Peer-reviewed research2017–2026 update
Where Are We Going? International Views on Purposes, Practices and Barriers in School-Based Outdoor Learning
Across 19 countries/areas, experts most often reported field studies, early years outdoor activities and outdoor and adventure education, mainly to support environmental awareness and pupil wellbeing.
What's new
Eighty expert commentators on outdoor learning from 19 countries/areas answered a short online survey about why and how schools provide outdoor learning, drawing on their own work in the field. The survey used a framework of student outcomes taken from policy analysis and five major reviews of the field. The forms of outdoor learning reported most often were field studies, early years outdoor activities, and outdoor and adventure education. The purposes identified most often were supporting environmental awareness and action, and pupil health and wellbeing. The authors discuss how some forms of outdoor learning line up with particular outcomes.
Why it matters in Aotearoa
This gives New Zealand an international reference point for checking whether local EOTC purposes and practices match those elsewhere. It may also help when making the case for EOTC around specific outcomes.
Putting it into practice
Write down your school's main purposes for EOTC, such as environmental action or wellbeing, and check that the types of trips and activities you offer actually line up with those purposes.
How strong is the evidence
This is an expert opinion survey, so it reports how experienced people see the field. It does not measure what students learn, and the answers may reflect each respondent's own corner of the sector.
What to read
The results on forms and purposes of outdoor learning, and the discussion of how forms align with outcomes and what that means for policy and practice.