Education Outside The Classroom Research Articles

The work that the law does in education outside the classroom: part 1 – the law and student safety

ABSTRACT A comprehensive national study investigated education outside the classroom (EOTC) in Aotearoa New Zealand and revealed the negative impact of safety legislation on EOTC. To understand the work the safety legislation does, we analysed data from a survey and interviews, and developed a framework of spheres of responsibilities: student safety; legislative requirements; staff competence; and paperwork. Findings show that health and safety legislation has reduced the amount of EOTC in many schools. There was strong evidence that educators cared for the learning and safety of students, and this generated anxiety for staff. This anxiety was further heightened by threats of personal legal liability. Instead of threats, some respondents felt that teachers’ commitment to student learning through EOTC should be celebrated. Other respondents strongly continued to support EOTC. The contribution of school culture, EOTC champions, effective systems and teacher education are seen as pivotal to reducing anxiety and sustaining EOTC.

A Systematic Review on Education Outside the Classroom: Lessons for Science EOC Practices

The United Nations’ sustainable development goals highlight the importance of embracing our natural environment through action in education. In science education, it is therefore important to enhance our understanding of pedagogical approaches that promote Education Outside the Classroom (EOC). The aim of this systematic review is to investigate EOC methods and pedagogies and examine how they can help inform students’ acquisition of scientific knowledge and skills. In total, 157 full texts were read and considered for inclusion in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. The final review included 49 empirical studies that examined EOC research between 2012 and 2021 across all disciplines. Positive outcomes are reported regarding student learning, motivation, and enjoyment, which highlight the benefits and rationale for adopting such approaches to support learning. However, a lack of longitudinal data was evident regarding the impact of the EOC experiences. This review shows that the pedagogical models underpinning the approaches to EOC were not always explicit or clearly stated. In terms of the methodological considerations, a number of gaps emerged in relation to the reporting of geographical and gender differences. We offer recommendations to implement EOC in science education and suggest areas for future research.

“Building Roots”—Developing Agency, Competence, and a Sense of Belonging through Education outside the Classroom

This study investigates how Education Outside the Classroom (EOtC) was used to support the students’ basic psychological needs, i.e., their need for competence, autonomy, and relatedness as described in Self-Determination Theory (SDT). The framework of Ecological Psychology (EP) was applied to explicate how the EOtC teaching settings helped the students to become effective, agentic, and connected. The findings show that this process was driven by their active engagement with environmental affordances which facilitated embodied experiences. Moreover, the interplay with place and people specifically reinforced their satisfaction of relatedness and created a deepened sense of belonging to their community. It is concluded that in order to foster the children’s healthy psychological and physiological development in EOtC, teachers should make use of the affordances and invitations of specific places as a starting point for their teaching to support the students to develop agency, competence and sense of belonging.

Efficacy and mechanisms of an education outside the classroom intervention on pupils’ health and education: the MOVEOUT study protocol

BackgroundEducation can create better opportunities for health, and vice versa. Using a so-called ‘add-in’ approach, school-based physical activity (PA) promotion and prevention of sedentary behaviours can increase pupils’ wellbeing and learning and, on the longer term, reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases. A PA ‘add-in’ approach involves integrating PA into teachers’ curricular obligations without being an extra burden as opposed to an ‘add-on’ approach which requires additional operational resources and include activities that do not explicitly contribute towards curricular targets making them less long-term acceptable in a school-based context.Previous studies investigating education outside the classroom (EOtC) show mutual benefits for both health and education outcomes among children and adolescents. However, the evidence is of mixed quality and questionable certainty, which calls for further investigation. The aim of this study protocol is to describe and discuss the study design and methods to investigate the efficacy and mechanisms of EOtC as a vehicle for health and education. The study investigates the intervention developed and conducted in the TEACHOUT study with updated and strengthened design and measures.MethodsThe efficacy of EOtC will be investigated in a cluster randomised waitlist design. Participants will be pupils in ~54 classes, grades 4-10 (ages 10-15 years) in ~30 Danish elementary schools. Fifteen schools will be randomised to the intervention: a two-day EOtC training course targeting teachers followed by the teachers implementing EOtC >5 hours weekly over the course of one school year. Pre- and post-measures of health (PA and wellbeing) and learning (school motivation and academic achievement) will be collected. Investigation of pedagogical and motivational mechanisms will be based on observations of EOtC.DiscussionThe updated randomised controlled design will provide firmer evidence for the efficacy and mechanisms of EOtC and provide knowledge about how mutual benefits of health and education can be obtained.Trial registrationRegistered with ClinicalTrials.gov (ID NCT05237674) [University of Copenhagen. MOVEOUT: a Cluster RCT of the Efficacy, Mechanisms, and Mediation of an Education Outside the Classroom Intervention on Adolescents’ Physical Activity, 2023], February 14, 2022. Most recently updated on November 23, 2022 (Version 2).

