Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 162
Trim: 6 x 9⅜
978-1-4422-2979-2 • Hardback • December 2013 • $94.00 • (£72.00)
978-1-4422-2980-8 • eBook • December 2013 • $89.00 • (£68.00)
Jessica Skolnikoff is professor of anthropology at Roger Williams University, Bristol, RI. Her research interests focus upon youth and physical activity level, the role that sports play within the lives of college students, and marginalization issues for individuals with learning disabilities.
Robert Engvall is professor of justice studies at Roger Williams University, in Bristol, RI. He has previously published in the areas of race, gender, professionalization, corporatization, and other socialization issues. Engvall’s books include Corporatization of Higher Education: The Move for Greater Standardized Assessment Programs (2010), Academic Identity: Race, Place, and Gender in Higher Education (2003), All That Appears Isn't Necessarily So: Morality, Virtue, Politics, and Education (1998), and The Professionalization of Teaching: Is it Truly Much Ado About Nothing? (1997).
Dr. Skolnikoff and Dr. Engvall have both been awarded Roger Williams University’s Dr. Mark Gould Award for Commitment to Student Learning.
The US is witnessing the demise of recess and physical education. Skolnikoff and Engvall investigate how play has changed and evolved in today's systematized culture. Drawing on their research and numerous interviews, the authors developed a theory of play and how play has shaped the lives of children in the 21st century. In this book, they provide an understanding of the changing role of play and what it means to the health and well-being of children now and as they grow beyond childhood. Topics include the over-involved parent and their child's play; the impact of being selected for a team (and how teams are chosen); the lack of free play; and the impact on children of society's competitive mentality. The book is not written to condemn parents or people involved in a child's sporting life, but rather to emphasize the underlying and social changes that have transformed the way children play and how society currently views children's sports. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty, professionals, and general readers, including parents, coaches, athletic directors, and other school administrators and educators.
— Choice Reviews