The Relationship between the Quality of Kindergartens’ Outdoor Physical Environment and Preschoolers’ Social Functioning

The ability to initiate and engage in relationships is a critical landmark and predictor of children’s development and well-being. In kindergarten, children exhibit greater social participation outdoors rather than indoors. Indeed, the physical environment influences preschoolers’ social proximity....

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Bibliographic Details
Published inEducation sciences Vol. 12; no. 10; p. 661
Main Authors Moreira, Mariana, Cordovil, Rita, Lopes, Frederico, Da Silva, Brenda M. S., Veiga, Guida
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 01.10.2022
Subjects
Affordances
Antisocial Behavior
Behavior
Children & youth
Cooperation
Dramatic Play
Emotional Intelligence
Emotions
Gender
Group Activities
Kindergarten
Literary Devices
Observation
outdoor
Outdoors
Peer Relationship
Peers
Physical Environment
Preschool children
preschoolers
Rating Scales
Social Behavior
social functioning
Social interaction
Social Networks
Teaching Methods
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Summary:The ability to initiate and engage in relationships is a critical landmark and predictor of children’s development and well-being. In kindergarten, children exhibit greater social participation outdoors rather than indoors. Indeed, the physical environment influences preschoolers’ social proximity. In this study, we examine the relationship between the quality of kindergartens’ outdoor physical environment and preschoolers’ social functioning. Two kindergartens in Gondomar, Portugal, were selected to participate according to different levels of their physical environment outdoors (poor and fair quality) and measured by a specific physical environment rating scale. Twenty-six children (aged 3–6, 10 boys) participated in this study. Children’s social proximity at the playground was measured through Radio Frequency Identification Devices (RFID). Mann–Whitney statistical tests were used to compare social proximity between groups. Our results showed that in the higher quality outdoor area, children spent less time alone and more time in social proximity with their peers in smaller groups (one or two children). More time was also spent in social proximity with different genders. Our study emphasizes the critical importance of reviewing kindergartens’ outdoor physical environments to support preschoolers’ social needs in a more challenging and diverse setting.
ISSN:2227-7102
2227-7102
DOI:10.3390/educsci12100661