A Longitudinal Study of Playground Surfaces to Evaluate Accessibility - Final Report

Treatment of Data

The research design for this study was developed to collect data on surface conditions, evaluate surface performance, note deficiencies and compare results across surface types.  Through further analysis, results of playground surface tests for firmness and stability were compared within surface categories and across surface categories to determine the mean, range and standard deviation of each surface type.  Finally, data on initial installations costs and results of surface tests on firmness and stability were compared to determine whether there was correlation between the surface type, its costs and its results for firmness and stability.  Descriptive statistics were used for analysis of data.  A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine if there was any statistical significance between surface categories.  A bivariate correlation was run to determine any significance between surface deficiencies or non-compliance with the accessibility standards and the measurable results for firmness and stability.  Lastly, qualitative data on the surface material conditions during the site visit was collected in order to provide a narrative description of findings.