Research On Environmental Optimization Of Outdoor Challenge Activity Area In Kindergarten From Child Perspective

The kindergarten outdoor challenge area contains a large number of challenging factors,which is the activity area for children to carry out risky games and big muscle exercises.Due to the teachers and parents’ consideration of children’s safety problems,the lack of correct cognition and support for children’s adventure psychology,children lack sufficient opportunities and environment for their own adventure.In view of this,the study identified four research purposes: First,combing the curriculum value of the outdoor challenge area,and enhancing teachers’ attention to the activities of the challenge area;second,understand the actual situation of the challenge area environment,the main body of the challenge area environment creation and regional activities,prepare for the next step of environmental optimization;third,the analysis of the actual situation of the challenge area environment and children’s expectation of the challenge area environment,through action research to optimize the environment,make the environment more fit children’s perspective;fourth,based on the overall study,put forward the "children’s perspective" kindergarten outdoor challenge area environment optimization operational recommendations.According to the research purpose,three research questions are determined.First,what is the curriculum value of kindergarten outdoor challenge area? Second,what are the problems in the game environment in the educational practice of kindergarten outdoor challenge area? Third,how to optimize the environment of kindergarten outdoor challenge area from the perspective of children?The research adopts the paradigm of action research,trying to optimize the kindergarten outdoor challenge area based on the perspective of children.The observation method,interview method and mosaic method are mainly used for data collection,and the interview method and observation method are used to investigate the reality of the environment in the kindergarten outdoor challenge area.Using six kinds of participatory tools such as independent photography,independent painting,voting,travel,slides and video introductions in the mosaic method,and based on purpose sampling,10 children from three age stages of small class,middle class and large class were selected as the research participants.The views and expectations of kindergartens were collected through communication and discussion with children.The analysis of data includes three steps:reading the original data,login and searching for the "local concept" and systematization of the data.All the data are encoded by the three coders,and the three coding results are compared.The coding data with deviations are discussed.The agreed coding data are used to form the final coding results.It is found that the environmental planning of outdoor challenging areas in educational practice is difficult to meet the needs of children’s challenging activities.The lack of atmosphere to encourage children to explore limits children’s independent activities;it is difficult for teachers to clarify the function of challenge area and lack the ability to support children’s challenge game activities.Thus,two rounds of environmental optimization were undertaken:In the first round of action research,children focused on the multi-functionality of the facility in the challenge area,the diversity of mobile materials and good activity experience.Teachers and children jointly participate in the optimization,develop the function of fixed facilities in the challenge area,and adjust the types and quantities of mobile materials.The environment in the challenge area has changed from ignoring children’s participation,single function of fixed facilities and lack of materials’ to focusing on children’s participation and rich mobile materials with perfect function of fixed facilities’,and the environmental activities of children and teachers after the transformation are investigated.Finally,it is found that there are still some problems in the kindergarten outdoor challenge area,such as the lack of hierarchy of fixed facilities,the neglect of children’s age characteristics and the insufficient quantity and specification of mobile materials.In the second round of action research,children expect a challenging environment with rich levels,perfect functions and pleasant experience.Based on children’s ideas and the problems left over in the first round,the inclusive consciousness of fixed facilities is given and the number and types of mobile facilities are supplemented.The experience of challenging games for children is enriched.Teachers create an interactive and open atmosphere for children.It is concluded that the environmental optimization in the challenge area needs to focus on the level and challenge of the environment,and teachers need to improve their ability to support challenging activities for children.Three conclusions are drawn from the study.Firstly,the challenge area environment optimization deepens the key experience of children in challenging activities,and promotes the development of sports ability and sports thinking.Second,teachers change ideas to understand and support children’s independent challenging activities,to optimize the operational environment based on children’s needs to explore the growth point of children ’s experience.Third,through the optimization of the environment in the challenge area,the conditions for children to experience risk-taking behaviors are created,and the physical environment is improved and a loose psychological environment is created to encourage children to explore and take risks boldly.Based on the research,three suggestions are put forward: First,pay attention to the secondary development of fixed facilities and the improvement of mobile materials,stimulate children to explore the risk boundary and provide opportunities for children to take risks;secondly,empowering children to participate in the creation and optimization of the environment in the challenge area,respecting children’s subjectivity,and understanding the ideas and basis of environmental creation from children’s concrete expression and activities;thirdly,teachers seek the balance between risk-taking and safety to support children’s activities,clarify their role orientation and correctly understand the value of the activities in the challenge area.In this process,they continuously improve their ability to support children’s activities.