ERIC Number: EJ1192454
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018-Nov
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0028-8276
EISSN: N/A
Children's Understanding of Water Safety and Perceptions of Risk at the Beach
Moran, Kevin; Gilmore, Alison
New Zealand Journal of Educational Studies, v53 n2 p227-239 Nov 2018
Little is known about the knowledge and perceptions that inform children's safety in the aquatic environment. This paper reports on 8-9 year old children's critical thinking of water safety and safety strategies at the beach. One-to-one interview data with Year 4 students from across New Zealand, collected as part of the National Monitoring Study of Student Achievement, revealed insights that will contribute to water safety education. Data was obtained from video analysis of the interviews of children who chose the beach as the aquatic environment to talk about (N = 195). Most students (80%) could identify two things they do to keep themselves safe at the beach. In addition, almost half (48%) were able to identify two beach hazards and explain why each was dangerous. Some variation in understanding was evident when data was analysed by ethnicity and decile [New Zealand school deciles are a measure of the socio-economic position of a school's student community relative to other schools throughout the country. Deciles range from 1 (low) to 10 (high)] rating of the school attended. Unlike findings of other studies on high school and adult populations, no consistent gender differences were evident in children's perception of beach water safety. Implications for future beach water safety education in schools and the community at large are discussed and recommendations for curriculum change are made.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Water, Natural Resources, Children, Child Safety, Elementary School Students, Student Attitudes, Accident Prevention, Socioeconomic Status, Ethnicity, Gender Differences, Risk
Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-348-4505; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2123/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: New Zealand
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A