O.6.1-3 The association between education outside the classroom, intrinsic school motivation, and physical activity in primary school pupils

Abstract Purpose The decline of school motivation over a school year is a common issue that can have negative impacts on academic achievement and children's health. Education outside the classroom (EOtC) has been shown to positively affect intrinsic school motivation and physical activity (PA) in previous studies. However, the relationship between motivation and PA during EOtC remains unclear. This study aims to investigate the association between EOtC and intrinsic school motivation and what role PA has in this association. Methods Cross-sectional data from the Danish MOVEOUT study intervention group were collected from 225 primary school pupils aged 10-15 from 15 different school classes from September 2022 to February 2023. Intrinsic school motivation was measured by Intrinsic Motivation Inventory and Psychological Need Satisfaction Scales (BPNSS) items at pupil-level immediately after two EOtC and two non-EOtC schooldays. PA was measured with wrist band worn Axivity® AX3 accelerometers. Data was analysed with linear mixed models. Results The study found a positive association between EOtC and higher levels of school motivation. The study also found associations between PA and intrinsic motivation, indicating that more time spent in sedentary behavior was associated with less school motivation, while more time in light intensity activity was associated with higher school motivation. However, the data did not support that PA moderates the association between EOtC and school motivation. Conclusion The results of this study suggest that EOtC have a positive impact on pupil’s school motivation. We therefore recommend the use of EOtC to enhance intrinsic motivation. The study also highlights the importance of reducing sedentary behavior during school days. These findings can inform education policymakers and teachers in designing learning environments, lessons, and activities that promote pupils’ motivation and academic and personal growth. Funding Novo Nordisk Foundation (Grant no. 0062703).

Does “Out” Get You “In”? Education Outside the Classroom as a Means of Inclusion for Students with Immigrant Backgrounds

This study investigates how Education Outside the Classroom (EOtC) was used to foster the inclusion of students with immigrant backgrounds into the class. An ethnographic mixed-methods design was used, and two exemplary stories display the barriers and facilitators of inclusion in a rural school in Germany. The findings show that a lack of language proficiency and academic and social overburdening are among the main barriers to inclusion. An EOtC approach with a strong focus on place and culture responsivity, on the other hand, offers possibilities for the participation of all students and offers a promising way to more inclusive schools.

Drawing attention to attitudes toward scientists: Changes in 10- to 13-year-old students as a result of a GeoCamp experience in New Zealand

This paper reports on a two-week Earth Science programme, designed and delivered by the New Zealand Crown Research Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences Limited (GNS Science) referred to as the GeoCamp. This initiative has offered 10- to 13-year-old students learning experiences outside the classroom in several regions throughout New Zealand. The programme discussed in this paper was held in the Wairarapa region in the south-east of the North Island. We examined 23 students’ attitudinal changes toward scientists and science. Data collection reported in this paper occurred on the first day of the programme and six months later, when students were asked to draw annotated diagrams of scientists. Our results indicate that students participating in the camp broadened their views of scientists from being stereotypically eccentric chemists in lab coats, to those being aligned with real-world scientists, i.e. not being eccentric, some being females, some working outdoors, and being collaborative. They also recognized that scientists engage in a diverse range of work, and suggested some specific problems that they would like to solve if they were to be scientists. We suggest that these results reveal affective learning outcomes of this Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC) approach.

