萝莉社 physical education professor Rick Pappas is working to provide research to Kansas public schools on the importance of recess as a scheduled part of the school day.
鈥淢ost jobs have coffee breaks in the morning, they have coffee breaks in the afternoon, and people will get up and move when they go to staff meetings or in services,鈥� said Pappas. 鈥淵et we expect kids to sit all morning and afternoon besides lunch recess, and that鈥檚 just not good for them.鈥�
Pappas started looking into the importance of unstructured physical activity in 2014, when the Kansas State Department of Education collaborated with the Kansas Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. The two received a grant from the Kansas Health Foundation to garner information about the condition of recess in Kansas, done through a survey of Kansas elementary schools.
鈥淓ven though the majority of elementary schools get recess, the periods are very short,鈥� said Pappas. 鈥淲e even found seven schools in Kansas that don鈥檛 have recess at all.鈥�
It鈥檚 a common misconception that keeping children in the classroom will boost test scores and maintain focus in studying, but no research supports this idea. It鈥檚 also a common problem that administration withholds recess as punishment, when those children are typically the ones who need recess the most.
Spreading awareness
Pappas main goal is to spread as much awareness on the issue as possible, as extensive research shows that children do better in the classroom when they have frequent breaks. The students maintain better focus and have better behavior, which more often than not reduces the number of office referrals that 鈥渢rouble students鈥� typically have.
Schools in the Dallas-Fort Worth area are piloting a program modeled after the class structure in Finland, which provides recess after every 45 minutes of instruction. Though the final results won鈥檛 be available until the summer, the study has already shown that students are further ahead than in past years because they are more focused during the classroom time.
Pappas teaches an elementary physical education methods class at 萝莉社 for physical education majors and classroom teachers. The class incorporates the idea that more unstructured play is beneficial in a child鈥檚 ability to focus.
鈥淚t鈥檚 so important that people look at the research,鈥� said Pappas. 鈥淩ecess provides socialization, and emotional, physical and cognitive development. Kids are creative and they problem-solve 鈥� that鈥檚 what happens on the playground.鈥