Human Growth and Development

Human Growth and Development

Ramsden et al. (2022) provide a detailed overview of promoting and analyzing outside play for children in early childhood education centers (ECECs). PRO-ECO is an intervention study that will be delivered to children aged two and a half to six years old in eight different ECECs. The study design is a wait-list control cluster randomized trial, which means that there is both an experimental and control group. The researchers tested the impact of the PRO-ECO intervention on children’s outdoor play behavior. They found that there were positive changes in the proportion, diversity, and quality of observed outdoor play behavior. The study also found that the PRO-ECO intervention was acceptable to educators, children, and their families. The psychosocial strengths, physical activity levels, and social behaviors of the children in the study also improved. They concluded that ECEC providers, policymakers, and early childhood educators should consider means for enhancing outdoor play provision and assessing the sustainability of the intervention in ECEC settings.

The authors use a detailed and robust study design to test their intervention. The randomized trial is the gold standard for research studies, using a wait-list design to control for potential confounding variables. The use of YMCA Early Childhood Education Centers as the setting for the study is also a strength, as these centers are typically high quality and provide care for a diverse population of children. They used interventions that have been shown to be effective in other settings, such as the Nature Explore Classroom program. The baseline, follow-up, and control group data were all collected using the right tools and methods.

The study population is also representative of the general population of ECECs. Another strength of this study is that it uses multiple measures to assess the outcome of interest, which gives a complete picture of the impact of the intervention. The inclusion criteria included having a child aged two and a half to six years old who attends one of the eight participating ECECs. Reassessment data were collected from the experimental group only three and six months after the intervention. Implementation procedures were also followed. For instance, the post-intervention data were collected by trained observers who were blind to the experimental conditions of the ECECs. The stratification and blinding procedures used in this study are critical methodological features that help ensure the results’ validity. The authors used observational behavior mapping (OBM), which is a well-validated tool, to assess the outcome of interest (Charles & Bellinson, 2019). They also used multiple measures of the same result to increase reliability and validity.

In terms of structure, the paper is well-organized and easy to follow. The introduction provides a clear overview of the research question and a comprehensive literature review. The study design is appropriate for the research question, and the data analysis is sound. The thesis statement is clear and states that the intervention will promote outdoor play for children in ECECs. Objectives are also well-defined (Bredekamp, 2019). The study design is appropriate for the research question and hypotheses. The data collection methods are described in detail and are suitable for the research questions. The results section is clear and concise, and the tables and figures are helpful in understanding the data. The discussion section adequately ties together the findings with the literature review, discusses limitations, and provides recommendations for future research.

Nonetheless, the study did have some limitations. First, the sample size was small, limiting the study’s power and ability to detect significant changes. Families from Vancouver were also recruited, so the results may not be generalizable to other populations. The study only looked at the short-term impact of the intervention, so the authors do not know if the effects are sustained over time. The six-month follow-up data was only collected from the experimental group, so there is no way to know if the changes in play behavior were due to the intervention or something else (Ramsden et al., 2022).

Further, covariates missed important potential confounding variables such as parental education, income, and child temperament. The health outcomes were also not measured, so one cannot tell if there are any beneficial effects of increased outdoor play on children’s health. The study did not include a cost analysis, which is an important consideration when evaluating interventions. The cost-benefit they provided heavily relied on the assumptions made about the benefits of the intervention.

Despite its limitations, this study contributes to one’s understanding of how to increase outdoor play in early childhood education centers. The results suggest that the PRO-ECO intervention is a promising approach to improving outdoor play among young children. Future research should build on this work by investigating the long-term effects of the intervention and its potential impacts on children’s health (Charles & Bellinson, 2019). Additionally, it would be helpful to know if the intervention is feasible and cost-effective in other settings. The authors included recommendations for future research in their discussion, which provide a good starting point for further study.

Conclusion

This well-designed pilot study evaluates the feasibility and short-term effectiveness of an intervention to increase outdoor play among young children in early childhood education centers. The results suggest that the intervention is promising and provides guidance for future research.

References

Bredekamp S. U. E. (2019). Effective practices in early childhood education: building a foundation. Pearson.

Charles M. & Bellinson J. (2019). The importance of play in early childhood education: psychoanalytic attachment and developmental perspectives. Routledge. Retrieved September 1, 2022, from https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=2096084.

Ramsden, R., Han, C. S., Mount, D., Loebach, J., Cox, A., Herrington, S., Brussoni, M. (2022). An intervention to increase outdoor play in early childhood education centers (PROmoting early childhood outside): Protocol for a pilot wait-list control cluster randomized trial. JMIR Research Protocols, 11(7) doi:https://doi.org/10.2196/38365

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Human Growth and Development

Find a journal article on “Play” in early childhood education. Be sure to cite any direct quotes from the article using APA 7th edition. The article critique should follow APA 7th edition and be 500 words or more. You will need a title page and references. The rubric under Course Information will help you understand how it will be graded.
Educational Term: Self-Regulation and Collaborate
Book: Revel Effective Practices In Early Childhood Education 4e
Building a Foundation
Author: Sue Bredekamp Format: CITE