‘Engaging the Unengaged’ – A study into improving engagement through targeted outdoor education in Stoke-on-Trent.
This is a report undertaken by Keele University into the positive effects that outdoor education has on children’s education.
Abstract
Outdoor education and access to nature has been cited by numerous academics and government publications over a long period of time, however common barriers to pupils experiencing outdoor learning remain. Working in partnership with Keele University a study has been carried out on the potential positive impact on primary school pupils that experiencing nature can have. It was found that 83% of pupils surveyed made good progress over the session while 58% made outstanding progress. It was also found that pupils had positive changes in their sense of engagement in the lesson with 77% of pupils feeling more engaged after the session that before the beginning. Teachers also felt the benefits of the session with 98% of responses regarding the session being either positive or very positive. Furthermore, there were strong indications that teachers may take pupils out more often and an improvement of confidence for many members of staff. A surprising aspect in the study was the change in self-esteem scores for pupils before and after the sessions, with a wide disparity of changes occurring.
To read this report, please click the image or link below:
