Conference Agenda

Schools represent a central environment in the daily lives of children and teachers and therefore offer opportunities to not only address learning, but also health and social development. Education Outside the Classroom (EOtC), defined as the regular delivery of curriculum-based lessons outside the classroom, has gained increasing attention as a teaching approach that may influence multiple dimensions of school life. However, existing research on EOtC is scattered across disciplines and has focused primarily on students, while evidence regarding teachers and broader outcome domains remains fragmented.

This systematic review aims to synthesize and critically appraise evidence on the effects of regular participation in EOtC for students and teachers. Following PRISMA guidelines, a comprehensive literature search is being conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and EBSCO databases. Studies examining regular curriculum-based outdoor education in primary or secondary school settings in English and German are eligible for inclusion. Data extraction includes study characteristics, intervention features, outcome domains, and findings on students’ and teachers’ physical and psychological health, students’ social dimensions, and performance-related outcomes. The methodological quality and risk of bias of included studies are assessed using tools like RoB 2 or ROBINS-I. Based on the current screening process, approximately 50 studies are expected to be included.

This review will provide a comprehensive synthesis of multidimensional effects of EOtC on students and teachers across disciplines and study designs. The findings will inform practitioners and policymakers about the current evidence base and provide a foundation for future research and evidence-informed practice in outdoor education.