Created on: 27 Nov 2020 | Last modified: 20 Apr 2023
Word Document - Exploring the impact of creating positive outdoor experiences on the parental attitudes towards accessing the local outdoors
Author
Konstantina Papaspyropoulou
Originating Organisation or Projects
EIS Action Research Grants 2019-20
The current action research project has focused on exploring the parental ideas on accessing the local outdoor spaces and the target of the intervention has been to promote the access to local outdoor spaces. The subjects of this action research project have been the twenty-five pupils of the Primary 3 class and their parents/carers.
The stages of this project have been the following: identifying the parental ideas about the importance of being outdoors and accessing the local outdoor spaces, pupils’ engagement in outdoor activities and reflection upon them and sharing the positive experiences with their parents/carers, as a way of encouraging them to increase the frequency of visiting the local outdoors.
Baseline questionnaires have been designed and distributed to the students of the class and their parents/carers. The pupils’ and parents/carers’ responses have determined the focus of this project. Even though it has been clear that the students of the class appreciate the importance of nature and being outdoors, they do not get many outdoor experiences out of school hours.
Thus, the focus has been to explore the barriers that parents/ carers identify when it comes to accessing the local outdoors. Also, to explore whether the pupils’ positive experiences that take place in the school environment (communicated with parents/carers) have the potential to help individuals to overcome these barriers.
Findings in this project may inform policy and pedagogical choices regarding outdoor learning and fmaily engagement in learning at primary level across a range of subject areas.