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Abstract(s)
Introdução: Brincar é vital para o desenvolvimento e bem-estar das crianças. Contudo, as oportunidades para estas brincarem livremente estão a diminuir, especialmente ao ar livre. Sob um olhar ecológico, as propriedades do ambiente físico (e.g., estruturas, materiais) influenciam o comportamento das crianças, oferecendo-lhes diferentes affordances ou possibilidades de ação. A disponibilização de materiais soltos é uma forma de diversificar as affordances lúdicas, embora não seja totalmente claro o seu impacto nos padrões de brincadeira. Objetivos e estrutura: Esta tese visa compreender melhor as affordances disponíveis para as crianças nos espaços de recreio escolares. Particularmente, pretende-se estudar as associações entre as características dos espaços de jogo e recreio no exterior e a saúde e o comportamento das crianças (estudo 1 - revisão sistemática); e explorar a forma de diversificar as affordances lúdicas das crianças ao disponibilizar materiais soltos (estudos 2 e 3). O estudo 2 centrou-se em três sessões de brincadeira livre com materiais soltos, num contexto ecológico no recreio escolar, analisando a utilização que as crianças fazem de quatro tipologias de materiais (caixas rígidas, caixas de cartão, lona/tecidos, tubos de plástico). No estudo 3, as transações criança-objeto foram caracterizadas e comparadas entre tipologias de materiais e ao longo de dez sessões. Resultados: O estudo 1 mostrou que apenas alguns artigos se referem a comportamentos lúdicos e affordances como estando relacionados com as características físicas dos espaços de recreio exteriores, enfatizando a necessidade de mais evidência empírica sobre este tópico, especialmente em idades escolares. O estudo 2 não revelou diferenças significativas entre as tipologias de materiais, no que diz respeito ao tempo de utilização, frequência e número de utilizadores, apoiando assim a ideia de versatilidade dos materiais soltos na resposta às necessidades e interesses das crianças. O estudo 3 caracteriza as affordances atualizadas pelas crianças quando brincam com materiais soltos. Não existiu um padrão claro ao longo das sessões, o que reforça a natureza aberta destes materiais. As diferenças específicas na comparação dos tubos de plástico com a lona/tecidos sugerem que as crianças percecionam níveis distintos de fim-aberto consoante os materiais. As conclusões desta tese revelam-se úteis para diversas entidades nos domínios da psicologia ambiental, do brincar, da educação e do design de espaços lúdicos. .
Background: Play is crucial for child development and well-being. Yet, opportunities for children to play freely are declining, specially outdoors. According to an Ecological framework, the properties of the physical environment (e.g., structures, materials) influence children’s behaviour by offering them different affordances or action opportunities. Loose parts provision is one way to diversify play affordances, remaining unclear how it impacts play patterns. Aims and structure: This thesis aimed to better comprehend the play affordances available for children in schoolyards. Particularly, we aimed to understand the linkages between outdoor play features and children’s health and behaviour (study 1 – systematic review); and to explore how to diversify play affordances through loose parts provision (studies 2 and 3). Study 2 focused three sessions of free play with loose parts in an ecological context, in a primary schoolyard, analysing children's usage of four material typologies (tarpaulin/fabrics, cardboard boxes, plastic crates, plastic tubes). On study 3, child-object transactions were characterized and compared across materials typologies, and along ten sessions. Findings: Study 1 showed that only few records reported findings on play behaviours and affordances as dependent of outdoor play features, highlighting the need for more empirical evidence in this topic, especially in school-aged children. Study 2 found no significant differences between material typologies, concerning usage time, frequency and number of users, supporting the idea of loose parts versatility towards the accommodation of children’s needs and interests. Study 3 addressed the affordances actualized by children when playing with loose parts. The evolution of affordances did not have a clear pattern along sessions, reinforcing the open-ended nature of loose parts. The differences when specifically comparing plastic tubes with tarpaulin/fabrics suggest that children perceive distinct open-ended levels within different materials. This thesis conclusions are useful for diverse stakeholders within the areas of environmental psychology, playwork provision, education, and play space design
Background: Play is crucial for child development and well-being. Yet, opportunities for children to play freely are declining, specially outdoors. According to an Ecological framework, the properties of the physical environment (e.g., structures, materials) influence children’s behaviour by offering them different affordances or action opportunities. Loose parts provision is one way to diversify play affordances, remaining unclear how it impacts play patterns. Aims and structure: This thesis aimed to better comprehend the play affordances available for children in schoolyards. Particularly, we aimed to understand the linkages between outdoor play features and children’s health and behaviour (study 1 – systematic review); and to explore how to diversify play affordances through loose parts provision (studies 2 and 3). Study 2 focused three sessions of free play with loose parts in an ecological context, in a primary schoolyard, analysing children's usage of four material typologies (tarpaulin/fabrics, cardboard boxes, plastic crates, plastic tubes). On study 3, child-object transactions were characterized and compared across materials typologies, and along ten sessions. Findings: Study 1 showed that only few records reported findings on play behaviours and affordances as dependent of outdoor play features, highlighting the need for more empirical evidence in this topic, especially in school-aged children. Study 2 found no significant differences between material typologies, concerning usage time, frequency and number of users, supporting the idea of loose parts versatility towards the accommodation of children’s needs and interests. Study 3 addressed the affordances actualized by children when playing with loose parts. The evolution of affordances did not have a clear pattern along sessions, reinforcing the open-ended nature of loose parts. The differences when specifically comparing plastic tubes with tarpaulin/fabrics suggest that children perceive distinct open-ended levels within different materials. This thesis conclusions are useful for diverse stakeholders within the areas of environmental psychology, playwork provision, education, and play space design
Description
Keywords
Crianças Longitudinal Materiais soltos Perceção-ação Revisão sistemática Children Free play Longitudinal Loose materials Perception-action Systematic review