Early Childhood Educators’ Knowledge, Self-Efficacy and Risk Tolerance for Outdoor Risky Play Following a Professional Risk Re-Framing Workshop
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15713367 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Monika Szpunar (0000-0002-3054-1428, Western University), A M Johnson (0000-0002-7269-3016, Western University), Molly Driediger (0000-0002-6442-9733, Western University), Patricia Tucker (0000-0002-8392-9418, Children’s Health Research Institute, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue | 8 |
| Pages | 1346-1346 |
| Publication date | 2023-08-04 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Children (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2227-9067 • E-ISSN: 2227-9067 |
| Publisher | Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.3390/children10081346 |
| PMID | 37628345 |
| OpenAlex | W4385575971 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 46 |
Children's outdoor risky play is important for healthy development. However, Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) concern for child safety often restricts risky play affordances during childcare. To reduce this trend, an Outdoor Play Risk Re-Framing workshop was delivered to ECEs in London, Ontario, and the immediate/short-term impact of the workshop on ECEs' knowledge, self-efficacy, and risk tolerance for engaging children in outdoor risky play was examined. Via a natural experiment, using a quasi-experimental design, ECEs in the experimental group ( n = 119) completed an Outdoor Play Risk Re-Framing workshop, while ECEs in the comparison group ( n = 51) continued their typical curriculum. All ECEs completed the same survey assessing their knowledge ( n = 11 items), self-efficacy ( n = 15 items), and risk tolerance ( n = 27 items) at baseline and 1-week post-intervention. A maximum likelihood linear mixed effects model was conducted, while deductive content analysis was used for open-ended items. The workshop intervention resulted in significant improvements in ECEs' self-efficacy ( p = 0.001); however, no significant changes were observed for knowledge (i.e., awareness and practices; p = 0.01 and p = 0.49, respectively) or risk tolerance ( p = 0.20). Qualitative data revealed similar findings across both groups, highlighting physical development as a benefit to outdoor risky play and fear of liability as a barrier. In conclusion, providing ECEs with an Outdoor Play Risk Re-Framing workshop shows promise for supporting their self-efficacy to promote this behavior but does not impact ECEs' knowledge or risk tolerance to lead outdoor risky play
Developmental psychology · Environmental health · Framing (construction · Geography · Medical education · Self-efficacy · Medicine · Outdoor and Experiential Education · Psychology · Social Psychology · Urban Green Space and Health · Youth Development and Social Support
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| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2026 - 2026 (1) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |