A Study of Children’s Outdoor Playground Designs Using Pictures
Volume 8 Issue 4 (October 2023)
Gökçen İlhan Ildız Emine Ahmetoğlu
Pages: 1014-1023 Download Count : 637 View Count: 697 DOI Number 10.24331/ijere.1317552 Facebook Twitter Share on Google+
Abstract:
This study, aimed at examining outdoor playground designs for children through children ’s drawings, was designed using a phenomenological design, which is a qualitative research method used to reveal and interpret individual perceptions or perspectives regarding a particular phenomenon. In line with the research objective, children aged 7-10, living in a neighborhood in the city center of Edirne, voluntarily participated in the study and were asked to draw a picture of their dream playground. In this context, 120 children were included in the study. The children ’s drawings were analyzed using descriptive and content analyzes. Within the scope of descriptive analysis, codings were made in the categories of "Variety of Play Elements," "Vegetation Materials," "Equipment," and "Ground," based on the "design criteria for children's playgrounds" determined through literature review. Elements that were outside the "design criteria for children's playgrounds" were examined through content analysis and categorized as "play centers," "animals," "other people," "vendors," "sky elements," and "other." The coding was performed independently by three experts. The findings obtained from the children ’s drawings were evaluated and discussed in conjunction with studies in the literature. Because of the analysis, it was found that children included risky play equipment in their drawings, and it was recommended that when designing children ’s playgrounds, safe play equipment suitable for risky play should be included
Keywords
- Children's Drawings
- Playground
- Outdoor
- Design