Impact of Recess on Classroom BehaviorComparing the amount of time American children spend at "recess" during the school day, you will see that it is considerably less than the time spent in class. donated by other countries. Japanese schools typically have a 10-20 minute recess period between 45-minute classes or 5-minute breaks between classes, with a long play period after lunch. In Taiwan, schools generally have many recess periods during the day; children also have 5 to 6 minutes of transition time after recess to settle in. British schools have three 15-minute recess periods throughout the day and 80 to 90 minutes at lunchtime. Many researchers believe this recess time is essential to classroom instruction. Research has been conducted to determine the effect of recess on classroom behavior; especially work, restlessness and apathy. A southern urban school district with a "no recess policy" allowed two 4th grade classes to have recess once a week so that behavior on recess days could be compared to that on without recess. As recess was not part of the normal daily schedule, students did not anticipate it and this anticipation could not affect the results. Recess days were chosen randomly so that no patterns developed and were anticipated. The study involved 43 children, 18 boys and 25 girls, from various backgrounds; socially, ethnically and economically. The school was located in a middle- and upper-middle-class neighborhood and served local children as well as children bused in from transient housing. This quantitative study explained very clearly the types of children that were to be studied, the specific controls that would be used, and the expected results. The researchers who conducted this test were looking to assess how effective recess was on the student, if any. The children were placed in two research groups; A and B. The normal morning schedule for Class A is as follows. 8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. Teaching in their own classroom 9:30 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. Math and science in another classroom (where they were observed) 11:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Teaching in their own classroom On days when the children had recess, they took a break from math and science to go outside between approximately 10:30 a.m. and 10:50 a.m. The normal morning schedule in Class B is as follows...... middle of paper ...... important research that educators need to know about and that if used correctly could and would increase the learning in a classroom. Most public schools have a designated period each day for recess that coincides with the lunch schedule. This proves that schools are benefiting from the recess method. I think the “anticipation factor” is key to giving recess the greatest possible impact. Schools should design a schedule that staggers recess periods so that students are unaware of scheduled recess days. This would depend on the cooperation of teachers and administrators. I believe that the research carried out has “real” meaning for teachers and students. The changes that would need to take place are minimal and the effects that would be achieved are obvious from the start. Teachers around the world would benefit from using this information in the daily operation of their classes by saving countless minutes trying to maintain class..