Changes in social interaction, social relatedness, and friendships in Education Outside the Classroom: A social network analysis.

Social interaction is associated with many effects on the psychological level of children such as mental health, self-esteem, and executive functions. Education Outside the Classroom (EOtC) describes regular curricular classes/lessons outside the school building, often in natural green and blue environments. Applied as a long-term school concept, EOtC has the potential to enable and promote social interaction. However, empirical studies on this topic have been somewhat scant. One class in EOtC (N = 24) and one comparison class (N = 26) were examined in this study to explore those effects. Statistical Actor-Oriented Models and Exponential Random Graph Models were used to investigate whether there are differences between EOtC and comparison class regarding changes over time in social interaction parameters; whether a co-evolution between social interaction during lessons and breaks and attendant social relatedness and friendships exists; whether students of the same gender or place of residence interact particularly often (homophily). Besides inconsistent changes in social interaction parameters, no co-evolutional associations between social interaction and social relatedness and friendships could be determined, but grouping was evident in EOtC. Both classes showed pronounced gender homophily, which in the case of EOtC class contributes to a fragmentation of the network over time. The observed effects in EOtC could be due to previously observed tendencies of social exclusion as a result of a high degree of freedom of choices. It therefore seems essential that in future studies not only the quality of the study design and instruments should be included in the interpretation - rather, the underlying methodological-didactic concept should also be evaluated in detail. At least in Germany, it seems that there is still potential for developing holistic concepts with regards to EOtC in order to maximize the return on the primarily organizational investment of implementing EOtC in natural environments.

Using mixed reality (XR) immersive learning to enhance environmental education

Mixed reality (XR) environments combining real-to-virtual immersive experiences provide unprecedented potential for reframing educational pedagogy and practice. XR environments provide scaffolded learning points accommodating individual needs, while enhancing sensorial and embodied experiences. XR environments can facilitate self-determined (heutagogical) experience-based learning and esthetic visualization of wicked problems, making complex knowledge more accessible. Here we report on a study exploring the design of mobile learning with education outside the classroom (EOTC), heutagogy, and free-choice learning to enhance marine ecological literacy, based on a bring your own device (BYOD) XR intervention at a marine educational center in Aotearoa New Zealand. Findings indicate that XR affordances can enhance the understanding of complex marine conservation science, facilitating ecological literacy knowledge, attitudes and behavior change. Implications include pedagogical rethinking of EOTC with self-determined mobile learning; haptic, sensorial and embodied XR design considerations for environmental education; and epistemological speculation on learning phenomena in real-to-virtual immersive environments.

Conceptualisations and implications of ‘newness’ in education outside the classroom

ABSTRACT Newness was a key theme identified in a comprehensive national study of education outside the classroom (EOTC) in Aotearoa New Zealand. This paper examines what newness means from the perspectives of students, educators and school leaders. Findings reveal that newness in EOTC was valued because of the difference to everyday routines, as well as to students’ learning and positive emotions; it also deepened students’ understanding of the wider world, and their place in it. Consumption of newness occurred when educators and students framed EOTC through new locations because the potential for learning was quickly ‘used up’. Newness also potentially undermined learning for some students because of discomfort and fear. The authors encourage educators and students to engage in the process of understanding newness in EOTC in order to harness the learning opportunities of both familiar and unfamiliar experiences.

