THE TRUE ROLE OF RECESS ACCORDING TO REGULAR AND SPECIAL EDUCATORS

Abstract

Due to recent trends to eliminate or reduce the time devoted towards school recess, the current study investigates the experiences and overall perceptions of school recess held by both regular and special veteran educators. The purpose of this study was to use semi-structured interviews to investigate the view educators hold toward school recess, the past and present role school recess has played within their school districts and provide educators with a voice for suggestions and opinions about recess towards the future of elementary education. The sample consisted of 12 veteran educators with a mean teaching experience of 23.5 years, employed at one of six districts within the Marathon County Special Education Consortium in Wausau, WI. Data were analyzed using thematic content analysis. Results indicate that recess is valued by school educators and that increased academic pressure has contributed to a reduced amount of time for school recess. This study additionally presents overall findings that educators have numerous suggestions and ideas for the future of elementary education, but the voice of veteran educators has failed to be recognized when making and implementing decisions towards bettering schools, in particular the battle between increased academic focus at the expense of school recess. Future efforts to implement curriculums geared towards higher achievement may benefit from the understanding of educators who believe that maintaining a healthy balance between recess and academics is necessary.