A quasi-experimental cross-disciplinary evaluation of the impacts of education outside the classroom on pupils’ physical activity, well-being and learning: the TEACHOUT study protocol

Abstract

BackgroundEducation Outside the Classroom (EOTC) is a teaching method that aims to promote schoolchildren’s learning, physical activity (PA), social relations, motivation, and well-being. EOTC activities are characterized by teachers using the local environment in their teaching, and involve innovative teaching methods, child-led approaches to problem-solving, experimentation, cooperation, PA, and play. EOTC has become common practice for many teachers in Scandinavia; however, only case studies have evaluated its impacts.The TEACHOUT study aims to evaluate the impacts of EOTC on Danish schoolchildren’s PA, social relations, motivation, well-being, and learning.MethodsTEACHOUT is a quasi-experimental, cross-disciplinary study. Sixteen schools participated, containing 19 EOTC school classes and 19 parallel non-EOTC classes, with a total of 834 children aged 9 to 13 years. Measures of the children’s social relations, motivation for school, well-being, and academic performance were collected at the beginning and end of the school year. Data on PA levels were collected over ten-day periods during the school year using accelerometers. The amount and characteristics of the actual EOTC provided in both EOTC and non-EOTC classes were monitored day-to-day throughout the school year, using an online teacher survey platform. The effects of EOTC are mainly analysed by comparing EOTC pupils to non-EOTC (i.e. control) pupils based on their scores on the outcome variables (i.e. school performance, well-being, motivation, and social relations) at the end of the school year, adjusting for the baseline values (from the beginning of the year). The impacts of EOTC on PA are evaluated by comparing the total as well as context-specific amounts of PA of children participating in EOTC to those of children in their parallel non-EOTC classes. Furthermore, the interdependencies between PA, social relations, well-being, motivation, and learning are explored using path analysis. To help describe and understand the processes that have led to the quantitative outcomes, qualitative case observations of children’s practices and interactions in EOTC as well as classroom teaching were carried out and combined with qualitative interviews about children’s perceptions of these practices.DiscussionThe TEACHOUT study represents a holistic multidisciplinary approach to educational and school health-promotion research through its study design and combination of scientific disciplines and methods, as well as its focus on the interdependent relations between learning, PA, social relations, well-being, and motivation. This will result in a comprehensive picture of school health promotion and children’s health and well-being, which will broaden the understanding of the potential benefits of EOTC in school health promotion and primary education. These results can be used to inform and guide future policy and practice.

Association of Education Outside the Classroom and Pupils' Psychosocial Well‐Being: Results From a School Year Implementation

“…This study was part of the TEACHOUT project, which was designed as a quasi‐experimental trial to compare pupils over a school year in classes exposed regularly to EOtC to pupils in comparison parallel classes with little or no use of EOtC. Of the 1313 Danish public schools, we contacted 549 schools across the country to recruit classes from grades 3–6.…”

“…Data on the pupils' exposure to EOtC were collected throughout the school year for all EOtC and comparison classes that initially were eligible for participation. At face‐to‐face meetings prior to the study, teachers were instructed and encouraged to report daily on their implementation of EOtC using an online instrument . The teachers had to report the session's length and location each time their class received more than 45 minutes of continuous teaching outside the school buildings (including transport, evaluation, and breaks).…”

“…All teachers were informed of the aim of the study. A combined TEACHOUT parental/legal guardian form provided written consent for their child's participation in the full project, based on written and oral information . All data were handled confidentially.…”

“…The exposure data were screened for eligibility. 21 Reported EOtC sessions that had lasted less than 45 minutes, and/or were located inside the school buildings, or at a location where the teaching normally takes place (for instance, physical education (PE) lessons in the school yard), were recoded as non-EOtC sessions. To estimate the mean weekly duration and number of EOtC sessions for each class, an intraclass mean imputation was performed.…”

Iskolán kívüli színterek az általános iskolai oktatásban

“…Leginkább azok az országok profitálnak e tanítási módszerből, amelyek -felismerve a benne rejlő lehetőségeket -központilag, kutatócsoportok vagy civil szervezetek által támogatott, a tanítási gyakorlatba integrált, kutatási eredményekre épülő, rendszerszintű iskolai programokat valósítanak meg. Jó gyakorlatként egyre több nemzet oktatáspolitikáját említhetjük: így például a kalandra épülő tanulásban (adventure learning) jeleskedő kanadaiakat, az 1800-as évekre visszanyúló tradíciókra épülő skót (Christie, Beames, Higgins, Nicol, & Ross, 2014;Higgins, 2002) vagy a heti-kétheti rendszerességű skandináv (dán, norvég, svéd) iskolán kívüli foglalkozásokat (Barfod, EjbyeErnst, Mygind, & Bentsen, 2016;Bentsen, Jensen, Mygind, & Randrup, 2010;Fägerstam, 2012;Hartmeyer & Mygind, 2016;Jordet, 2009;Nielsen et al, 2016;Philip, 2007;Waite, Bølling, & Bentsen, 2016 Magyarországon az erdei iskola hasonlít leginkább az említett programokhoz, hiszen szintén a környezet adottságaira épülő, a tanév során megvalósuló, a szervező intézmény székhelyétől különböző helyszínű tanulásszervezési mód, ami a résztvevők aktív, cselekvő együttműködésén alapul (Elekházy, 2009). Az Egyesült Királyságban szintén az ilyen típusú iskolán kívüli program (Forest School) jellemző leginkább.…”