Graduation Date
Summer 2026
Document Type
Thesis
Program
Master of Science degree with a major in Kinesiology
Committee Chair Name
Dr. Rock Braithwaite
Committee Chair Affiliation
Cal Poly Humboldt Faculty or Staff
Second Committee Member Name
Dr. Chris Hopper
Second Committee Member Affiliation
Cal Poly Humboldt Faculty or Staff
Third Committee Member Name
Dr. Jayne McGuire
Third Committee Member Affiliation
Cal Poly Humboldt Faculty or Staff
Keywords
Risky play, Professional development, Educator attitudes, Outdoor play, Inclusion, Loose parts
Subject Categories
Education
Abstract
Children’s opportunities for active outdoor risky play have declined in many educational settings, despite evidence that manageable risk supports physical activity, self-regulation, confidence, resilience, and social participation. Educator attitudes and school culture may play an important role in determining whether children are offered developmentally appropriate opportunities for challenge, exploration, and autonomy. This quasi-experimental, single-group pretest-posttest study examined whether participation in a single-session professional development workshop was associated with changes in educators’ tolerance of risk in children’s play. Thirty educators attended a workshop focused on risky play, hazard-risk differentiation, inclusion of children with disabilities, loose-parts play, environmental affordances, and practitioner-informed implementation strategies. Fourteen participants completed both pretest and posttest administrations of the Teacher Tolerance of Risk in Play Scale and were retained for analysis. Results indicated a statistically significant increase in risk tolerance from pretest to posttest, with mean scores increasing from 12.00 to 16.64 and a large small-sample corrected effect size. These findings suggest that educator attitudes toward developmentally appropriate risk-taking may be responsive to targeted professional learning experiences. However, the small sample, absence of a control group, reliance on self-report, and lack of follow-up data limit causal interpretation and conclusions about durability. Continued research is needed to examine whether changes in educator attitudes translate into sustained changes in supervision practices, play affordances, and children’s access to inclusive risky outdoor play.
Citation Style
APA
Recommended Citation
Burrill, Justin Ross, "Supporting risky outdoor play through professional development: A quasi-experimental study of TK–6 educators’ attitudes" (2026). Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects. 2594.
https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/etd/2594
Included in
Elementary Education and Teaching Commons, Other Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons