The importance of recess in schools has been a point of discussion for the longest time, especially in the United States and the United Kingdom. The debate on the benefits of recess in schools has taken place for the longest time in history, with most individuals against it arguing that it is a waste of time. The nature of the debate and lack of scientific literature on the importance of recess has made it critical to study the issues behind the arguments to guide the development of educational policies regarding the use of recess time. In the article, Pellegrini examines the various issues linked to the treatment of recess time in schools in both countries. He reflects on various reasons why both countries have developed diverse policies to deal with recess time. In his article, Pellegrini examines the arguments made about recess time, how the arguments shape the educational policy in the United States and United Kingdom and to ascertain if any scientific research guides them.
The author surveys how individuals perceive the issues and the various benefits of recess on students’ social competence and academic performance. The article aims to examine the link between the educational policies maintained in the United Kingdom and the United States concerning recess time. The author examines the various arguments that guided the development of existing recess policies in the countries and the scientific knowledge behind the main arguments linked to the benefits of implementing the policies. The author outlines the findings of a study he has made over the years, which compares how individuals from both the United States and the United Kingdom perceive the benefits of recess.
Pellegrini’s study shows that recess enables students to attain both sociological competence and academic performance. For example, the article examines how students who utilize recess time to interact with other students and solve their conflicts can gain sociological competence (Pellegrini 185). The author contends that the way in which students use their time at recess in school is beneficial to them. Due to this fact, it follows that policies that make sufficient time available for students to interact and learn from one another help them develop native language skills. It enables students to interact with their peers and build healthy relationships. In addition, the use of recess as playtime gives students psychological benefits that allow them to refresh their minds in preparation for the subsequent sessions enhancing their performance. In addition, states with policies that have reduced recess time to increase the time for learning have enabled the students to channel more time into studies enhancing their students’ performance.
Due to the lack of a theoretical model to explain the arguments against the recess in learning institutions, the study argues that there is no connection between educational policy and scientific research. The author argues that the policies guiding the use of recess in different states in the United States and the United Kingdom are based on the perceived benefits of time utilization during rest (Pellegrini 188). These arguments are based on the fact that studies on how schools utilize time have been indicated to benefit students and enhance academic performance. The findings of Pellegrini’s survey showed that recess was critical to students as it has significant cognitive and sociological benefits (Pellegrini 189). Due to this reason, policymakers are perceived to develop policies that would enable them to attain specific goals. Recess time goals can either enhance the students’ performance or attain cognitive benefits, which enable the students to develop interpersonal relationships effectively. Therefore, the author argues that states like Georgia should readjust the current policy that reduces recess time and give students more time to interact and play.
Reading through the article for the first time provided me with a general view of the issue and how different parties in the United States and the United Kingdom perceived recess time. In addition, I learned the various arguments that the proposers and opponents of recess time in schools made to justify their argument regarding the benefits or challenges of recess. The diverse nature of the argument made me interested in rereading the article and examining the various ways in which the article’s author handled the raised question and positioned his argument on the issue. After going through the article for the second time, my perception of the argument changed as I was able to critically analyze the argument, which changed my response to the arguments developed.
Paying attention to how I responded to the source enabled me to enhance my understanding of what the author tried to analyze in the article and how he utilized the existing arguments. According to the article, the author examines the link between educational policies developed in the United States and the United Kingdom and the scientific research guiding the existing policies. Due to this, I understood the author’s stance on the argument and the reasons that guided his response regarding the recess debate in terms of the link between policy development and the underlying scientific research.
Reference
Pellegrini, A., (2008). The recess debate: A disjuncture between educational policy and scientific research. American Journal of Play, 1(2), pp.181-191.