By comparing experiences from Australia and Norway, the authors demonstrate that surplus safety is not a necessary outcome of living in a modern Western society.
Chinese parenting in Hong Kong
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 10-2009
Parents’ perspectives on managing risk in play for children with developmental disabilities
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 03-02-2022
The Sydney playground project: popping the bubblewrap - unleashing the power of play: a cluster randomized controlled trial of a primary school playground-based intervention aiming to increase children's physical activity and social skills
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 09-2011
Australian Preservice Early Childhood Teachers’ Considerations of Natural Areas as Conducive and Important to Include in Educational Experiences
Publisher: MDPI AG
Date: 12-07-2022
Abstract: Understanding preservice early childhood teachers’ perspectives on education in nature is important in the context of risk aversion and the future of education for sustainability. In the present study, 296 early childhood preservice teachers examined 16 photographs of outdoor areas from four categories: park with fence, park without fence, grassy area, forest. They the selected photographs depicting areas they most preferred and least preferred. They then selected photographs depicting areas the considered most or least conduciveness to education. The participants also completed a series of questions related to their beliefs about education in nature ant the benefits for child development and health. There were clear associations between the areas participants preferred and those they considered educationally conducive. Likewise, there were associations between areas participants least preferred and their ratings of least conducive. The belief that nature experiences belong within school settings was the strongest predictor of perceived educational and developmental benefits. The findings suggest more opportunity to spend time in a range of natural environments and a belief in the importance of nature experiences should be emphasised in early childhood preservice teacher training.
Do theory and pedagogy have an impact on provisions for outdoor learning? A comparison of approaches in Australia and Norway
Publisher: Informa UK Limited
Date: 09-2012
Autism spectrum disorders
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Date: 2006
Sydney Playground Project: A Cluster-Randomized Trial to Increase Physical Activity, Play, and Social Skills
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 05-09-2017
DOI: 10.1111/JOSH.12550
Abstract: We assessed the effectiveness of a simple intervention for increasing children's physical activity, play, perceived competence/social acceptance, and social skills. A cluster-randomized controlled trial was conducted, in which schools were the clusters. Twelve Sydney (Australia) primary schools were randomly allocated to intervention or control conditions, with 226 children (5-7 years old) selected randomly to participate. Data were collected at baseline and after 13 weeks. The intervention consisted of introducing recycled materials without an obvious play purpose into school playgrounds and a risk-reframing workshop for parents and teachers. Children from the intervention schools increased physical activity and reduced sedentary time while control schools decreased physical activity and increased sedentary time. The intervention yielded increases in total accelerometer counts (β = 9350 counts, 95% CI 3490-1522, p = .002), minutes of moderate/vigorous physical activity (MVPA) (β = 1.8 min, 95% CI 0.52-3.12, p = .006), and reductions in sedentary time (β = -2.1 min, 95% CI -3.77-(-0.51), p = .01). Although the changes in time spent in play and nonplay were not statistically different (p = .08) the effect size (d = .27) indicates clinical significance. This intervention was effective for increasing MVPA during recess and demonstrated capacity to improve play opportunities in school playgrounds.
Related Organisations
Related Funding Activities
Discovery Projects - Grant ID: DP140101792
Start Date: 05-2014
End Date: 06-2017
Amount: $510,000.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded ActivityDiscovery Projects - Grant ID: DP0986224
Start Date: 03-2009
End Date: 03-2013
Amount: $398,923.00
Funder: Australian Research Council
View Funded Activity