ERIC Number: EJ1399007
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1082-3301
EISSN: EISSN-1573-1707
Choose Your Own Adventure: Promoting Social and Emotional Development through Outdoor Learning
Early Childhood Education Journal, v51 n8 p1525-1539 2023
Primary school (i.e., Kindergarten to Grade 3) educators typically support students' social and emotional learning (SEL) through targeted lessons delivered in the classroom; however, integrating SEL strategies into other subject areas both within and outside the classroom context can expand their ability to support students' SEL. Research suggests that outdoor learning (OL) can help promote students' social and emotional development. Thus, this study explored qualitative data generated through focus group interviews with 36 Canadian primary school educators who implemented OL to understand their perspectives on the benefits of OL for primary school students, including whether SEL promotion was perceived as a key benefit. Most of the themes generated through thematic analysis pertained to students' social and emotional development and aligned with SEL competencies defined in a dominant SEL framework. One overarching theme suggested that educators perceived the emergent, unstructured nature of OL as driving the SEL-related benefits. Findings suggest that educators can leverage the OL context to help integrate SEL more deeply into their teaching practice.
Descriptors: Social Development, Emotional Development, Social Emotional Learning, Outdoor Education, Primary Education, Foreign Countries, Competence
Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2123/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Elementary Education; Primary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A