Enhancing pay quality: Development of a physical environment rating scale for children's folk games in chinese neighborhoods

The purpose of this study is to develop a scale for evaluating the physical environment of children’s folk games in Chinese neighborhoods, emphasizing that modern residential environments should be designed to accommodate folk games, thereby ensuring their sustainable development. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with parents, and thematic analysis was used to identify folk games’ names and environmental characteristics. This was followed by an assessment of content validity and a pilot study to refine the scale’s items and dimensions.  Finally, confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to validate the scale’s reliability and validity by data collected from 434 urban parents with children aged 3 to 12 to establish the scale’s structure. The analysis identified a three-factor scale consisting of Usable Natural Elements, Flexible Planar Arrangements, and Usable Boundaries, each with three to five measurement items. The scale demonstrated robust fit indices (χ²/df = 1.823, RMSEA = 0.044, SRMR = 0.034, CFI = 0.979, IFI = 0.979, NFI = 0.954). Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for these factors were 0.844, 0.837, and 0.854, respectively. The Children’s Folk Games Physical Environment Rating Scale (CFGS) provides an effective tool for understanding perceptions of folk game environments. It offers practical guidance for designing more engaging play folk game spaces. Future research should explore the scale’s applicability across different cultural contexts and deal with the diversified adaptability of children’s folk game behaviors.