Program
Teaching M.A.
Number of Pages
95
Year Approved
2024
First Advisor
Bergeland, John
Second Reader
Jon Moberg
Abstract
Recent work has shown that risk-taking in both early childhood and adolescence has the capacity to positively affect the healthy physical, emotional, and social development of young people. Despite American society’s aversion to risk taking and emphasis on safety, research demonstrates many benefits of engaging in positive and prosocial risk-taking, such as increased self-efficacy, increased autonomy, and enhanced risk-management skills. Literature on adolescent brain development and its relationship to sensation seeking is reviewed to determine biological motivations for risky behavior. The evidence of increased sensation seeking in adolescence demonstrates a developmental purpose for risk-taking and demands additional research to determine how this desire for sensation can be used to fuel positive risk-taking behavior. This thesis uses the foundation of risky play in early childhood as a model and seeks to identify a place for risky play and positive risk-taking in adolescence in curricula such as outdoor education and career and technical education.
Degree Name
Teaching M.A.
Document Type
Masterʼs thesis
Recommended Citation
Shanley, C. A. (2024). The Kids Are Alright: Risky Play as a Learning Device [Masterʼs thesis, Bethel University]. Spark Repository. https://spark.bethel.edu/etd/1129
Terms of Use and License Information
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