Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy - Doctoral Theses

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Play occupations in digital spaces: children's experiences throughout childhood
(University College Cork, 2024) Loudoun, Fiona M.; Boyle, Bryan; Larsson-Lund, Maria; Horizon 2020
Play is enshrined as a right for all children and is characterised by its autotelic and intrinsic nature. As such, play is recognised as the primary occupation of children and best understood in terms of the multiple meanings it holds for individuals. The spaces in which children choose to play are considered to facilitate and limit opportunities and experiences for play reflecting a dynamic and complex interconnection between individuals, spaces, and occupations. Despite the exponential growth of gaming technologies and digital devices offering children spaces for a plethora of novel, captivating and diverse play experiences, there remains a limited understanding of how these spaces afford or constrain play, especially from the perspective of the main protagonist, the child. Exploring children’s perspectives of their play in such digital spaces can uncover the multifaceted dimensions highlighting the purposeful and meaningful nature of such occupations in children’s everyday life. Such understanding challenge current social discourses and support how such play experiences contribute to children’s wellbeing and active participation in society. The overall aim of this thesis was to generate a deeper understanding of children’s perceptions of their play occupations in digital spaces throughout the trajectory of childhood. This thesis was informed by four, qualitative research studies. Study I, a scoping review, aimed to identify and map the current literature examining children’s perspectives of play in digital spaces by exploring how the daily relevance, personal and ecological significance, and methods were approached in the research. The review identified thirty-one articles from the past fifteen years with data extracted inspired by theories of play, ecology, and occupation. The review highlighted a significant lack of empirical research focusing specifically on children’s autotelic play and which demonstrated a relevance to their everyday life. Additionally, we found that methods did not consistently involve the active participation of children. The findings from this review provided a clear rationale for the design of the subsequent three studies. Choice making reflects a key aspect of how children experience their play, therefore, study II explored children’s experiences of their choice making in play within digital spaces. Eight participants were recruited who were aged between 6 and 7 years old. Using a focus group design and a plethora of data generation tools, the findings indicate that children enjoyed the flexibility and variety of choices offered by their play in digital spaces yet were constrained in their possibilities for play. Further, findings highlight how children negotiate play experiences as a tension between choice making and their desire for mastery. Study III explored the play value of digital spaces, specifically how the digital space affords play from the perspective of the child. The study was conducted using focus groups and comic strips to elicit data from eight children aged 11 years old. Findings indicate that children value the endless opportunities for play that were not necessarily available to them in real world spaces. Children discussed the play value associated with continually exploring new tasks, roles, and arenas, a space to be and do together, and to develop and learn. Study IV explored and identified how the meaning of playing video games is situated in adolescents’ everyday life. The study utilised narrative methodologies to generate data from five participants aged 16 – 17 years. The findings reflect how they engage in processes negotiating and balancing between occupations in both the physical and digital space with play integrated across their everyday lives. These studies reveal the richness and depth of perspectives children hold with regard their play in digital spaces and uncovers a unique and diverse number of characteristics that contributes to our understanding of the meaning children hold of this key occupation of childhood. This thesis articulates how children consider the primacy of play in their everyday lives in their negotiations between play in physical and digital spaces and how the, often overlooked, social dimensions of such play experiences throughout the course of childhood serves to enhance their connections with others and promote a sense of belonging. Additionally, the perception of competence in their play fostered their sense of self whilst embodying other roles and identities reflect a progression towards a future self. This enhanced understanding of the play occupations in digital spaces can be used to promote, offer, and design play occupations that reflect the experiences of children themselves thus recognising how and where play in digital spaces is integrated in relation to everyday life. To further explore play occupations in digital spaces, it may be fruitful for future research to be designed with children in mind to further enhance understanding.
