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Published on July 10, 2020

CECE Student Researcher Publishes Findings From Outdoor Play Study

Former CECE student researcher Allison Lundy has published the findings of her thesis "Effects of Active Outdoor Play on Preschool Children's On-Task Classroom Behaviors" in Early Childhood Education Journal. The purpose of her study was to determine differences in children’s on-task behavior during group time before and after engaging in physical activity during outdoor play.

Her study found that children who engage in the greatest levels of physical activity during outdoor play demonstrated higher levels of on-task behaviors during group time than those who engaged in lower levels of physical activity, and that boys especially benefited from outdoor play prior to group time.

Allison's research was partially funded by the Jeffrey and Nancy Trawick-Smith Early Childhood Undergraduate Research Award, which she received in 2019.

Read an abstract of Allison's study.

Hear Allison describe what she learned from her study in a student reflection.