Tenuous Affair: Environmental and Outdoor Education in Aotearoa New Zealand

Abstract

The relationship between outdoor education and environmental education in Aotearoa New Zealand has undergone many changes since formal education began in early colonial times. Discussion draws from qualitative doctoral research undertaken by the authors that investigated education for sustainability in outdoor education and how meaning is ascribed to outdoor experiences. The article describes how environmental education and outdoor education had common historical roots in nature studies that eventually were teased apart by the development of separate agendas for learning and assessment, coupled with the political context of the 1970s and 1980s. The article finds that contemporary forces relating to the economy, society and the environment are now driving a re-engagement of the two discourses in Aotearoa New Zealand at a variety of levels, from schools to national bodies, and that this re-engagement signals a positive outcome for addressing key environmental issues and engaging students in the outdoors.

A bibliometric study on “education for sustainability”

“…(University of Otago) and Glynne Mackey (University of Canterbury) as its most recent representation. Those studies refer to child education (Mackey 2012), analyze the possibility of incorporating sustainability into higher education syllabus (Mann et al 2013), discuss the environmental education in open spaces (Irwin and Straker 2014) or the environmental attitudes of university students (Shephard et al 2015). Spain has presented a production with some oscillations from the last decade on (Fig.…”

Leave No Trace and Sustainability Education: Taking a Dialectical Approach

“…For example, the "emotional engagement outdoor education can generate opens the door for teachers to address the complex issues of thinking about the future and taking action to tackle underlying sociological reasons for unsustainable practices" (Irwin & Straker, 2014, p. 162). In addition, due to its interdisciplinary nature, OE has often become a home for sustainability education (Hill, 2012;Irwin & Straker, 2014;Lugg, 2007;Martin, 2008). However, Irwin and Straker (2014) warn that it is problematic to assume there is a natural synergy between OE and education for sustainability because OE can focus too much on fast adventures, high-risk activities and social and interpersonal development.…”

“…In addition, due to its interdisciplinary nature, OE has often become a home for sustainability education (Hill, 2012;Irwin & Straker, 2014;Lugg, 2007;Martin, 2008). However, Irwin and Straker (2014) warn that it is problematic to assume there is a natural synergy between OE and education for sustainability because OE can focus too much on fast adventures, high-risk activities and social and interpersonal development. These foci detract from sustainability education to the point where the environmental aspects of sustainability become little more than a backdrop to the activity (Baker, 2005;Brown & Beames, 2016;North, 2020).…”