Outdoor Science Education and Child Well-being in Primary Schools: Protocol for a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial on Learning, Connection to Nature, Eco-anxiety, and Stress
Outdoor science education: Following Québec's mandatory curriculum, primary school teachers will provide life science lessons 2h/week for a total of 5 weeks in an outdoor setting
Indoor classroom-based science education: Following Québec's mandatory curriculum, primary school teachers will provide life science lessons 2h/week for a total of 5 weeks inside the classroom
Study summary
The goal of this randomized controlled trial is to learn if an outdoor science education intervention can improve primary school students' learning and well-being when compared to an indoor classroom-based science education intervention. The main questions it aims to answer are:
* Will students who engage in outdoor science learning produce higher-quality observations of living organisms than students who receive instruction exclusively in an indoor, classroom-based context, when both groups are invited to make observations in an unfamiliar natural environment?
* Does an outdoor education intervention embedded within the science curriculum contribute to children's connection to nature, eco-anxiety and stress?
Participants will:
* Receive a science education intervention 2h/week for a total of 5 weeks, either indoors or outdoors
* Answer questionnaires before and after the intervention
* Participate in a field day-trip after the intervention where they will be asked to observe living organisms.
Eligibility
Sex
ALL
Min age
—
Max age
—
Healthy volunteers
Accepted
Inclusion Criteria:
* Primary schools need to have a deprivation index equal to or superior to 1 (with 10 being the maximum) and be located in Montreal, Longueuil or Laval (QC).
* Teachers have to show some interest in outdoor education but are not obliged to have already done some before in order to be included.
* Only 5th and 6th grade teachers are included.
* Primary schools with two teachers interested in participating in the project.
Exclusion Criteria:
* Alternative schools or those welcoming recently arrived non-Francophone students are not included.
Primary outcome measure(s)
Score on the Scientific Observation Skills Rubric (0-15) in a Novel Environmental Context — After the 5-week intervention has ended, students will spend one day in a new environmental context (at the end of October) in order to make observations Students' scientific observation skills will be assessed using a structured observation rubric designed for elementary science education. After the 5-week intervention, each student will spend one day in a new environmental context (field activity at the end of October). Students will be asked to make a total of five oral observations of living organisms in this setting. Independent raters, trained in the use of the rubric, will evaluate the quality of each scientific observation using a four-level scoring framework, with scores ranging from 0 (lowest) to 3 (highest quality of scientific observation). The total score will range from 0 to 15, with higher scores indicating stronger scientific observation skills. Inter-rater agreement will be monitored to ensure reliability.
Trial sites (1)
Facility
City
Region
Status
Greater Montreal area (Laval, Longueuil, Montreal)
This page summarises publicly available registry data for informational purposes — not medical advice. Eligibility is determined by each study team; patients should discuss participation with their clinician.
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