The Impact of Outdoor Play on Young Children Social Development - Dissertation Example

The research is conducted in a private nursery school, ‘Lets Play and Learn’ using a mixed data collection strategy. The research uses structured questionnaires for the parents and staff and interviews for the young children. A total of 53 questionnaires were distributed to the parents and staff members who were selected on the recommendation of the manager of the school. Out of these, 50 complete questionnaires were obtained and formed the basis of the perceptions of the parents and teachers about the impact of outdoor play on a child’s social development.

Next, the research also used a group of 10 parents and teachers to conduct qualitative and semi-structured interviews about what they think to play meant to the children and how it could relate to their learning of social interactions. Finally, the research also used an observation method where 5 selected students were observed (at the school premises) by the researcher over a period of three months to record their involvement in outdoor play. The selected 5 student’s parents and teachers were also asked to keep a record of their own observations of the child’s social development.

At the end of the observation period, the researcher evaluated the social development records from the teachers and the parents, and his own observations to assess how outdoor play may be influencing the social development of the children. Research Significance The research is useful for both academics and parents as it is expected to provide first-hand evidence of how children’s involvement in outdoor play impacts their social development. This study undertaken might be of interest to the society as modern lifestyle has changed the way we interact with each other and the time we spent socializing.

The government department of education will find the result of this research most useful to create a significant policy strategy for early year practitioners and professionals who look after children in the setting. Secondly, parents will benefit from this study by understanding how play could build up their children’s physical development, social and cognitive.