Playing along (with)in the hard yard? Exploring play, practices, and occupational justice in Irish schoolyards
(University College Cork, 2024) Bergin, Michelle; Boyle, Bryan; Prellwitz, Maria; Lilja, Margareta; H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
This thesis aims to generate knowledges on practice possibilities concerned with children’s play and occupational justice in Irish schoolyards. Navigating the intersections between theory and practice required an ongoing examination of the tensions and points of resonance between ideas, ideals, and practices. Drawing on critical occupational perspectives, four distinct yet interrelated studies contribute to the thesis aim, exploring play, particularly the play of children with minoritized identities, as an issue of occupational justice from diverse perspectives. Minoritized draws attention to the active social processes that create inequitable opportunities for children because of their identities relative to gender, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, religion, sexuality, and disability. In Study I, a scoping review using the Joanna Briggs institute methodology, showed a paucity of existing research on the play of Irish Traveller children, an ethnic minoritized community. Using an existing conceptual model to categorise reported influencing factors emphasized the distinct restricting factor of racism on Irish Traveller children’s play. To address the problematization of at-risk representations of Irish Traveller children, as reflective of culturist assumptions, greater attention to children’s own diverse constructions of play as a capability is proposed. Study II completed virtual and walking interviews with ten primary school teachers to explore their practices and experiences of particularly children with minoritized identities play in Irish schoolyards. The reflexive thematic analysis highlighted how prevailing norms interrelated with the locus of risks of exclusion to children’s individual choices and how teachers’ while valuing play, prioritised safety, and an absence of conflict. Knowledges constructed on teachers and children negotiating individual and collective interests within diverse occupations in relationships (with)in the schoolyard, resonated with conceptualisations of collective occupations as constitutive with the production of the social space. Study III used individual and group walking interview methods to explore with 23 children their play in two Irish primary schools, identified as disadvantaged. Using the lens of the theory of practice architectures, the analysis highlighted children’s contrasting representations of play as habitual and emerging situated relational processes. Children’s acceptance of social hierarchies, individualistic and exclusionary social practices within schoolyards generated insights into the consequences of significant constraints and normative ideas on children’s play. Play was thus interrelated with the reproduction of what was termed the “hard yard”. However, the transformative potential of play was also suggested in how shared play created possibilities for fun, solidarity, and friendship. Study IV drawing on earlier studies, engaged six occupational therapists from diverse sites of practice in a critical action research inquiry to interrogate existing practices and generate practice possibilities focused on play and occupational justice in Irish schoolyards. Putting the theory of practice architectures to use again, the analysis drew attention to how habitual practices interrelated with constraints including circumscribed professional identities, service expectations and cultural norms to (re)produce practice possibilities, in tension with occupational justice ideals. Furthermore, the research process using dialogical focus group and occupational mapping methods provided a mechanism for raising consciousness that (re)mattered occupations and occupational justice. In conclusion, this thesis contributes nuanced understandings of play as socially situated practices interrelated with significant constraints and diverse social practices (with)in the particularities of Irish schoolyards. The ways in which inequities were (re)produced in habitual, individualistic, and exclusionary practices within schoolyards, and relationships of solidarity and fun were created within shared play supports understandings of the centrality of occupations to (in)justice. The insights generated problematized inclusive practices drawing attention to normative discourses, the individualising of choices, the neglect of substantive issues, such as racism and the significance of vulnerabilities and friendships. This thesis suggests practice possibilities that extend beyond play as an individual concern to consider ethical responsibilities to raise consciousness on the relational nature of collective practices with(in) shared spaces. Furthermore, in connecting theorizing on occupation as relational and collective, the theory of practice architectures and mechanisms of raising consciousness this thesis contributes to understandings of praxis.
Inclusive playgrounds: insights into play and inclusion from the perspectives of users and providers
(University College Cork, 2023) Wenger, Ines; Lynch, Helen; Prellwitz, Maria; Schulze, Christina; Lundström, Ulrica; Horizon 2020 Framework Programme
Play for play's sake is an important part of a child's life. In this sense, play is also enshrined as a child's right and understood from an occupational therapy and occupational science perspective as a central occupation in children's lives. Children report that outdoor environments, such as playgrounds, are some of their favourite places to play. However, studies also show that children’s experiences of play occupation in playgrounds can be limited by barriers related to the physical, social and political environment, especially for children with disabilities. To address these barriers, so-called inclusive playgrounds have been developed and implemented. The aim of such playgrounds is to provide play and social experiences for all children to foster a sense of belonging and inclusion. Inclusive playgrounds could therefore be considered places created by playground providers for children where situational elements of the physical, social and political environment converge with children's play occupation. The Transactional Model of Occupation (TMO) was chosen as the theoretical underpinning of the thesis, providing a framework for interpreting playground users’ and playground providers’ perspectives in relation to the intertwined nature of the situational elements from an occupational and child-centred perspective. Furthermore, the TMO was found to be useful in integrating other concepts related to inclusive playgrounds and their transactions with situational elements, such as play value, affordances, place-making, inclusion and Universal Design (UD). The overall aim of the thesis was to gain a deeper understanding of play and inclusion on inclusive playgrounds from the perspectives of playground users (children with and without disabilities and advocates of children with disabilities) and playground providers (including experts in UD). The thesis was informed by four studies. Study I and Study III looked at the children’s perspectives; Study II at the perspectives of playground providers and advocates of children with disabilities; and Study IV at the perspectives of experts in UD. Study I explored the experiences of children with (n=18) and children without (n=14) disabilities of playing on inclusive playgrounds through the use of interviews and observations. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Study III aimed to expand current knowledge from a child-centred perspective of how environmental characteristics influence play value and inclusion for all children in outdoor playgrounds. The study was conducted as a meta-ethnography and included 17 studies. Study II explored the design and use of inclusive playgrounds with a particular focus on how design supports or hinders inclusion from the perspective of people involved in designing (n=14) or advocating for children with disabilities (n=12). Data consisted of focus group interviews and were analysed with thematic analysis. Study IV aimed to advance the understanding and use of UD in inclusive playground provision by identifying expert’s (n=6) strategies and experiences of applying UD in playgrounds. Data consisted of expert interviews conducted using a go-along method of walk and talk interviews and analysed using qualitative content analysis. The synthesis of the findings provided insights into three areas; firstly, children’s experience of participation in play occupation and play value on inclusive playgrounds; secondly, how play value emerges from transactions of the situational elements; and, thirdly, what UD adds to playground design to create a welcoming atmosphere and make playgrounds inclusive. Children’s experiences of play value were found to emerge from transactions of the play occupation and the physical and social environmental elements, and sociocultural, and geopolitical elements. These experiences created a sense of belonging. A sense of belonging was found to be associated with inclusion from the perspective of children and advocates of children with disabilities, and from the perspective of experts in UD. Thus, children’s perspectives on play value and participation in play occupation were found to contribute to an understanding of what makes a playground inclusive from a child's perspective. Furthermore, findings suggest that UD may be a useful design approach to ensure inclusion in playgrounds. Thus, for the UD experts, the social environmental elements and the sociocultural and geopolitical elements were pivotal at the beginning of the design process and guided the design of the physical environmental elements accordingly. This focus is also reflected in four strategies identified from the synthesis of the findings for designing playgrounds to promote a sense of belonging. To further explore play occupation and inclusion in playgrounds, it may be useful to focus on the social aspect by perspectives that encompass communities rather than individuals, such as communal or collective occupations.
Designing public playgrounds for inclusion: Universal Design for Play (UDP), a tailored perspective
(University College Cork, 2022-08-31) Moore, Alice; Lynch, Helen; Boyle, Bryan; Irish Research Council
To extend knowledge on how to enable outdoor play, social participation, and inclusion in public playgrounds, the overall aim of this thesis is to establish an evidence base for using Universal Design (UD) for public playground design. The scope of this doctoral research encompassed a multi-layered approach to understanding this complex concept of UD from a higher conceptual level as well as an applied level. It includes five studies that employed multiple methods to review published and grey literature as well as explore the perspectives of “professional experts” and “user experts”. Study I included a review of evidence for using UD in public playground design. Specifically, a scoping review of peer reviewed literature was undertaken to identify and synthesise what is known from published, peer reviewed studies about inclusive public playgrounds, underpinned by a commitment to understanding the concept of UD as it applies specifically to public playground design. Findings show that although UD is recognised to have the potential to support the design of public playgrounds, the evidence is currently very sparse and identified the gap in knowledge internationally of how UD is understood as a concept. Study II included a review of the conceptual understanding of UD in public playground design. Indeed, this consisted of a scoping review to determine how UD and related non-discriminatory planning and design concepts are represented in the context of published research exploring public playground design for inclusion. Findings revealed that that the terms UD, inclusive design, accessibility, and usability are all being used to describe non-discriminatory planning and design processes arbitrarily and without regard for higher or lower order concepts, which has potentially led to inconsistency and confusion. Altogether, diverse interpretations of UD were evident; for some UD was understood as a basic concept resulting in accessibility, for others, UD was more holistic in terms of designing for inclusion. In Study III, scoping review search methods were developed and applied to synthesise findings from a review of international grey literature guidelines for the design of public playgrounds for inclusion and sought to determine the evidence for using UD and play value in public playground design. Findings highlighted that although UD is recognised to have the potential to support the design of public playgrounds, inconsistent design approaches, principles, and recommendations, were communicated among the included guideline