Children’s Affective Experiences During Recess: Who Changes the Most Across a School Year?

The objective of this study was to investigate changes in elementary school students’ affective states during recess throughout a school year, and examine distinct subgroups variations by gender, grade level, race/ethnicity, and beginning of the school year scores. Participants included 1,022 students across nine schools within a large metropolitan area in the United States, who received services from a national nonprofit organization focused on improving recess quality. A shortened version of the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule was used at four timepoints. Analyses used latent growth curve models that were computed using a maximum likelihood estimator with robust standard errors. Changes in positive affect (β = 0.170, p = .020) and negative affect (β = -0.040, p < .001) at recess for the entire sample were observed. Across sub-groups, the largest gains were for students who reported low levels of positive affect (β = 0.340, p < .001) and high levels of negative affect (β = -1.253, p < .001) at the beginning of the school year. Findings from the current study suggest the need to move beyond aggregating all scores within recess interventions, and, rather, toward targeting particular student sub-groups with both intervention strategies and analytical approaches.