Master of Science / School of Family Studies and Human Services / Deborah Norris / Risk and challenge in children’s play have steadily declined over the last 30 years due to adult fears about injuries and litigation, among other factors. This societal trend is important to remedy because not only do children miss out on the numerous crucial benefits in every domain that play, and specifically risk and challenge in play, provides, but research suggests it also can lead to a host of other problems like childhood obesity, more injuries as children create their own risk and challenge in inappropriate ways, and childhood psychopathology. Data on children in care demonstrate a large number of children enrolled in pre-kindergarten programs today, therefore it is important to understand young children’s risky play in the education context and the role that early childhood practitioners play in either supporting or hindering that play. The present study used an original survey derived from the literature to examine early childhood practitioners’ beliefs and perceptions about preschool children’s risky play, practitioner’s risky play practices, and the factors that influence those beliefs and practices. The results showed that practitioners generally had more positive than negative beliefs about risky play, but only rarely or occasionally allowed risky play to occur in their classrooms or centers. A variety of both global and situational factors influenced practitioners’ decisions to allow risky play or not. Participants’ beliefs and practices were positively correlated, and beliefs and practices were both negatively correlated with influences. Numbers of years of experience in the field and education level were not found to be significant predictors of participants’ risky play beliefs and practices. These results have implications for professional development trainings as well as teacher education programs.

By using the children's own thoughts and stories this theses aim to investigate and illustrate the phenomenon of rough and tumble play and its existence among five year olds in preschool.     The formulations of the questions are: What do children consider as rough and tumble play? - and what characterise that? From without a perspective of rough and tumble play, which kinds of rough and tumble play do the children play in preschool? - and how do those characterise? What makes rough and tumble play possible and accepted for the children to play in preschool? In this thesis I have investigated the questions above by interviewing 11 five years olds about how they consider rough and tumble play in preschool. From without Birgitta Knutsdotter Olofsson's and Torben Hangaard Rasmussen's view about play and rough and tumble play I created a perspective of rough and tumble play, which I used for analyzing the empirics. With rough and tumble play I mean games or plays that includes wrestling, hitting, kicking, pushing, chasing, running or/and the use of weapons against other human beings or other visualized beings or/and human beings. The conclusions are that children has many different opinions of what rough and tumble play is. Depends on who you are asking you will get a different perspective. The conclusions also shows that rough and tumble play can exist, not just by its self, but also in interplay with other kinds of games and plays. The children are using different strategies to make the rough and tumble play fit the restrictions put on by the educators in the preschool.

Syftet med denna intervjustudie var att undersöka fritidshemslärarens förståelse av och inställning till fenomenet bråklek. Studien avsåg även att ta reda på vilka faktorer som kan vara avgörande för denna inställning till bråkleken. Bråkleken beskrivs i studien som en grupporienterad och pedagogisk lekpraktik sett utifrån ett sociokulturellt perspektiv där analysmetoden av de svar som gavs av de fem respondenterna i studien baserades i fenomenografisk förhållningsätt.  Resultatet av studiens indikerar att inställningen bland de tillfrågade fritidshemsläraren att tillåta bråklek i skolverksamheten, är något större än inställningen att motverka den. Vidare förefaller det finnas ett samband mellan fritidshemslärarens inställning och förståelse till bråkleken och tiden som denne spenderat i yrket. Det framstår också som att manliga lärare som deltagit i studien tenderar att vara något mer tillåtande till bråkleken än kvinnliga lärare.

The purpose of this study is to look at how different preschool educators define Rough and Tumble Play (RTP). We want to examine through empirical studies-what approach educators have when confronted with RTP, how they acknowledge these games and what role educators consider they have when acknowledging these games. We also want to look at if educators work actively with RTP, if preschools have active discussions about RTP or a more preventative approach with the play. Our methods are semi structured qualitative interviews with educators from different preschools around the Stockholm district. The aim of our semi structured qualitative questions are to be able to ask follow-up questions for a broader perspective of the respondents perception. We used sound recordings of the respondents answers and transcribed it into a text format to be able to analyse it.   The studies we looked at are Scandinavian and international studies that examined what RTP is, what benefits it might have for children and if there are any disadvantages to children engaging in a more aggressive form of RTP.  Our results show that how research and RTP is perceived in practice varies. While studies and research point more towards different benefits for children engaging in RTP, our respondents do not perceive it as a real play but more as a dangerous activity that might eventually physically harm the children. The respondents also expressed worries for children who have difficulty interpreting social codes and engaging in RTP and also what values are encouraged if RTP is allowed in preschools.

