title: Teaching in Nature: The Effect of Outdoor Classrooms on the Behaviour and Learning of High School Students
Creators: name: Norwood, Michael F
Publisher: name: Griffith University
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: outdoor classrooms
subject: nature exposure
subject: education

description: Research has suggested that a growing number of students are failing to benefit from the standard education system because they are not developmentally ready for the school environment. This situation results in negative outcomes, such as non-attendance, lower grades and atypical social, emotional and behavioural development. Traditional responses to student misbehaviour such as strict control, discipline, and exclusion, are proving ineffective, and may even be counterproductive. The natural environment is associated with improved behaviour and learning in children and, as such, may offer an alternative approach to engagement and learning in school. However, research to date has been cross-sectional and experimental studies are needed to investigate if a causal relationship exists. Further, disadvantaged students, where the challenges are likely to be greatest, are underrepresented in the research. Thus, the general aim of this thesis is to explore the role of nature in the behaviour and learning of children who have experienced disadvantage by comparing lessons delivered in a natural versus non-natural environment. Specifically, this thesis will address the following questions; (1) what does current research tell us about the use of nature to improve young people’s learning and behaviour in school, (2) how does moving a traditional indoor classroom outdoors affect student learning and behaviour in a sample of disadvantaged youth, and (3) how do teachers and students perceive and experience outdoor learning environments compared to indoor environments. The thesis begins with a review of the existing literature exploring the ability of the natural environment to promote behavioural, cognitive or emotional change in young people. A systematic search of CINAHL, Medline, Scopus, Embase, and PsychInfo produced 59,221 papers. Six met the review criteria which included intervention studies with a pre-post design. Synthesis suggested that passive exposure to nature promoted positive changes in attention, memory and mood, but little is known about behavioural changes and long-term outcomes. It is unknown how these changes translate to classrooms for children, and little is known about how nature might address some of the challenges of disengagement likely to be experienced in disadvantaged regions. Based on the findings from this review, an experimental study was conducted to explore the impact on behaviour and learning of moving a traditional indoor classroom outdoors into nature. Initially, science classes were taught in a standard indoor classroom for 5 weeks; then two of those classes (n = 47; 13–14 years old; each with experienced male teachers) were relocated to a green outdoor classroom for the remaining 5 weeks. The first results paper (Chapter 4) provides the quantitative findings about the effect of lessons in nature on young people’s behaviour and learning compared to lessons delivered in a standard indoor classroom. The measured variables included researcher observations of teacher initiated redirects (due to student/s non-engagement with learning content measured as number of redirects per minute of class), teacher ratings of student behaviour, and academic grades. Students spent more time on-task in the outdoor classrooms at the rate of an extra 20 seconds per teacher redirect, and this effect lasted over several weeks. Although student engagement was rated by teachers as being better in the outdoor classroom, this did not translate to better grades. Possible reasons for this discrepancy are discussed, including the likelihood that the impact of engagement on performance is likely to require longer intervention periods. The second results paper (Chapter 5) reports on student and teacher perceptions of the outdoor classroom. Once the outdoor classrooms had finished, students took part in focus groups and teachers were interviewed. Thematic analysis was used to interpret the data. Teachers described the outdoor lessons as being comparable to the indoor classroom in terms of learning and engagement. Teachers reported greater comfort in the familiarity of the indoors. However, there were specific benefits to students working in the outdoors such as increased calmness and concentration. Teachers required resources, school support, and guidelines to capitalise on the potential of outdoor learning. Overall, nature exposure for children appears to be advantageous to learning and behaviour. In terms of the theoretical approaches outlined in this thesis, although person-environment compatibility theory and attention restoration theory formed the basis of the research (and much of the research to date), the current study has identified affordances as an additional theory that could aid in the implementation of outdoor learning. In summary, outdoor classrooms may promote engagement and productive behaviour in class, which may eventually translate into better grades but not in the short-term. A punitive approach to student behaviour has failed; it is time to start holding the environment accountable.