Exploring teachers' & parents' perception of the role of playgrounds In children's development

Abstract

Outdoor play is widely identified as an important area of development within early childhood period, supporting the child's holistic development as well as fostering school readiness. However, rapid urbanization, increasing screen time, demolition of outdoor areas, academic pressure and parents’ work pressure have reduced the opportunities for outdoor play, especially in dense urban environments such as Dhaka, Bangladesh. This research has examined outdoor playground outcomes in children’s holistic development and school readiness from the perspectives of parents and preschool teachers. Following Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological System Theory and Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory, this study conducted semi-structured in-depth interviews with parents and preschool teachers of 4-6 years old in Gulshan and Dhanmondi areas of Dhaka following a qualitative phenomenological approach. The findings showed that individuals have believed daily outdoor play is important for the holistic development of the child including problem-solving skill, emotional well-being, creativity, self-independence, and school readiness. Academic pressure, asymmetric relaxation increases screen time and reduce participation in outdoor play. The findings also highlighted the importance of collaboration among families, schools, communities and policymakers to create safe, practical and inclusive outdoor play environments for all children as well as lead to few essentials recommendations for educators, parents, policymakers and researchers to rethink about how playgrounds should be included in children’s’ lives for early years’ developments.