TEACHERS ATTITUDES AND POLICIES REGARDING PLAY IN ELEMENTARY-SCHOOLS

Research and theory concerning the value of play for children's develo pment as well as current factors reducing the amount of play time that children experience are discussed. To ascertain play opportunities oc curring in the schools, teachers' attitudes toward play, and provision of play for children in grades 1-6 were surveyed. The amount of reces s time provided ranged from 0 to 65 min., with a mean of almost 19 min . Findings indicated that teachers from rural areas provided more play time than teachers from suburban areas, who in turn provided more pla y time than teachers in urban areas. Further, the amount of play time provided was influenced by the teachers' attitudes. That is, teachers who indicated generally positive attitudes toward play tended to allot more time for play in school. However, teachers from upper grade leve ls, who were more likely to perceive greater pressure to provide highl y structured academic instructional programs, tended to de-emphasize t he role and value of play and in turn allotted less time for play in s chool. The results of the present investigation demonstrate that child ren who are given less recess time are also likely to have teachers wh o report less positive attitudes toward play. It is recommended that s chool psychologists be aware of the adverse impact that restricted pla y opportunities may have on children's development.