Exploring the involvement of Italian primary and secondary school teachers in related outdoor education and scouting activities: findings from a survey

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study investigated the involvement of Italian preschool and primary school teachers in outdoor education and scouting activities and their association with student cooperation and personal care. While outdoor education has various psychophysiological, psychosocial, social, and pedagogical benefits, some teachers express concerns about their readiness to implement such activities. We hypothesized that preschool teachers are more willing to participate in outdoor education and scouting than primary school teachers. We also hypothesized that outdoor education teachers would score higher in all survey items compared to regular teachers (see Table 2). The results indicated no significant difference between preschool and primary school teachers. However, there were differences in the survey items between outdoor education and regular teachers, except for item 11. The study suggests that providing appropriate instruction and teaching tools to teachers, their students’ schooling experiences and skills are likely to improve.