Peer-reviewed research2017–2026 update
Opportunities for belonging and becoming: using outdoor learning programmes with adolescent students
Educators from an Australian whole-cohort camp and an English programme for excluded students both described outdoor education creating opportunities for belonging and for students to re-engage and rebuild identity.
What's new
The study compares two outdoor education programmes for adolescents. One is a week-long residential camp in Australia for entire student cohorts. The other is tailored small-group provision in England for students excluded from mainstream schooling. Semi-structured interviews with key educators who had a sustained role in designing and delivering each programme were analysed using grounded theory techniques. Despite differences in design, scale and priorities, educators' reflections on both programmes revealed opportunities for belonging and community-building, and for re-engagement and identity reconstitution.
Why it matters in Aotearoa
For Aotearoa, this supports seeing EOTC as one way to address educational marginalisation, both through whole-cohort camps and through targeted programmes for students who are disengaged from school.
Putting it into practice
When designing camps or alternative outdoor programmes, plan deliberately for belonging, for example through shared community-building tasks, and talk with staff about how the programme helps students who struggle in mainstream settings.
How strong is the evidence
The findings rest on interviews with key educators from each programme. The abstract does not give the number of interviewees, and it reports neither student interviews nor measured outcomes.
What to read
The findings on belonging and becoming across both programmes.