Τα χαρακτηριστικά του αύλειου χώρου των νηπιαγωγείων της Θεσσαλονίκης: Απόψεις νηπιαγωγών

Abstract

Courtyards are a key element of the school environment, a material and social context comprising a geometrically shaped space used by groups of people who share common interests and needs. The natural and man-made elements of playgrounds provide a variety of stimuli that offer many opportunities for action, interaction and the development of educational activities that contribute to children's development. The aim of our research was to record the characteristics of the courtyards of public kindergartens in the Prefecture of Thessaloniki through the kindergarten teachers who work in them, their views on the ways in which these characteristics are used for children's development, and their suggestions for their improvement. The sample consisted of 135 kindergarten teachers working in as many different kindergartens in the study area. Data was collected using an electronic questionnaire in Google Form, which included both open-ended and closed-ended questions. The data was analyzed using thematic content analysis for the open-ended questions and quantitative analysis for the closed-ended questions using the SPSS statistical tool. The main findings showed that kindergarten teachers consider the existence of a playground to be essential, especially for carrying out educational activities, for child development and for play. Most of the kindergartens seem to have some kind of equipment, mainly plastic toys and fixed wooden structures. A large percentage of the courtyards have some form of greenery, although concrete is the predominant material. However, the amount of greenery in the nursery yard seems to influence the extent to which it provides opportunities for play, sport and physical activity for children. Noise levels did not appear to vary according to the area in which the nursery was located and nursery teachers reported that they were not disturbed by the noise.