Leken betraktas som en grundläggande och avgörande del av barnkulturen, och det framhävs både i förskolans läroplan och forskning som en betydelsefull faktor för barns utveckling och lärande. Inom förskoleverksamheten uppkommer och främjas bråklekar regelbundet som en del av barnens lek. Studiens syfte är till att undersöka bråklek bland förskolebarn och dess betydelse för deras utveckling. Frågeställningar som besvaras är hur bråkleker 1–3 åringar respektive 3–5 åringar och vilka lekstämningar och sociala lekregler som framträder i bråkleken. Vi har valt att utgå ifrån en kvalitativ metod och utfört deltagande observationer på två olika förskolor i en större stad för att studera barnens bråklekar i förskolan. Vi observerade barnens bråklekar under alla möjliga situationer och hade en rik data som vi sedan bearbetade utifrån ett hermeneutiskt synsätt. Resultatet av vår studie visar att bråklek kan ha flera fördelaktiga effekter på barns utveckling. Bland annat att det kan hjälpa barn att lära sig sociala lekregler, utveckla förmågan att anpassa sin styrka och förstå vad som är en lämplig nivå av fysisk kontakt, att den kan hjälpa barn att hantera aggression i en trygg och kontrollerad miljö och till och med lära sig att respektera andras gränser och att ta hänsyn till sina kamrater. Sammanfattningsvis visar denna studie att bråklek kan ha flera fördelaktiga effekter på barns utveckling som kommer att vara till nytta för dem senare i livet.

