Vulnerable and disadvantaged young people are often disengaged from mainstream education and lack the substantive capacity and opportunity to benefit from nature-focused activities without support. Ecotherapeutic out-of-classroom environmental education (EE) programmes hold the potential to benefit such young people, although research involving…

Leave No Trace (LNT) is globally the most widely accepted minimum impact program and has been linked to behavior change and the maintenance of a range of ecological measures. Critiques of LNT have emerged, including that LNT ignores wider impacts that contribute to climate change and diverse world views. Many outdoor education students carefully…

The article presents a SWOT analysis of a long-term outdoor environmental education program, on-going since 1996. In this program, the fifth-grade classes in a public elementary school in a rural region of northern Israel have been contributing to the conservation of the Lesser Kestrel, an endangered species. The program is based on outdoor…

The long-term impacts of adolescent girls' outdoor learning are rarely represented in the outdoor literature. This research explored the stories of 11 young women reflecting on an immersive month of school outdoor learning, in a remote part of New Zealand. These young women were recruited following a larger survey of school alumni. During…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate how participation in a wilderness-based OAE program affected the environmental attitudes and feelings of self-efficacy in participants' ages 14 to 17-years-old. The findings indicated that the OAE program did not have a significant impact on the environmental attitudes of the participants. The program did,…

This article highlights three key features that appeared to add value to young people's experience of a school-linked environmental education initiative built around conservation activities. The three features -- close-up encounters with other species, working with external experts, and a degree of informality -- were identified through a…

This paper reports on a two-week Earth Science programme, designed and delivered by the New Zealand Crown Research Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences Limited (GNS Science) referred to as the GeoCamp. This initiative has offered 10- to 13-year-old students learning experiences outside the classroom in several regions throughout New…

There is a consensus that the content of education for sustainability should be integrated into the curriculum, engaging students in activities that promote awareness and practice of sustainability. To achieve this goal, it is essential to adopt a student-centered approach that involves creative, stimulating, and challenging activities. This…

Outdoor environmental education programs frequently aim to influence participants' environmental values and behaviors. Published studies have frequently documented their success in doing so. However, few studies have examined the characteristics of programs in relation to accomplishing those goals. Using characteristics identified as important in…

The decline of biodiversity and natural habitats, and the lack of progress in society's behaviour towards conservation, has prompted research into effective educational programs. Studies have shown that positive emotions towards nature, particularly in relation to the innate human predisposition towards the natural environment, can encourage…

The Green Spaces, Learning Places (GSLP) environmental education initiative runs schools-based and community-based sessions to create opportunities for children and young people to engage with green outdoor environments in London, England (including parks, heaths, and forests). Bespoke evaluation resources were developed by researchers in…

This research evaluates the development of three environmental knowledge dimensions of secondary school students after participation in a singular 1-day outdoor education programme. Applying a cross-national approach, system, action-related and effectiveness knowledge levels of students educated in Germany and Singapore were assessed before and…

This Educational Leadership Portfolio (ELP) addresses the issue related to children's screen time and indoor sedentary behavior. Research shows that young children need to have time outside in nature to ensure holistic development in the twenty-first century. The overarching goal of this work is to reduce the extent of children's indoor sedentary…

Although gender gaps associated with K-12 science achievement have narrowed significantly, gaps in science engagement and efficacy in childhood likely explain why women remain underrepresented in science careers. Early intervention programs may address root causes of gender gaps in science careers. Outdoor science education (OSE) is one…

Connecting to nature and spending time outdoors as children have been indicated as predictors of environmentally responsible behavior. This study examined whether a residential outdoor environmental education (ROEE) program contributed to the development of children's connection to nature and their attitudes and involvement in spending time…