Haywood-Bird, Eden, authorTimpson, William M., advisorQuick, Don, committee memberJennings, Louise, committee memberFernández-Giménez, María E., committee member2007-01-032007-01-032013http://hdl.handle.net/10217/80946This dissertation seeks to deconstruct the complex social and cultural understandings of a classroom of two- and-a half through five-year-old preschool children and what it means to be powerful and powerless in their outdoor classroom. Based on constructivist and critical theoretical foundations, and using traditional ethnographic methods of inquiry coupled with the narrative approach to storytelling, the questions around what it means to wield power, be powerful with others, and what the role of powerlessness is in their lives in the outdoor classroom are explored. Through the children experiences with the participant-observer researcher and captured through use of the children's own voices in the telling of their stories the author seeks to explore the ways children perceive their own power and powerlessness through their actions, both physical and emotional, in the outdoors.born digitaldoctoral dissertationsengCopyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright.preschooloutdoor playpowerlessnesspowerchoiceearly childhoodText