Table 1 Outcome variables in relation to hypotheses

Adults’ promotion of manageable risk taking and children’s increasingly responsible actions on the playground

Ratio of time spent in positive play transactions^a to time spent in negative transactions^b (primary measure derived from modified SOPLAY described below).

Perceptions of parents and teachers regarding manageable risk taking and children’s abilities to assume responsibility

Positive opinions and stories expressed in interview

Child coping ability

Mean scores on the Coping Inventory²³

Parents’ and teachers’ comfort with children taking manageable risks

Mean scores on the Tolerance of Risk in Play Scale (TRiPS)¹⁵ and a revised Willingness to Grant Autonomy Scale²¹