Professional attitudes towards children’s risk-taking in play: insights into influencing factors in Dutch contexts

ABSTRACT

Childcare settings offer an ideal opportunity for children to become acquainted with risk-taking in play, which promotes healthy growth and development. Van Rooijen and Newstead’s (2016) model, based on a review of international literature, has identified the main challenges for childcare professionals when promoting risky play, namely; conflicting pressures from cultural and regulatory factors, parental concerns, personal attitudes and constructs of children. We used an online questionnaire to examine whether these challenges impact on children’s risk-taking play in Dutch childcare contexts. Dutch professionals encounter barriers; especially in external regulations, organization protocols, and parental overprotectiveness. We adjusted the model to gain further insight in influencing factors and their interrelatedness in a Dutch context. Our findings indicate that professionals can be supported with knowledge about and openness in discussion on risky play and with the tools necessary to support autonomy in daily pedagogical decision-making which then supports children’s age-appropriate risk-taking opportunities.

KEYWORDS:

• Risky play
• professional development
• outdoor play
• pedagogical approach
• child care
• early childhood

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. http://www.vsnu.nl/files/documenten/Domeinen/Onderzoek/The_Netherlands_Code%20of_Conduct_for_Academic_Practice_2004_(version2014).pdf.

Additional information

Funding

Martin van Rooijen’s contribution in this study was supported by the Dutch Business Association Play & Movement (Branchevereniging Spelen en Bewegen).

Notes on contributors

Martin van Rooijen

Martin van Rooijen is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Humanistic Studies in Utrecht, the Netherlands. His primary research focus is on risk in play and resilience of children in outdoor environments as well as normative professionalism of pedagogues with children in their care. He is involved in Dutch and international networks on nature play, children’s play rights and is a member of the Dutch Korczak Foundation.

Gerty Lensvelt-Mulders

Gerty Lensvelt-Mulders is professor of Research Methodology and Theory of Sciences and rector and president of the board of the University of Humanistic Studies, Utrecht, Netherlands. She chairs the research group which studies the foundations and methods of humanistic studies as a denominational-normative, multi-disciplinary and practice-oriented science.

Shirley Wyver

Shirley Wyver is a senior lecturer in child development at Macquarie University, Sydney. Her main research interest is in outdoor play and learning. She is an investigator on a multidisciplinary team known as the Sydney Playground Project and has published a large number of articles on outdoor play. She has also edited two recent books in this area.

Joachim Duyndam

Joachim Duyndam is full professor of Humanism and Philosophy at the University of Humanistic Studies in Utrecht, the Netherlands. He chairs the interdisciplinary research program on Humanist Traditions, Resilience, and Aging Well. His own research focus is on resilience.