The aims of early years outdoor education in England: a conceptual and empirical investigation

Bilton, H. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2001-2530 (2014) The aims of early years outdoor education in England: a conceptual and empirical investigation. International Journal of Education and Social Science, 1 (3). pp. 38-50. ISSN 2410-5171

Abstract/Summary

This paper explores the place of aims in the early years foundation stage outdoor environment in England. Through examining the writing of academics, various themes are identified, and constructed into possible aims. These themes/aims are compared to an empirical study of early years teachers’ attitudes. Data was collected by questionnaire from schools within the University of Reading partnership. There was general agreement between experts and teachers as to the aims. While some respondents were able to explain what the aims of outdoor activity were, a significant number were unable to identify aims; further, a significant number did not distinguish between approach/practice and aims. A lack of understanding and agreement as to what the aims are may indicate teachers are unsure about the purpose of outdoor education for young children. A result of this study is to agree and make explicit the aims for outdoor education in the early years.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/39923
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Arts, Humanities and Social Science > Institute of Education > Improving Equity and Inclusion through Education
Uncontrolled Keywords	aims; outdoor education; early years; outdoor play; oral language
Publisher	RIPK
Download/View statistics	View download statistics for this item