Perceptions of Risky Play among Kindergarten Teachers in Norway and China

The study investigates what risky play is and how kindergarten teachers perceive risky play in different cultural contexts. The research question is: How do kindergarten teachers from different cultures perceive different aspects of risky play?

The study asks the following sub-questions: A) How do kindergarten teachers from different cultures define risky play? B) What roles do kindergarten teachers from different cultures believe they should have in risky play? C) What measures do kindergarten teachers from different cultures take to ensure children’s safety during risky play? D) What limitations do kindergarten teachers from different cultures see in the practice of risky play?

The results show that kindergarten teachers from the two kindergartens in the study had different perceptions of what risky play is. The kindergarten teachers in both kindergartens supported children’s risky play, but in different ways. The findings show that kindergarten teachers in the Norwegian kindergarten had both theoretical and practical experience in understanding risky play. The kindergarten teachers in the Chinese kindergarten had acquired knowledge about risky play and gradually changed their view of risky play in practice.

The study compares a private kindergarten in Norway and a public kindergarten in China, and is based on semi-structured interviews with five kindergarten teachers from each of the countries. The participants had between one and twelve years of experience working in kindergarten. The researchers conducted a content analysis of the transcribed interviews to study similarities and differences in the kindergarten teachers’ perceptions of risky play.

Liu, J., & Birkeland, Å. (2022). Perceptions of Risky Play among Kindergarten Teachers in Norway and China. International Journal of Early Childhood, 54(3), 339–360.