Health-related quality of life, motivational regulation and Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction in Education Outside the Classroom: an explorative longitudinal pilot study

BackgroundGiven a suboptimal state of mental health among children, an urgent need exists to seek approaches related to health promotion in this population’s settings, such as in schools. Increased health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and improved school motivation could be crucial for children’s mental health. Based on self-determination theory, paths can be identified that could lead to such improvements by strengthening the basic psychological needs (BPN). This study aimed to examine the impact on and the relationships among HRQoL, school motivation and BPN within the promising concept of education outside the classroom (EOtC).MethodsIn this exploratory study, we employed a between-subjects cohort study design with no blinding or randomisation. We surveyed fifth graders (mean = 10.1 years) attending EOtC (experimental group [EG], n = 25) and normal indoor lessons (control group, [CG], n = 41) at the beginning (T1) and end (T2) of a semester. We used the translations of validated questionnaires and established linear mixed-effects models to evaluate whether the students in EOtC show higher scores of HRQoL and school motivation and, whether the satisfaction of BPN of autonomy (PAut), competence (PCom), social relatedness with classmates (PSRC) and teachers (PSRT) show associations with these outcomes.ResultsRegarding intrinsic and identified motivational regulation, results showed significant increases over time in the overall sample and significant higher scores in the EG than in the CG. For HRQoL, no group differences were found, but a significant decrease over time in the EG. Regarding possible associations between the outcomes and BPN, such could only be found between HRQoL and PSRC, but not for the other BPN and not for motivational regulation and BPN.ConclusionsWithout having been able to explain this on the basis of increased BPN values, our results show that EOtC can support improvements in specific regulation types of school motivation. This could contribute to an improvement in the mental health situation in children, as school represents a major stressor for them. Future steps in terms of researching HRQoL in this setting are discussed, as this pilot study does preliminary work for necessary examinations, e.g. in structural equation approaches.

The Association between Education Outside the Classroom and Physical Activity: Differences Attributable to the Type of Space?

Education outside the classroom (EOtC) has become an attractive approach, not only for learning but also for health. This explorative, cross-sectional study investigated children’s sedentary behaviours (SED), light physical activity (LPA) and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) on school days with an EOtC session in green space compared to school days with EOtC in other environments and without EOtC. Teachers from 17 Danish school classes practised EOtC for one school year on a weekly basis and self-reported the characteristics of the EOtC environment. The pupils’ PA was device-measured for seven consecutive days in a random period during the school year with AX3 accelerometers. Across 617 pupils (age 9–13 years), PA intensity cases (N = 2264) on school days (8:10–14:00 h) with (n = 317) or without (n = 1947) EOtC were included in a mixed-effects regression analysis. Mean exposure to EOtC was 262 min per session. School days with green EOtC (e.g., parks, forests and nature schools) were associated with (mean, [95% CI]) −24.3 [−41.8, −7.7] min SED and +21.3 [7.7, 36.4] min LPA compared to school days with non-green EOtC (e.g., cultural and societal institutions or companies) and with +6.2 [−0.11, 11.48] min MVPA compared to school days with a school-ground EOtC. No sex differences were found. In conclusion, school days with green EOtC must be considered promising to counteract children’s sedentary behaviours during school hours.

Reaping fruits of labour: Revisiting Education Outside the Classroom provision in Denmark upon policy and research interventions

Education outside the classroom (EOtC) is a primary school educational approach that utilizes the school’s local environment for teaching purposes. The aims of this study are 1) to examine the provision and characteristics of regular EOtC (referred to as udeskole in Danish), in Denmark in 2019 and 2) to investigate trends in the extent of the practice of regular EOtC in Denmark from the first surveys in 2007 and 2014 to 2019. Firstly, some of the nationwide regular EOtC development projects and initiatives that were rolled out between 2014 and 2019 is described. Secondly, we present the results of the recent 2019 survey of the provision of regular EOtC in public, private, and special-needs primary and lower secondary schools. Third, trends of regular EOtC provision in general schools, i.e., public and independent schools, are examined with combined data from 2014 and 2019, and discussed in light of the 2007 data. In both 2007, 2014 and 2019, school leaders were asked to report whether EOtC was taking place regularly at their school. Regularity was operationalized as at least half a day every second week for a longer period. At the school level, the proportion of schools practising regular EOtC remained constant from 2014 to 2019, but the 2019 provision was larger among special-needs schools (34.0 %) than among general schools (19.5 %). The number of classes per public school practising regular EOtC increased by 31.8 % (7.0–9.2 classes), and the proportion of general schools with a local description of regular EOtC as a target approach increased from 24.5% to 45.2%. As more teachers seem to be practising regular EOtC and seem to be clustering within the same schools, the provision should be taken into account in plans for urban green spaces for education and schools.

