Purposeful Outdoor Learning Empowers Children to Deal with School Transitions
UK schoolchildren are vulnerable to transitional stress between primary and secondary school, which may impact negatively upon their psychological health and academic achievement. This is experienced most acutely by children from ethnic minorities and lower socio-economic status (SES) households. Ou...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2019-05-01
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| Series: | Sports |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4663/7/6/134 |
| _version_ | 1811298276097392640 |
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| author | Vikki Slee John F. Allan |
| author_facet | Vikki Slee John F. Allan |
| author_sort | Vikki Slee |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | UK schoolchildren are vulnerable to transitional stress between primary and secondary school, which may impact negatively upon their psychological health and academic achievement. This is experienced most acutely by children from ethnic minorities and lower socio-economic status (SES) households. Outdoor Adventure (OA) residential programmes are purported to develop behavioural adaptations which enable positive educational transitions of children. Personal, social and academic skills (self-reliance, getting along with others, curriculum alignment) may be best acquired through bespoke nature-based residential OA programmes. A mixed methods study evaluated the efficacy of a bespoke OA programme for developing school children’s psychological well-being and self-determination during their transition into secondary school. Participants were representantives of ethnic minorities and lower SES groups. A bespoke OA residential programme achieved the strongest scale of change in children’s psychological well-being (F (30,69) = 1.97 < 0.05) and self-determination (effect size 0.25) compared to a generic OA residential and a non-OA school-based induction programme. Qualitative testimonies illuminated personal experiences and processes underpinning the perceived changes in the self-determination domains of <i>Autonomy</i> (the capacity to self-direct learning), <i>Competence</i> (the ability to complete tasks) and <i>Relatedness</i> (developing connections with others). Providing early opportunities for children to take control for their own learning through nature-based tailored OA programming improves their psychological well-being and adaptability to combat transitional stress. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T06:17:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-39d865340813462ab005da9f2852870b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-4663 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T06:17:56Z |
| publishDate | 2019-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Sports |
| spelling | doaj.art-39d865340813462ab005da9f2852870b2022-12-22T02:58:46ZengMDPI AGSports2075-46632019-05-017613410.3390/sports7060134sports7060134Purposeful Outdoor Learning Empowers Children to Deal with School TransitionsVikki Slee0John F. Allan1Carnegie School of Sport, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds LS6 3QS, UKCarnegie School of Sport, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds LS6 3QS, UKUK schoolchildren are vulnerable to transitional stress between primary and secondary school, which may impact negatively upon their psychological health and academic achievement. This is experienced most acutely by children from ethnic minorities and lower socio-economic status (SES) households. Outdoor Adventure (OA) residential programmes are purported to develop behavioural adaptations which enable positive educational transitions of children. Personal, social and academic skills (self-reliance, getting along with others, curriculum alignment) may be best acquired through bespoke nature-based residential OA programmes. A mixed methods study evaluated the efficacy of a bespoke OA programme for developing school children’s psychological well-being and self-determination during their transition into secondary school. Participants were representantives of ethnic minorities and lower SES groups. A bespoke OA residential programme achieved the strongest scale of change in children’s psychological well-being (F (30,69) = 1.97 < 0.05) and self-determination (effect size 0.25) compared to a generic OA residential and a non-OA school-based induction programme. Qualitative testimonies illuminated personal experiences and processes underpinning the perceived changes in the self-determination domains of <i>Autonomy</i> (the capacity to self-direct learning), <i>Competence</i> (the ability to complete tasks) and <i>Relatedness</i> (developing connections with others). Providing early opportunities for children to take control for their own learning through nature-based tailored OA programming improves their psychological well-being and adaptability to combat transitional stress.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4663/7/6/134school childrentransitionsprimary and secondary schoolnaturetailored outdoor education programmingindividualityadaptable productive functioninggreen spaceshealth and psychological well-beingself-determination |
| spellingShingle | Vikki Slee John F. Allan Purposeful Outdoor Learning Empowers Children to Deal with School Transitions Sports school children transitions primary and secondary school nature tailored outdoor education programming individuality adaptable productive functioning green spaces health and psychological well-being self-determination |
| title | Purposeful Outdoor Learning Empowers Children to Deal with School Transitions |
| title_full | Purposeful Outdoor Learning Empowers Children to Deal with School Transitions |
| title_fullStr | Purposeful Outdoor Learning Empowers Children to Deal with School Transitions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Purposeful Outdoor Learning Empowers Children to Deal with School Transitions |
| title_short | Purposeful Outdoor Learning Empowers Children to Deal with School Transitions |
| title_sort | purposeful outdoor learning empowers children to deal with school transitions |
| topic | school children transitions primary and secondary school nature tailored outdoor education programming individuality adaptable productive functioning green spaces health and psychological well-being self-determination |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4663/7/6/134 |
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