Outdoor STEAM Education Project: an exploratory study on the perceptions of educators and teachers

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts/Humanities and Mathematics (STEAM) interdisciplinary educational approach. This is justified by the positive effect of this approach on the attitudes and learning of children and young people and by the need to stimulate their interest and involvement with the contents of these curricular areas. Faced with this need, the literature highlights the creation of interdisciplinary pedagogical approaches, from the earliest levels of schooling, supported by relevant social and cultural contexts. Outdoor spaces and natural areas assume this relevance, offering a significant context for outdoor education, as they allow exploration, investigation, observation, debate, manipulation and reconnection with nature, through the senses. There is a vast body of evidence showing the positive impact of outdoor education on student outcomes in science, critical thinking, engagement with learning, and motivation. In addition, contact with nature also has both physical and psychological benefits. Thus, it is expected that the relevant and experiential character of outdoor education can promote the personal development and well-being of students and connect students to STEAM learning in a meaningful way, increasing their interest and involvement with activities. Faced with the potential of outdoor education and given the lack of concrete data that allow for a grounded view regarding the practices, perceptions and training needs of educators and teachers regarding the pedagogical use of outdoor spaces, a research project was developed, linking the different areas of the Quality of Life Research Center such as Education and Training, Physical Activity and Healthy Lifestyles, Individual and Community Health and Eating Behavior. In this sense, the team proposes to carry out an exploratory study that allows to know and describe the pedagogical use of the outdoor spaces of a group of schools, in order to envision initiatives to stimulate the STEAM outdoor approach through the development of training module(s) to be implemented within the scope of initial and continuous training of kindergarten teachers and basic education teachers. In a first phase, interviews were conducted with educators and teachers and after being transcribed, they were subjected to a thematic content analysis. From this analysis, relevant themes emerged that will support the construction of a questionnaire to be applied to educators and teachers of the 1st and 2nd cycles of Basic Education, in the second phase of the study. Preliminary results suggest a use of outdoor environments that does not explore their potential as formal learning contexts, promoters of interdisciplinary approaches. Educators and teachers tend to associate outdoor educational opportunities with science curriculum or recreational activities. The lack of training of educators and teachers regarding the interdisciplinary use of the outdoor environment, as a learning context, is one of the factors that conditions its use.