Children's Cortisol and Cell-Free DNA Trajectories in Relation to Sedentary Behavior and Physical Activity in School: A Pilot Study.

The worldwide prevalence of mental disorders in children and adolescents increased constantly. Additionally, the recommended amount of physical activity (PA) is not achieved by this age group. These circumstances are associated with negative impacts on their health status in later life and can lead to public health issues. The exposure to natural green environments (NGE) seems to be beneficial for human health. The compulsory school system offers great opportunities to reach every child with suitable health-related contents and interventions at an early stage. The concept of Education Outside the Classroom (EOtC) uses NGE and sets focus on PA. Therefore, EOtC might be a beneficial educational intervention to promote students health. The association between biological stress markers and sedentary behavior (SB) plus PA is insufficiently evaluated in school settings. This exploratory study aims to evaluate the association between students' cortisol, plus circulating cell-free deoxyribonucleic acid (cfDNA) levels, and their SB, light PA (LPA), and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA). We assessed data from an EOtC program (intervention group [IG], n = 37; control group [CG], n = 11) in three seasons (fall/spring/summer) in outdoor lessons (IG) in a NGE and normal indoor lessons (CG). SB and PA were evaluated by accelerometry, and cortisol and cfDNA levels by saliva samples. Fitted Bayesian hierarchical linear models evaluated the association between cortisol and cfDNA, and compositional SB/LPA/MVPA. A steady decline of cortisol in the IG is associated with relatively high levels of LPA (posterior mean = −0.728; credible interval [CRI 95%]: −1.268; −0.190). SB and MVPA tended to exhibit a similar effect in the CG. A high amount of cfDNA is positively associated with a relatively high amount of SB in the IG (posterior mean, 1.285; CRI: 0.390; 2.191), the same association is likely for LPA and MVPA in both groups. To conclude, LPA seems to support a healthy cortisol decrease in children during outdoor lessons in NGEs. Associations between cfDNA and SB/PA need to be evaluated in further research. This study facilitates the formulation of straightforward and directed hypotheses for further research with a focus on the potential health promotion of EOtC.

Association of Education Outside the Classroom and Pupils' Psychosocial Well-Being: Results From a School Year Implementation.

Education Outside the Classroom (EOtC) is a teaching method that is gaining traction, aiming to promote learning and well-being. However, research on the association between EOtC and well-being is limited. This quasi-experimental trial involved pupils (9-13 years) from 16 Danish public schools which implemented EOtC in some classes. Pupils (N = 511) from 27 classes were regularly exposed to EOtC (2-7 hours per week), and pupils (N = 120) from 7 parallel comparison classes were much less exposed (less than 2 hours per week). The pupils' psychosocial well-being was measured at the beginning and end of the school year using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. The results were compared between the groups. Pupils regularly exposed to EOtC showed the greatest improvement in prosocial behavior. Negative associations were seen between EOtC and hyperactivity-inattention and peer problems in pupils of low socioeconomic status (SES). The observed improvements were smaller when the EOtC was spread over a larger number of sessions. Results were independent of sex. Regular exposure to EOtC was found to promote social well-being, especially for pupils of low SES, and was most beneficial when concentrated in fewer, longer sessions.

