Sharing school supplies appears, indeed, a simple, even an irrelevant routine activity, but upon closer examination one realizes that deeper and complex issues are at stake. This article aims at explaining how seemingly uneventful classroom activities contain the potential to building social capital in the classroom, which occurs when and if…

This study aims to enhance awareness of what young children want to do outside and their preferences regarding their outdoor environment. Views of children as active participants, the affordance of the environment and the importance of place for children's learning constitute the theoretical background of the study. The study was part of a…

Physical activity in school playgrounds has changed considerably over recent decades to reflect a climate of "surplus safety". A growing culture of surplus safety can be attributed to a desire of parents and teachers responsible for children to protect school students from danger. The aim of this research was to examine students'…

Examines peer processes that occur during bullying episodes on a school playground. Videotape recordings determined: peers spent 54% of their time reinforcing bullies by passively watching, 21% actively modeling bullies, and 25% intervening on behalf of victims. Older boys were more likely to join with the bully, while girls were more likely to…

A model for conceptualizing and investigating coach-player relationships is presented. (MM)

Rates of negative interactions immediately decreased during recess periods in which three male students (age 7) monitored their first-grade classmates' play behavior by awarding or withdrawing points. These and related results suggest that appointment to the role of peer monitor may itself function as an intervention. (Author/JW)

Measured the food intake and observed the playground behaviors of Kenyan school-age children. Well-nourished children were more active and happier, showed more leadership behavior, and were less anxious on the school playground than poorly nourished children. Amount of time spent in school was related to decreases in children's solitariness. (BC)

This paper examines the observable play behaviors of elementary school students to determine how children interact within and among cultural groups. Observations were conducted during the recess period at an urban elementary school attended by 623 boys and girls age 6 through 12. Recess periods and play areas were segregated by grade and sex. Data…

Three reports of different task forces from the committee to study sex discrimination in the Kalamazoo, Michigan, Public Schools comprise this document. The first report, from the personnel task force, investigated personnel practices and working conditions in 1972 for the existence of sex discrimination. Questionnaires were distributed to 1,215…

Observed 88 first and second graders and 76 fifth and sixth graders during playground interactions. A time-sampling procedure recorded gender, race, and group size of all interactive play in seven playground areas. Found that mixed-gender interactions were more likely than same-gender ones to include other races, and mixed-race interactions…

Three related studies reflecting three perspectives on children's interpersonal relationships, playground games, and social cognitive skills are reported. Subjects for each of the studies were children enrolled in third and sixth grades at three elementary schools in Cincinnati during the 1979-1980 school year. The first study documents the…