Comparing and Contrasting Primary school playgrounds in Turkey and Australia

This collaborative study aims to investigate aspects of school playgrounds in the city of Denizli, Turkey and in the state of Victoria, Australia. Using a survey designed for a recent study in Victoria, data was collected from a large number of schools in both settings and analysed in light of international research findings. The most significant differences between playgrounds in both contexts are related to the age of schools, involvement of local communities in their school playground, enforcement of playground rules and the natural features in the playgrounds. A number of shared challenges have emerged from this study such as involvement of children in decision making in playground design, processes for playground rule making, provision of loose parts for play, increasing natural features in playgrounds, maintaining playspaces and increasing teacher understanding of the learning that occurs when children play freely