Findings from the current study suggest the need to move beyond aggregating all scores within recess interventions, and, rather, toward targeting particular student sub-groups with both intervention strategies and analytical approaches.
Conclusion
School recess continues to be a meaningful and relevant area of interest as this context pertains to children’s holistic development. While a plethora of research findings suggest that recess confers social and emotional benefits for children, confirmation of these findings has remained elusive in more rigorous investigations. Findings from the current study suggest the need to move beyond aggregating all scores within recess interventions and toward the targeting of specific student sub-groups of need with both intervention strategies and analytical approaches. Data in the current study show a likely ceiling effect for recess interventions on affective states during recess in the general population; however, significant areas of growth for children who struggle at the beginning of the year were evidenced. The changes occurred in the context of overall improvements at recess, facilitated by a Playworks coach who facilitated organized and inclusive games, in addition to the regularly occurring free play activity during recess. Moreover, the results from the present study point to the need for future research to examine the experiences of children who do not identify within a gender binary at recess, as data indicated this may be a marginalized group on the playground.