Primary school playgrounds’ in Catalonia: social and cultural inclusive spaces?

Author(s):

Cris Molins-Pueyo(presenting / submitting)

Conference:

ECER 2012

Network:

04. Inclusive Education

Format:

Paper

Session Information

04 SES 01 B, Cultural Diversity and Inclusive Education

Parallel Paper Session

Time:

2012-09-18

13:15-14:45

Room:

FFL - Aula 17

Chair:

Stein Erik Ohna

Contribution

This paper presents some results of a school year long fieldwork in a sample of 30 primary school playgrounds in Catalonia developed during the 2007-08 academic year. Given the physical diversity, socioeconomic and educational presence in our territory the overall objective was to identify and analyze practices and the conceptualization of the educational community about the uses, spaces, activities and playground time in schools.
We present a detailed analysis of the effects on discrimination processes of social class, the presence of immigrant population, gender and age occurring in the playgrounds of this sample of schools. Discrimination processes that are evidenced by analyzing the play activities of boys and girls, in their perceptions of the meaning of recess time, in their particular uses and as well as, interventions that teachers develop during these times of recess.

We used quantitative and qualitative techniques, taking into account the diversity present in the territory defined by the following variables: population, ownership of schools, cultural and economic diversity, and size of schools.
On the one hand, we proceeded to the implementation of a survey instrument to students in grade 4, and secondly, we developed interviews with members of the management teams of schools and we implemented an observation protocol in school playgrounds’.

The sample was compiled from a number of independent variables that determine differences in the results obtained in the playgrounds, and therefore help us in selecting the schools that formed the convenience sample variability, seeking the maximum possible diversity of situations in our schools.

Method

The variables considered are: - Socio-cultural environment of the school, establishing the presence of various social and cultural groups in the immediate surroundings of the center, accessibility to financial resources of the population served, marginality, membership in elite cultural minority group membership or not. We have focused on urban areas, primarily in the Metropolitan Region of Barcelona, that represents the 70% of the school population of Catalonia. -Social Class: We have requested the Administration to characterize the centers according to the socioeconomic situation of the majority school population it serves. -Presence of immigration: We asked the Administration to identify those schools that receive more immigrant origin population than the other schools in the immediate environment. -Gender: In the selection of schools we had the presence of two schools that segregate students by sex, although it is a minority practice in schools in Catalonia. -Ownership of the school: we want to consider the variability of administrative status of the schools in our country; we have selected publicly owned schools and private schools. -Size of school: characterize the schools by size and number of students since we understand that the competition for space could determine the organization's education and interventions in playgrounds.

Expected Outcomes

We will offer a deep reading of some unexpected results obtained in this research, we mainly focus on three main aspects: • The diagnosis of the state of playgrounds shows a situation quite disappointing as the school playground is not considered by the educational community, in general, as an educational area. It is a space that is registered inside the school but outside the premises considered as absolute education: the classroom. • The study shows how the recess contribute to still reproduce social and cultural inequalities that manifest themselves through access to and choice of schools and schooling conditions of diverse students: by sex, social class and socio-cultural origin. • Interventions and strategies developed by teachers in the playgrounds of schools are also varied and, often unwanted responses are obtained. But these responses are not taken into account as in most cases do not generate conflicts that require the explicit involvement of adults.

References

BLATCHFORD & others (2003), The social context of school playground games: Sex and ethnic differences, and changes over time after entry to junior school. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, Vol.21,pp 481–505. COLWELL, M. i LINDSEY, E. (2005) Preschool Children's Pretend and Physical Play and Sex of Play Partner: Connections to Peer Competence. Sex Roles, Vol.52, Num.7-8. ELLEN BOYLE, D. & others (2003) Gender at Play: Fourth-Grade Girls and Boys on the Playground. American Behavioural Scientist 2003, Vol.46, Num.10. GAGNON, S. G. i NAGLE, R. J. (2004) Relationships Between Peer Interactive Play and Social Competence in At-Risk Preschool Children. Psychology in the Schools, Vol.41, Num.PART_2 MEYER, H.A. & others (2004) Teachers reasoning about school fights, contexts, and gender: an expanded cognitive developmental domain approach. Aggression and Violent Behavior, Vol. 9, Num. 1. MOLINS, C. (2006a) Cultural Change and Play: on Schools’ Misunderstanding of teenage Knowledge. En PlayRights Journal. An International Journal of the Theory and Practice of Play, Vol. 27, Num. 1, pp. 4-11. International Play Association "Promoting the Child's Right to Play". http://www.ipaworld.org/Journals/PlayRights_v27n1_2006.pdf MOLINS, C. (2006b) Use and Misuse of Information and Communication Technologies in Education in Spain: Limits to Change and Cultural Production dins revista: Electronic Magazine of Multicultural Education, 8(1). http://www.eastern.edu/publications/emme/2006spring/molins-pueyo.pdf MOLINS, C. (2012) Patios escolares y diversidad sociocultural en Cataluña. Una investigación sobre usos y posibilidades para el juego y el aprendizaje. Revista Papers Revista de Sociologia. STRATTON, G. (2000) Promoting children's physical activity in primary school: an intervention study using playground markings. Ergonomics -London-, Vol.43, Num.10. SWAIN, J. (2000) The Money's Good, The Fame's Good, The Girls are Good: the role of playground football in the construction of young boys' masculinity in a junior school. British Journal of Sociology of Education, Vol.21, Num.1, pp. 95-109.

Author Information

Cris Molins-Pueyo (presenting / submitting)

UAB

EMIGRA research Group

Cerdanyola del Vallès. Barcelona

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