Nature contact at school: The impact of an outdoor classroom on children’s well-being

Largo-Wight, Erin; Guardino, Caroline; Wludyka, Peter; Hall, Katrina; Wight, Jeff T.; Merten, Julie Williams

doi:10.1080/09603123.2018.1502415

Cited by 57 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…This preliminary study aims to assess the impact that using UOLGs for practical science lessons may have on the emotional and cognitive dimensions of KPST's relation with nature. Research studying educational experiences in natural environments uses quantitative (Kuo et al, 2018;Largo-Wight et al, 2018) or qualitative methods (Williams and Dixon, 2013), we follow a mixed methods approach, including quantitative analyses and a phenomenographic exploration to better understand the impact of the interventions. Regarding connectedness to nature, KPST considered themselves as relatively connected to nature, and their score values placed around five, higher that those found in other studies with Spanish undergraduates (Olivos and Aragonés, 2011;Amérigo et al, 2012).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Since "direct experience of nature plays a significant, vital, and perhaps irreplaceable role in affective, cognitive, and evaluative development" (Kahn and Kellert, 2002, p.139), the need to increase education in nature or to naturalize school environments has been emphasized by International Union for Conservation of Nature [IUCN] (2016). There is empirical evidence of how outdoor classrooms increases wellbeing and boost subsequent classroom engagement (Kuo et al, 2018;Largo-Wight et al, 2018), and on the impacts of greening schoolyards on children's health and wellbeing (Dyment and Reid, 2005;Johnson, 2007;Kelz et al, 2013;Dijk-Wesselius et al, 2018). Similarly, learning gardens are expected to allow children gaining outdoor learning experiences (Williams and Dixon, 2013;Sanders et al, 2018;Zelenika et al, 2018), and an incipient research shows their impacts on health (Dyg and Wistoft, 2018), including university students (Retzlaff-Fürst, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Organic Learning Gardens in Higher Education: Do They Improve Kindergarten Pre-service Teachers’ Connectedness to and Conception of Nature?

et al. 2020

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Studies have shed light on the idea that people who have experiences in natural settings might be more aware of the environment. Learning gardens, as outdoor contexts, might contribute to the development of students' affective relations toward nature, proenvironmental attitudes, and protective actions; neverthless, these aspects begging to be explored. This preliminary research investigates the impact that the use of organic gardens to teach natural sciences at university has on kindergarten pre-service teachers' (KPST) connectedness to and conceptions of nature. The research follows a pre-/postdesign and it uses a mixed methods approach. A total of 74 students completed four quantitative scales (INS, CCC, LCN, and NR-6), and 66 of them an open question about the concept of nature. After the garden experience, students scored higher in all the scales, nevertheless the change was significant only for INS and CCC. The phenomenographic analysis evidenced an initial predominant static and non-social concept of nature, biased toward the most obvious biological elements. After the garden-based learning experience, more informed conceptions of nature-including notions of complexity and systemic character-increased from 7 to 19%; however, statistical comparison was not significant. In spite of the absence of concluding results, further research is required to assess the role that learning gardens may play regarding connectedness to nature and pro-environmental behaviors.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Organic Learning Gardens in Higher Education: Do They Improve Kindergarten Pre-service Teachers’ Connectedness to and Conception of Nature?

et al. 2020

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“…The first function is related to fomenting environmental empathy, connectedness to nature, and attitudes and respect for nature; and the second function is to help children and adolescents with adjustment problems to achieve greater motivation and school integration while promoting pro-environmental behaviors (Yaman, Abdullah, Rozali, & Salim, 2018). The possible positive effects of the outdoor classroom have been investigated with positive results (Dove, Zorotovich, & Gregg, 2018;Eugenio & Aragón, 2017;Jacobi-Vessels, 2013;Largo-Wight et al, 2018;Richmond, Sibthorp, Gookin, Annarella, & Ferri, 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is School Adjustment Related to Environmental Empathy and Connectedness to Nature?

