Peer-reviewed researchEONZ research brief
Outdoor environments in school physical education: a scoping review
Research on outdoor PE mostly measures physical activity, and the line between outdoor PE and outdoor education is conceptually blurred.
What's new
This scoping review mapped 41 studies of outdoor environments in school PE. Research predominantly measured physical activity and fitness. Pedagogical processes, sustainability, older adolescents and culturally grounded approaches were under-represented. The authors also found conceptual ambiguity between outdoor PE, outdoor education and other outdoor-learning traditions.
Why it matters in Aotearoa
The review suggests that placing outdoor activity within PE does not automatically deliver the broader environmental, safety, place-responsive and educational knowledge of outdoor education. This is an inference from the findings and is relevant to how outdoor education sits in the New Zealand curriculum.
Putting it into practice
When planning outdoor learning inside a PE programme, check that it also addresses environmental, safety and place-responsive learning.
How strong is the evidence
Peer-reviewed scoping review of 41 studies. It maps the research and does not test effectiveness.
What to read
The discussion and implications sections