Teaching maths outside the classroom: does it make a difference?

ABSTRACTBackground: An emerging field of research indicates that the use of learning environments other than the classroom can improve pupils’ academic achievement in several subjects, including their skills in mathematics.Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between Education Outside the Classroom (EOtC) and pupils’ skills in mathematics.Methods: This explorative, quasi-experimental study involved schoolchildren (aged 9–13 years) from 15 Danish public schools who participated in EOtC over the course of a school year. The mathematical skills of pupils from 23 EOtC maths intervention classes (n=421) and 12 EOtC non-maths comparison classes (n=198) were measured at the start and end of the 2014–2015 school year.Results: Both groups showed improved maths skills; however, we found no significant difference between the EOtC maths and the comparison groups.Conclusion: The results indicate that, in this explorative study, moving maths teaching outside the classroom neither harmed nor improved pupils’ mathematical skills. These results and implications for research are discussed.

Education outside the classroom increases children’s reading performance: Results from a one-year quasi-experimental study

The use of education outside the classroom (EOtC) in schools is increasing; however, there are currently few studies assessing the longer-term impacts on academic achievement. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between one school-year of regular (more than 2.0 h a week) participation in EOtC and Danish primary school children’s reading performance. We conducted a quasi-experimental study involving 20 EOtC intervention group classes and 10 comparison group parallel classes (Grades 3–6). Children were tested pre- and post-intervention in reading performance. We found that exposure to EOtC had a small positive impact on test scores. The implication that regular EOtC is positively associated with reading performance is discussed.

Education outside the classroom and pupils’ social relations? A one-year quasi-experiment

This study is the first to investigate education outside the classroom (EOtC) and pupils’ social relations in a large-sample experimental design. Social Cognitive Mapping was used to collect data on informal peer affiliation groups among pupils, aged 9–13 years, at the start and end of the school year. 332 pupils from 16 classes that were regularly exposed to EOtC, were compared with 158 pupils from 8 comparable classes that were not. Regular exposure to EOtC was positively associated to a gain in new peer affiliations, but not to increases in the total number of relations. In conclusion, regular exposure to EOtC is related to minor positive changes in pupils’ informal peer affiliations in their class networks.

Learning in nature: Leadership opportunities in an Education Outside the Classroom programme in a New Zealand early childhood centre

Abstract This article explores how involvement in an Education Outside the Classroom (EOTC) programme in one New Zealand early childhood centre provides leadership opportunities for teachers and children and highlights the benefits of [re]connecting young children with nature on a regular basis. It focuses on teachers’ and parents’ views and perspectives on their participation in this nature-based education programme, specifically in regard to the leadership opportunities that the programme provided for teachers and children. This article highlights the powerful influence of the EOTC programme in the development of teachers’ leadership. It describes how leadership is a contextual phenomenon and explains how a formal EOTC programme in an early childhood centre provided increased opportunities for teacher leadership regardless of formal leadership position. Distributed leadership and relational leadership were identified as key components of the programme. The article also explores how involvement with the EOTC programme and the natural environment provided significant opportunities for the leadership development of children, in addition to developing their physical abilities, independence and social skills. This article adds valuable knowledge in the area of leadership opportunities resulting from involvement in an EOTC programme.

The association between education outside the classroom and students’ school motivation: Results from a one-school-year quasi-experiment

The aim of this quasi-experimental intervention study was to investigate the association between primary school students’ (9–13 years) school motivation and regular participation in education outside the classroom (EOtC). School motivation of 311 Danish public students from 24 intervention classes and 88 students from seven parallel comparison classes was measured at the start and end of the 2014–2015 school year using the Academic Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SRQ-A). Exposure to EOtC was monitored by intervention and comparison teachers. Multilevel analyses showed that regular exposure to EOtC was associated with improvement in intrinsic motivation and was moderated by prior intrinsic motivation in favor of students with higher prior intrinsic motivation. Results were independent of gender and socio-economic-status.