Research, reports and guidance on education outside the classroom and outdoor education, with a plain-English summary of each and a link to the original. New items are added every week.
The library began with Education Outside the Classroom: Applied Research Readings 2010–2017(McNatty & Boyes, University of Otago, 2017). Later items were found, summarised and checked with AI assistance using the same method: every reference is checked against the publisher's record, every summary against the published abstract, and only items rated high confidence by two independent relevance checks are published. Summaries are a guide: read the original before citing it.
21 items
Observations show time outdoors helps young children's physical and social development, including confidence in the face of risk.
The study looks at what predicts positive change in body image for females in an outdoor programme who started with a negative body image.
The study looks at how teaching a class outside one day a week influenced pupils' social relationships.
A research collaboration with the Wikwemikong people looked at how a ten-day leadership experience promotes resilience and wellbeing for Indigenous youth.
Findings suggest service-based learning supports young students' academic and social learning and civic efficacy.
A project tried to quantify the personal and social benefits of outdoor adventure education and got mixed results.
Youth on a ten-day New Zealand sail training voyage gained resilience that lasted after the voyage.
An independent evaluation finds residential learning has a positive effect on engagement, achievement and relationships.
A Singapore secondary camp improved competencies such as self-awareness, social awareness, self-management, relationship management and responsible decision-making.
After five days at an outdoor camp without screens, preteens improved at reading nonverbal emotional cues.
Evidence from the NZ sail-training vessel Spirit of New Zealand shows participants' self-esteem rose and stayed higher over time.
A mountain biking programme was linked to small but consistently higher resilience in 87 adolescent girls, which persisted over time.
A mountain biking programme for adolescent girls is explored for its effect on body image, gender stereotyping and resilience.
Audio recordings of children show outdoor spaces with less adult control gave freedom for sustained play and interaction between children.
Case studies of three at-risk children show how a nurturing forest programme stimulated resilience.
The research questions the educational value of overnight solos for adolescent boys and points to anxieties that need careful support.
The paper argues outdoor educators should be more critical and specific about what they aim to achieve around self-esteem and how they measure it.
A solo study found participants named personally meaningful outcomes, centred on self-awareness, social relationships and a sense of connection to landscape.
The study looks at peer dynamics around body consciousness on camp and suggests ways to prevent body dissatisfaction.
Girls reported three benefits of all-girls adventure programmes: safety and comfort, connection to others, and freedom from stereotypes.
The article discusses declining outdoor play and how adventure playgrounds support learning, independence, self-esteem and positive risk-taking.