A Disjuncture between Educational Policy and Scientific Research

Article Critique
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Globally, there has been rising interests in understanding the influences of the recess to student academic performance, and its role in promoting optimal development and well-being of children. In the article, “The Recess Debate; A Disjuncture between Educational Policy and scientific Research,” Antony Pellegrini – a well-known professor of psychological foundations of education in the department of educational psychology at the University of Minnesota – presents a critical analysis of whether recess adds value to education; by examining the impacts of recess on development and achievement by comparing recess survey’s findings in the United States and the United Kingdom. In this respect, the author broach two views of recess including; movement to abolish or minimize school recess period – citing improvement in achievement, decreased bullying as well as replacing recess with physical education; and on the other hand – the apparent benefits of recess for school performance. By groping scientific research, Pellegrini establishes that children demonstrate greater benefit from recess such as improved well-being, enhanced social competence, increased classroom behavior as well as helping children into adulthood. Thus said, recess has been proved to be an essential period where children play games, run around, have fun, meet other kids as well as enjoy being out-of-doors – but lack of precise control and standard measures during these periods has led to substantial variations.
In many primary schools, recess is a popular practice in which children break from the classroom environment. Like any other field such as business, health facilities, banking, to name a few, giving workforce a break is a standard strategy of improving their productivity and performance. Typically, throughout the recess time, children intermingle freely with one another in an amorphous way (Pellegrini, 2008). In this respect, the youngsters cultivate their games, determine which activities to engage in as well as their playing partners. In reality, there is a wide disparity with how recess is implemented in different schools and different states, as well as activities children participate in. In the United States, for example, a survey conducted by the National Association of Elementary School Principals in all forty-seven states revealed that recess was only practiced in 90% of...