Les pères s’impliquent aujourd’hui davantage qu’auparavant auprès de leurs enfants. À l’âge préscolaire, les jeux physiques (incluant les jeux de bataille) sont une caractéristique distinctive du style paternel d’interaction. Quelques études tendent à suggérer un lien entre ce type de jeu et l’adaptation sociale des enfants. Cependant,des contradictions se dégagent de la littérature, notamment quant au lien entre la quantité de jeu physique père-enfant et des mesures d’adaptation sociale, quant aux différentes opérationnalisations de la qualité du jeu physique, ainsi qu’en ce qui a trait au genre de l’enfant. Il y a également un débat entourant le degré optimal de contrôle ou de mutualité) au cours du jeu, de même qu’un nombre très limité d’études sur le lien entre le jeu physique père-enfant et l’anxiété/retrait. Dans ce contexte de divergences entre les chercheurs, la présente thèse vise quatre objectifs, soit : 1)vérifier si la quantité de jeux de bataille père-enfant est liée à l’adaptation sociale des enfants d’âge préscolaire (via des mesures de compétence sociale, d’agressivité/irritabilité, d’agression physique et d’anxiété/retrait); 2) tester si des mesures de mutualité ou de contrôle modèrent la relation entre la quantité de jeux de bataille père-enfant et les mesures d’adaptation sociale; 3) explorer le rôle potentiel d’autres indices de qualité du jeu de bataille; 4) clarifier le rôle du genre de l’enfant. L’échantillon est composé de 100 dyades père-enfant de Montréal et les environs. Les résultats des analyses corrélationnelles suggèrent que la fréquence et la durée de jeu de bataille ne sont pas reliées directement à l’adaptation sociale des enfants et mettent en lumière des variables qui pourraient jouer un rôle modérateur. Les régressions pour modèles modérateurs indiquent que la mutualité père-enfant dans les initiations au jeu de bataille et la peur exprimée par l’enfant au cours de ce type de jeu modèrent la relation entre la durée des jeux de bataille et la compétence sociale de l’enfant d’âge préscolaire. La mutualité modère également le lien entre la durée du jeu et l’agressivité/irritabilité de l’enfant. Les initiations autoritaires faites par le père modèrent le lien entre la durée du jeu et les agressions physiques, alors qu’aucune variable ne modère le lien entre la durée du jeu et l’anxiété/retrait des enfants. Les analyses post-hoc donnent davantage d’informations sur la nature des liens de modération. Bien que les pères rapportent ne pas faire davantage de jeux de bataille, ni jouer plus longtemps à se batailler avec leurs garçons qu’avec leurs filles, trois modèles modérateurs sur quatre demeurent significatifs uniquement pour les garçons. Ces données sont interprétées à la lumière des théories éthologique et développementale. Il est suggéré que plutôt que de traiter l’agression et la compétence sociale comme des variables opposées de l’adaptation, une mesure de compétition permettrait peut-être de réconcilier les deux mondes. / Today’s fathers are increasingly more involved with their children. During the preschool years, rough-and-tumble-play (RTP; including play-fighting) is a significant aspect of paternal interaction style. A few studies suggest that this type of play is linked to children’s social adaptation. However, many contradictions remain in the current literature, particularly concerning the link between the quantity of father-child RTP and social adaptation measures, RTP quality indicators and their measurement, and gender differences. There is also a debate regarding the optimal control level (or mutuality) during play. Moreover, very few studies have investigated the link between father-child RTP and children’s anxiety/withdrawal. The current thesis has four objectives: 1) to verify the presence of a link between father-child play-fighting quantity and preschooler’s social adaptation measures (i.e., social competency, aggressiveness/irritability, physical aggression and anxiety/withdrawal); 2) to verify if mutuality or control measures moderate the relationship between father-child play-fighting quantity and social adaptation; 3) to explore the potential role of other play-fighting quality cues; 4) to clarify the role of child gender. The sample consists of 100 father-child dyads from the Montreal region. Correlational analyses suggest that the frequency and duration of play-fighting are not directly linked to children social adaptation. The regressions for moderation models indicate that father-child mutuality in play-fighting initiations, as well as the fear expressed by the child during play, moderate the relationship between playfighting duration and the preschooler’s social competency. Mutuality also moderates the link between play duration and child aggressiveness/irritability. Although fathers do not report a higher frequency or duration of play-fighting according to their children’s gender, post-hoc analyses show that three out of four moderating models are significant only for the boys. iv The data is interpreted according to evolutionary and developmental theories. It is argued that a measure of competition could shed light on the relationship between aggressiveness and social competency in social adaptation, and that these two variables may not systematically be opposed as it is commonly perceived in RTP literature.

Les pères s’impliquent aujourd’hui davantage qu’auparavant auprès de leurs enfants. À l’âge préscolaire, les jeux physiques (incluant les jeux de bataille) sont une caractéristique distinctive du style paternel d’interaction. Quelques études tendent à suggérer un lien entre ce type de jeu et l’adaptation sociale des enfants. Cependant,des contradictions se dégagent de la littérature, notamment quant au lien entre la quantité de jeu physique père-enfant et des mesures d’adaptation sociale, quant aux différentes opérationnalisations de la qualité du jeu physique, ainsi qu’en ce qui a trait au genre de l’enfant. Il y a également un débat entourant le degré optimal de contrôle ou de mutualité) au cours du jeu, de même qu’un nombre très limité d’études sur le lien entre le jeu physique père-enfant et l’anxiété/retrait. Dans ce contexte de divergences entre les chercheurs, la présente thèse vise quatre objectifs, soit : 1)vérifier si la quantité de jeux de bataille père-enfant est liée à l’adaptation sociale des enfants d’âge préscolaire (via des mesures de compétence sociale, d’agressivité/irritabilité, d’agression physique et d’anxiété/retrait); 2) tester si des mesures de mutualité ou de contrôle modèrent la relation entre la quantité de jeux de bataille père-enfant et les mesures d’adaptation sociale; 3) explorer le rôle potentiel d’autres indices de qualité du jeu de bataille; 4) clarifier le rôle du genre de l’enfant. L’échantillon est composé de 100 dyades père-enfant de Montréal et les environs. Les résultats des analyses corrélationnelles suggèrent que la fréquence et la durée de jeu de bataille ne sont pas reliées directement à l’adaptation sociale des enfants et mettent en lumière des variables qui pourraient jouer un rôle modérateur. Les régressions pour modèles modérateurs indiquent que la mutualité père-enfant dans les initiations au jeu de bataille et la peur exprimée par l’enfant au cours de ce type de jeu modèrent la relation entre la durée des jeux de bataille et la compétence sociale de l’enfant d’âge préscolaire. La mutualité modère également le lien entre la durée du jeu et l’agressivité/irritabilité de l’enfant. Les initiations autoritaires faites par le père modèrent le lien entre la durée du jeu et les agressions physiques, alors qu’aucune variable ne modère le lien entre la durée du jeu et l’anxiété/retrait des enfants. Les analyses post-hoc donnent davantage d’informations sur la nature des liens de modération. Bien que les pères rapportent ne pas faire davantage de jeux de bataille, ni jouer plus longtemps à se batailler avec leurs garçons qu’avec leurs filles, trois modèles modérateurs sur quatre demeurent significatifs uniquement pour les garçons. Ces données sont interprétées à la lumière des théories éthologique et développementale. Il est suggéré que plutôt que de traiter l’agression et la compétence sociale comme des variables opposées de l’adaptation, une mesure de compétition permettrait peut-être de réconcilier les deux mondes. / Today’s fathers are increasingly more involved with their children. During the preschool years, rough-and-tumble-play (RTP; including play-fighting) is a significant aspect of paternal interaction style. A few studies suggest that this type of play is linked to children’s social adaptation. However, many contradictions remain in the current literature, particularly concerning the link between the quantity of father-child RTP and social adaptation measures, RTP quality indicators and their measurement, and gender differences. There is also a debate regarding the optimal control level (or mutuality) during play. Moreover, very few studies have investigated the link between father-child RTP and children’s anxiety/withdrawal. The current thesis has four objectives: 1) to verify the presence of a link between father-child play-fighting quantity and preschooler’s social adaptation measures (i.e., social competency, aggressiveness/irritability, physical aggression and anxiety/withdrawal); 2) to verify if mutuality or control measures moderate the relationship between father-child play-fighting quantity and social adaptation; 3) to explore the potential role of other play-fighting quality cues; 4) to clarify the role of child gender. The sample consists of 100 father-child dyads from the Montreal region. Correlational analyses suggest that the frequency and duration of play-fighting are not directly linked to children social adaptation. The regressions for moderation models indicate that father-child mutuality in play-fighting initiations, as well as the fear expressed by the child during play, moderate the relationship between playfighting duration and the preschooler’s social competency. Mutuality also moderates the link between play duration and child aggressiveness/irritability. Although fathers do not report a higher frequency or duration of play-fighting according to their children’s gender, post-hoc analyses show that three out of four moderating models are significant only for the boys. iv The data is interpreted according to evolutionary and developmental theories. It is argued that a measure of competition could shed light on the relationship between aggressiveness and social competency in social adaptation, and that these two variables may not systematically be opposed as it is commonly perceived in RTP literature.

The diploma thesis "Methodology of the use of rough-and-tumble play in the environment of alternative forest schools of pre-primary and primary education as a possible prevention of bullying." points to the area of children's games, which are inherently associated with such physical manifestation that it can cause all sorts of concerns in adults. The rough-and-tumble play as well as fighting and combat play are in question considered in this thesis as a kind of games, sometimes possibly neglected, but necessary for the healthy development of children's personalities. If the development of children and pupils is the goal of school facilities, then the possible inclusion of combat and combat games in these environments seems to be suitably developing. Alternative schools, in this case forest kindergartens and primary schools, are so open to innovation that this thesis chose them for the imaginary incorporation of rough-and- tumble play into their curriculum. It also outlines the possible context between the conscious fighting game of children and their perception of bullying, or the possible influence of the fighting game on the elimination of these undesirable behaviours. The empirical part formulates methodological material in accordance with the described characteristics of selected schools. Data...