Outdoor Time, Space, and Restrictions Imposed on Children’s Play in Australian Early Childhood Education and Care Settings during the COVID Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Survey from Educators’ Perspective

Junjie Liu (), Shirley Wyver, Muhammad Chutiyami and Helen Little
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Junjie Liu: Macquarie School of Education, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
Shirley Wyver: Macquarie School of Education, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
Muhammad Chutiyami: Macquarie School of Education, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
Helen Little: Macquarie School of Education, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 18, 1-11

Abstract: The study aimed to investigate the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on children’s access to the outdoors in early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings. An online survey comprised of a standardised scale and questions used in previous related studies was completed by 143 early childhood educators across Australia. Participants were asked to report children’s time spent outdoors, access to outdoor space, and restrictions imposed on children’s play during the pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic period. The survey responses were imported into SPSS for descriptive, correlation, and ordinal regression analyses. We examined the relationship between children’s outdoor time, space, restrictions imposed on children’s play, and educators’ characteristics, such as qualifications, professional development, and tolerance of risk or staff–child ratios during the pandemic in Australia. Most educators reported that children’s outdoor time and access to outdoor space remained the same compared to before the pandemic, while imposed restrictions on children’s outdoor play increased. The results of ordinal regressions indicated that educators with a higher tolerance of risk were less likely to impose additional restrictions on children’s outdoor play. The findings contribute to the understanding of how educators’ tolerance of risk influences children’s outdoor play opportunities and provide directions for future risk-reframing interventions.

Keywords: outdoor activity; outdoor time; outdoor space; COVID-19; Australian early childhood education and care settings; educators’ tolerance of risk (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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