IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i2p1170-d1028827.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Exploring the Causal Effects of Outdoor Play on School Readiness of Preschoolers in the Klang Valley, Malaysia

Author

Listed:
  • Mal Kong Sia

    (Faculty of Built Environment, Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology, Kuala Lumpur 53300, Malaysia)

  • Wong Chin Yew

    (Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, National University of Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Malaysia)

  • Xin Wei Low

    (Faculty of Built Environment, Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology, Kuala Lumpur 53300, Malaysia)

Abstract

According to research, preschool physical environments (PPE) that promote outdoor play have a positive impact on children’s overall wellbeing, as well as their total developmental competence and academic learning, which then directly affects their school readiness prior to entering primary school. This study analyses the causative impacts of outdoor play on preschoolers’ school readiness for primary school in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Additionally, we attempted to extend a prior research conceptual model on outdoor play in studying the link between PPE and preschoolers’ school readiness. From June to August 2022, 84 private preschool operators from the Klang Valley took part in the survey to offer their viewpoints; however, only 72 completed questionnaires could be used for PLS-SEM analysis using SmartPLS 4. It has been discovered that outdoor play does, in fact, have a favorable, considerable impact on academic learning and school readiness. Other findings offer more proof of the causal links between outdoor play and children’s development. Important stakeholders, such as preschool providers, preschool designers, preschool educators, as well as parents, should make sure that appropriate outdoor play yards are provided in preschools for children’s full development and academic learning, as well as for preschoolers’ readiness for school.

Suggested Citation

  • Mal Kong Sia & Wong Chin Yew & Xin Wei Low, 2023. "Exploring the Causal Effects of Outdoor Play on School Readiness of Preschoolers in the Klang Valley, Malaysia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-25, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:2:p:1170-:d:1028827
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/2/1170/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/2/1170/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Cunha, Flavio & Heckman, James J. & Lochner, Lance, 2006. "Interpreting the Evidence on Life Cycle Skill Formation," Handbook of the Economics of Education, in: Erik Hanushek & F. Welch (ed.), Handbook of the Economics of Education, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 12, pages 697-812, Elsevier.
    2. Subadrah Madhawa Nair & Sopia Md Yassin, 2017. "Do Preschool Teachers Professional Qualifications Play a Role in Enhancing their Understanding of ECCE Training?," International Journal of Asian Social Science, Asian Economic and Social Society, vol. 7(9), pages 754-763.
    3. repec:mpr:mprres:4373 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Yatiman Noor Hafizah & Lee Choo Ang & Fendy Yap & Wan Nurul Najwa & Whye Lian Cheah & Abd Talib Ruzita & Farra Aidah Jumuddin & Denise Koh & Julia Ai Cheng Lee & Cecilia A. Essau & Sue Reeves & Caroly, 2019. "Validity and Reliability of a Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) to Assess Dietary Intake of Preschool Children," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(23), pages 1-11, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sven Resnjanskij & Jens Ruhose & Simon Wiederhold & Ludger Wößmann, 2021. "Mentoring Improves the Labor-Market Prospects of Highly Disadvantaged Adolescents," ifo Schnelldienst, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 74(02), pages 31-38, February.
    2. Ron Diris, 2017. "Don't Hold Back? The Effect of Grade Retention on Student Achievement," Education Finance and Policy, MIT Press, vol. 12(3), pages 312-341, Summer.
    3. Macours, Karen & Vakis, Renos, 2010. "Seasonal Migration and Early Childhood Development," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 38(6), pages 857-869, June.
    4. Orazio Attanasio & Sarah Cattan & Emla Fitzsimons & Costas Meghir & Marta Rubio-Codina, 2020. "Estimating the Production Function for Human Capital: Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial in Colombia," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 110(1), pages 48-85, January.
    5. Lex Borghans & Angela Lee Duckworth & James J. Heckman & Bas ter Weel, 2008. "The Economics and Psychology of Personality Traits," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 43(4).
    6. Musab Kurnaz & Mehmet Soytas, 2019. "Early Childhood Investment and Income Taxation," 2019 Meeting Papers 290, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    7. Detomasi, Richard, 2018. "Abordaje espacial de políticas públicas: cuidados y primera infancia," Coediciones, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), number 44168, July.
    8. Azuara, Oliver, 2011. "Effect of universal health coverage on marriage, cohabitation and labor force participation," MPRA Paper 35074, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    9. Card, David & Rothstein, Jesse, 2007. "Racial segregation and the black-white test score gap," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(11-12), pages 2158-2184, December.
    10. Nicola Fuchs-Schündeln & Dirk Krueger & André Kurmann & Etienne Lalé & Alexander Ludwig & Irina Popova, 2023. "The Fiscal and Welfare Effects of Policy Responses to the Covid-19 School Closures," IMF Economic Review, Palgrave Macmillan;International Monetary Fund, vol. 71(1), pages 35-98, March.
    11. Apps, Patricia & Mendolia, Silvia & Walker, Ian, 2013. "The impact of pre-school on adolescents’ outcomes: Evidence from a recent English cohort," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 183-199.
    12. Anders Hjorth-Trolle, 2018. "Beliefs, parental investments, and intergenerational persistence: A formal model," Rationality and Society, , vol. 30(1), pages 108-154, February.
    13. Kikuchi, Nobuyoshi, 2014. "The effect of instructional time reduction on educational attainment: Evidence from the Japanese curriculum standards revision," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 17-41.
    14. Dalsgaard, Søren & Nielsen, Helena Skyt & Simonsen, Marianne, 2014. "Consequences of ADHD medication use for children's outcomes," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 137-151.
    15. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/3t1fcs7p369jmaalnboqhpgknn is not listed on IDEAS
    16. By Tyas Prevoo & Bas ter Weel, 2015. "The importance of early conscientiousness for socio-economic outcomes: evidence from the British Cohort Study," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 67(4), pages 918-948.
    17. Alessandro Tampieri, 2016. "Social background effects on school and job opportunities," Education Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(5), pages 496-510, September.
    18. Philippe Belley & Lance Lochner, 2007. "The Changing Role of Family Income and Ability in Determining Educational Achievement," Journal of Human Capital, University of Chicago Press, vol. 1(1), pages 37-89.
    19. Marina Bassi & Matías Busso & Sergio Urzúa & Jaime Vargas, 2012. "Disconnected: Skills, Education, and Employment in Latin America," IDB Publications (Books), Inter-American Development Bank, number 79504, February.
    20. Jere R. Behrman & John Hoddinott & John A. Maluccio, & Erica Soler-Hampejsek & Emily L. Behrman & Reynaldo Martorell & Manuel Ramirez-Zea & Aryeh D. Stein, 2006. "What Determines Adult Cognitive Skills? Impacts of Pre-Schooling, Schooling and Post-Schooling Experiences in Guatemala," PIER Working Paper Archive 06-027, Penn Institute for Economic Research, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania.
    21. Calsamiglia, Caterina & Loviglio, Annalisa, 2019. "Grading on a curve: When having good peers is not good," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:2:p:1170-:d:1028827. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.