Research

Research

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.

Research library

356 items

Safety alert2017–2026 update

School Board sentenced after tragic death of 15-year-old student in Abbey Caves

Vero Liability (Safe Side, Issue 62)2024

A school board was ordered to pay more than $500,000 in reparations after a student drowned on a caving trip. WorkSafe found weather triggers, oversight and emergency planning were inadequate.

Risk and safetyEOTC safety managementSchool camps and trips
Book2017–2026 update

The Ocean, Blue Spaces and Outdoor Learning

Routledge2024

Edited by AUT's Mike Brown, this book explores the educational side of people's engagement with the ocean and 'blue spaces'. It includes a chapter on surfing and wellbeing in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Water and aquatic educationWellbeing and mental healthPlace-based learning and te taiao
Peer-reviewed research2017–2026 update

Student leader perspectives of a place-responsive initiative

Set: Research Information for Teachers20 December 2023

Māori senior student leaders valued culture and places of significance as integral to their leadership development through a place-responsive programme linked to a Year 9 festival of learning.

LeadershipPlace-based learning and te taiaoTe ao Māori and te Tiriti
Peer-reviewed research2017–2026 update

Desettling science through partnership

Set: Research Information for Teachers20 December 2023

In a Year 7 science unit on plants, starting from mātauranga Māori, guided by tikanga and partnership, opened space for students in a superdiverse class to share their own narratives.

Te ao Māori and te TiritiCurriculum and assessmentPlace-based learning and te taiao
Peer-reviewed research2017–2026 update

Teacher perspectives of a place-responsive curriculum initiative: A case study

Set: Research Information for Teachers20 December 2023

This article describes the development of Hui Taurima, a TLIF-funded Year 9 cross-curricular 'Festival of Learning' that puts place and culture at the heart of teaching.

Place-based learning and te taiaoCurriculum and assessment
Peer-reviewed research2017–2026 update

Cynefin – Being of place. An investigation into the perspectives of first-language Welsh speaking hill farmers into the meaning of the word cynefin and the significance for education in Wales and beyond

Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education17 November 2023International

Welsh hill farmers' understanding of 'cynefin', a word tied to one's relationship with place and land, has the potential to provide a counter-pedagogy in keeping with place-based and Indigenous approaches.

Place-based learning and te taiaoInternational and cultural perspectives
Peer-reviewed research2017–2026 update

Bush Kinders: Building Young Children’s Relationships with the Environment

Australian Journal of Environmental Education31 October 2023International

Ethnographic work in four Australian bush kinders shows how educators can observe children's play and use it to build their understanding of, and affinity with, nature.

Early childhood and nature playSustainability and environmental educationTeaching and facilitation outdoors
Peer-reviewed research2017–2026 update

Another Tragedy in Outdoor Education

International Journal of Education Policy and Leadership5 September 2023International

Using the death of Jeremiah Perry on a Toronto school trip as a case, the authors extend the '7 Rights' into '9 Rights' to guide legal literacy and risk management in outdoor education.

Risk and safetyEOTC safety managementSchool camps and trips
Peer-reviewed research2017–2026 update

Outdoor Education Fatalities in Canada: A Comparative Case Study

Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy26 May 2023International

Three Canadian outdoor education deaths shared administrative failings: undefined risk tolerance, risk creep, weak oversight and problems with parental consent.

Risk and safetyEOTC safety managementInternational and cultural perspectives
Peer-reviewed research2017–2026 update

Learning with place: exploring nature connection practices on the Earth Kids programme

Australian Journal of Environmental Education8 May 2023International

Used together, sit spots, solo wanders, journalling, gathering, story-sharing and nature names enabled relationships with place and the more-than-human world to emerge for children in a Brisbane outdoor programme.

Place-based learning and te taiaoTeaching and facilitation outdoors
Peer-reviewed research2017–2026 update

The Relational Status Game of an Educational Expedition Group

Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education, and Leadership13 March 2023International

Ethnographic research on an expedition group identified six relational strategies members used to gain or keep status, which led to either social inclusion or exclusion.

Inclusion and equitySchool camps and trips
Peer-reviewed research2017–2026 update

Leave No Trace and Sustainability Education: Taking a Dialectical Approach

Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education, and Leadership16 January 2023International

Leave No Trace and its critiques can be used as a context for dialectical learning, helping students see that informed action matters and no action is innocent.

Sustainability and environmental educationTeaching and facilitation outdoors
Peer-reviewed research2017–2026 update

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

The Journal of Environmental Education2 January 2023

A study of a bring-your-own-device mixed reality (XR) intervention at a New Zealand marine education centre indicates XR can enhance understanding of complex marine conservation science.

Sustainability and environmental educationTeaching and facilitation outdoorsWater and aquatic education
Peer-reviewed research2017–2026 update

Indigenous Storytelling, Cherokee Traditional Ecological Knowledge, and Place-Based Education

Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education, and Leadership21 October 2022International

Combining Cherokee traditional ecological knowledge stories with place-based education helped middle school students reflect on cultural literacy, wellbeing and respect for nature.

Place-based learning and te taiaoInternational and cultural perspectives
Peer-reviewed research2017–2026 update

Reviving botany in the curriculum: the botanical journey of two Western Australian early childhood teachers

Australian Journal of Environmental Education11 October 2022International

Findings from a case study of two early childhood teachers suggest that inquiry-based and place-based teaching in the bush, with First Nations perspectives on plants, can build teachers' botanical knowledge and literacies.

Educator capability and PLDEarly childhood and nature playPlace-based learning and te taiao