Musitu-Ferrer¹,

Ibáñez²,

León-Moreno³

et al. 2019

Psychosocial Intervention

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School is a place where information, values, and attitudes that are considered fundamental in life are transmitted (García, Carrero, Marande, & Musitu, 2017). To achieve these goals, it is important for adolescents to feel integrated and have adequate school adjustment (Harrison, Clarke, & Ungerer, 2007; Ladd & Troop-Gordon, 2003). School adjustment is defined as an adolescent's ability to adapt to school, and includes variables such as academic performance, adaptation to school rules, respect for the teacher as an authority figure, a positive attitude toward school, and participation in school activities (Ladd & Burgess, 2001). School is also a place where adolescents interact h t t p s : / / j o u r n a l s. c o p m a d r i d. o rg / p i

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“…A recurrent finding of research on the benefits of formal types of outdoor learning is that it raises enthusiasm, and increases vitality and motivation for learning (Rickinson et al, 2004;Wistoft, 2013;Waite et al, 2016). In addition, outdoor learning can reduce behavioral and concentration problems, particularly among children with difficult or mixed temperaments and children that are uninspired in the traditional classroom (Dyment, 2005;Blair, 2009;Fiskum and Jacobsen, 2012;Kuo et al, 2018;Largo-Wight et al, 2018). Other demonstrated advantages of outdoor learning include improved academic achievement, observational capability, and reasoning skills (Lieberman and Hoody, 1998;Ozer, 2007;Bell and Dyment, 2008;Blair, 2009;Becker et al, 2017;Browning and Rigolon, 2019), enhanced self-esteem, independence and feelings of responsibility (Rickinson et al, 2004;Ozer, 2007), improved interpersonal skills, cooperation and social cohesion (Ozer, 2007;Hartmeyer and Mygind, 2016;Waite et al, 2016), and multidisciplinary learning across subjects (Harris, 2017).…”

Section: The Green Schoolyard As An Outdoor Learning Environmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Green Schoolyards as Outdoor Learning Environments: Barriers and Solutions as Experienced by Primary School Teachers

et al. 2020

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With a growing number of primary schools around the globe greening their schoolyards, opportunities arise to realize outdoor learning in natural areas on the school's premises. Despite their promising potential, green schoolyards as outdoor learning environments remain mostly unintegrated in teachers' educational practices. In the current study, teachers of five primary schools in Netherlands were followed for two consecutive years during a participatory action research project. Based on their experiences in this project, teachers identified barriers when integrating the green schoolyard as a learning environment and found practice-based solutions to overcome these barriers. Across schools, a total of 20 meetings were organized, with 75 teachers participating in the project. Results revealed four broad themes encompassing barriers and solutions. Teachers feel hindered by outdoor learning having no formal status in their current educational practice, experience barriers related to a lack of confidence in their own outdoor teaching expertise, find it difficult to get started, and experience barriers related to physical constraints. Teachers, professionals, and researchers together found solutions to overcome each specific barrier. These solutions can be translated to general recommendations: just do it, get educated and inspired, engage in real-life experiences, get an outdoor pedagogical mindset, and follow a tailored process. The findings can be used by primary schools and other institutions to develop interventions that support teachers to further integrate the green schoolyard as a learning environment.

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Nature contact at school: The impact of an outdoor classroom on children’s well-being

Cited by 57 publications

References 43 publications

Organic Learning Gardens in Higher Education: Do They Improve Kindergarten Pre-service Teachers’ Connectedness to and Conception of Nature?

Organic Learning Gardens in Higher Education: Do They Improve Kindergarten Pre-service Teachers’ Connectedness to and Conception of Nature?

Is School Adjustment Related to Environmental Empathy and Connectedness to Nature?

Green Schoolyards as Outdoor Learning Environments: Barriers and Solutions as Experienced by Primary School Teachers

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