Udeskole og børns trivsel. Et kvasi-eksperimentelt interventionsstudie af sammenhængen mellem ét års regelmæssig eksponering for udeskole og børns psykologiske trivsel, skolemotivation og sociale relationer

Education outside the classroom (EOtC) is a broad term for teaching standard curriculum in elementary school in places outside of school buildings. EOtC is characterised by child-led approaches to problem-solving, group work, and investigation of concrete phenomena in nature and societal institutions.
In the perspective of Self-Determination Theory, has EOtC the potential to promote children’s well-being. Qualitative case studies support that EOtC may positively contribute to three aspects related to children’s well-being, i.e. psychological well-being, intrinsic school motivation and social relations in the class community. However, few controlled experimental studies, that have examined the association between EOtC and these aspects of children’s well-being in a larger sample, have been conducted. Therefore, the purpose of the dissertation is to investigate these associations.
Pupils (n = 511-311) in 3rd to 6th grade, mainly of medium to high socioeconomic status, were exposed regularly to EOtC for nine months, mostly in nature and green environments, about five hours a week on average. This sample were compared to pupils (n = 120-56) from corresponding grades, including parallel classes, who approximately received one hour of EOtC a week in the same period, mainly carried out at school ground. Changes in psychological well-being, school motivation, and social relations in the class from September 2014 to May 2015, was measured with Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), Academic Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SRQ-A) and Social Cognitive Mapping (SCM) and were compared between intervention and control groups.
Regular exposure to EOtC was positively associated with prosocial behavior, intrinsic school motivation, and the formation of new peer affiliations in the class community. No associations depended on gender. Negative associations was found between regular exposure to EOtC and hyperactivity-inattention problems and peer problems, for pupils of low socioeconomic status. The conclusion of the dissertation is that regular exposure to EOtC appears to have small positive associations with children’s intrinsic school motivation and some aspects of their social well-being.