documents. However, the core concept of inclusion underpinned all guideline documents, and a tailored application of UD dominated. Study IV involved survey methods to determine the ways in which UD is understood and implemented, when planning, designing, and/or providing public playgrounds, from the perspectives of a national sample of playground professionals in the Republic of Ireland. The findings show that playground professionals recognise the importance of UD and implement UD in various ways. However, significant barriers to implementing UD included a lack of knowledge and good practice guides for embedding UD. To counteract these barriers, a variety of opportunities, initiatives and training prospects were identified. In Study V, a qualitative descriptive study sought to explore the experiences of using playgrounds, as well as the reasons for non-use, from child and adult perspectives, through the lens of play and play value to inform UD. Findings emphasised that although children and adults value playgrounds as spaces for outdoor play, social participation, and inclusion, playgrounds are not always useable, and do not always meet the needs of families. Participants in this study confirmed that there are variable standards when it comes to playground provision, and some facilities lack essential elements for outdoor play, social participation, and inclusion. Nevertheless, participants offered many creative ideas to improve the usability of playgrounds, and therefore, identified potentially practical ways of implementing UD in playground design for inclusion (Chapter Seven). In conclusion, this doctoral research contributes with an evidence base for using UD for public playground design both at a conceptual and an applied level. It challenges the current UD concept and argues for further conceptual refinement to consolidate the importance and future application of UD for Play (UDP) in the design of public playgrounds that promote outdoor play, social participation, and inclusion. Moving forward the challenge is to promote the universal establishment of inclusive public playgrounds that offer high play value and include all persons in everyday occupations without injustice.
Conceptualizing school based occupational therapy for Malta: enabling children’s participation in school occupations through collaboration in early years settings
(University College Cork, 2021-10-10) Buhagiar, Nathalie; Lynch, Helen; Jackson, Jeanne; Università ta' Malta
This thesis explores occupation, participation and occupational therapy schoolbased practice in an early years school setting. It adopts a rights-based approach that acknowledges the human and moral rights of all children to be educated; a strengths-based philosophy that moves away from an impairment focus, recognising the centrality of children, their occupations and the transactions between the stakeholders within the school environment. The main research questions were: What are the occupations that children in Maltese early-years classrooms are participating in? What are the enablers and barriers to children’s participation in school occupations in Maltese early-years classrooms? How can occupational therapy involvement in early-years classrooms contribute to children’s participation in school occupations? The arena was investigated through a qualitative paradigm, a longitudinal instrumental case study with elements of action theory. It was carried out in one selected primary mainstream state school and involved the participation of children and parents, with the educators being the main focus of this study This was a two-phased study with participation at the core of the conceptual framework underpinned by Occupational Science and had 3 pillars: The first exploratory part of the study was underpinned by concepts from Bio-ecological Systems Theory (Bronfenbrenner, 2007). The second intervention part of the study was framed within the Social Model of Disability (Oliver, 1998), and the Canadian Model of Occupational Performance – Engagement (Townsend & Polatajko, 2013). The data was analysed for its content and through thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2013). The data were collected over a period of one school year through the researcher’s weekly presence in the school. Methods used to obtain data included observation, interviews, focus groups. Such data was supplemented with other documentary evidence: intervention logs, a reflective journal and research diary, and discussions with critical friends, children’s photos, school development plans, e mail correspondence and other recorded feedback. vii The findings of this study identified the social environment as key to supporting young children’s occupations through connectedness, regular, consistent presence and involvement of occupational therapy in the school, the building of relationships and trust, attitudinal factors and knowledge translation between adults: therapist and educators. The importance of play especially physical play, choice, fun and movement in daily routines and children’s engagement with peers and educators were also outcomes of the study. The centrality of educator and parental involvement through active engagement, were additional significant findings. The importance of Tier 1 intervention to build educators resilience in delivering their curriculum was identified whilst Tier 2 intervention provided a way forward in supporting children with ”hidden” needs. The uniqueness of Tier 3 was namely the collaboration between the occupational therapist and class teacher in the education of students with a statement of needs. The primary importance of working with school leadership was a novel and important finding in this study. Inter-professional working and education, as well as student education and training, were also identified as essential for collaborative consultation to be effective in early years settings. This research contributes to the international body of evidence on collaborative consultation and also provides recommendations as to how a model of school-based occupational therapy tiered intervention for Malta, can be implemented in Maltese schools, specifically in the early years. In this respect it is also unique as no other projects or studies have ever addressed this topic in Malta. Finally, this study suggests the way forward in developing school - centred practice to support the participation and inclusion for all children in school and society.

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