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Education outside the classroom (EOtC) has become an attractive approach, not only for learning but also for health. This explorative, cross-sectional study investigated children’s sedentary behaviours (SED), light physical activity (LPA) and moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) on school days with an EOtC session in green space compared to school days with EOtC in other environments and without EOtC. Teachers from 17 Danish school classes practised EOtC for one school year on a weekly basis and self-reported the characteristics of the EOtC environment. The pupils’ PA was device-measured for seven consecutive days in a random period during the school year with AX3 accelerometers. Across 617 pupils (age 9–13 years), PA intensity cases (N = 2264) on school days (8:10–14:00 h) with (n = 317) or without (n = 1947) EOtC were included in a mixed-effects regression analysis. Mean exposure to EOtC was 262 min per session. School days with green EOtC (e.g., parks, forests and nature schools) were associated with (mean, [95% CI]) −24.3 [−41.8, −7.7] min SED and +21.3 [7.7, 36.4] min LPA compared to school days with non-green EOtC (e.g., cultural and societal institutions or companies) and with +6.2 [−0.11, 11.48] min MVPA compared to school days with a school-ground EOtC. No sex differences were found. In conclusion, school days with green EOtC must be considered promising to counteract children’s sedentary behaviours during school hours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• 87.6 % of all schools in Norway in grades 1–10 practice uteskole. • 68.7 % practice uteskole regularly at least half a day every other week. • Uteskole is a national phenomenon with almost the same prevalence all over Norway. • 88 % of all schools in Norway have easy access to suitable uteskole places within 10 min walking distance. • 96 % of the schools having uteskole claim to connect it to indoor teaching. This article presents data from a national survey on the prevalence, provision, and nature of education outside the classroom ("uteskole") in Norway. Uteskole can broadly be defined as the practice of relocating traditional classroom teaching to outdoor settings such as forests, parks, school gardens, or cultural and societal institutions as a supplement to indoor classroom teaching. Herby, uteskole facilitates enriched, experiential, and context-based learning has inspired school practices in other parts of Europe, such as the UK, Germany or Switzerland. Despite its widespread use and impact on teaching nationally and internationally, no reliable data on the prevalence, provision, and nature of uteskole exists to date. From a total of 2671 schools contacted via an online questionnaire, n = 535 (20.0 %) provided valid data. To account for a possible non-response bias, a random sample of n = 460 of the remaining non-responding schools was additionally contacted by telephone. Of those, n = 334 offered complete replies, resulting in a representative sample. Based on a total sample of N = 869 schools (32.53 %), the results reveal a prevalence of 87.6 % of uteskole practice in Norway in grades 1–10, and 68.7 % practice uteskole at least half a day every second week. Uteskole is taught almost across all subjects and is reported to be connected to the indoor teaching and is strongly influenced by the tradition of friluftsliv ("outdoor-life"). This is also represented in the respective teacher qualifications, as specific uteskole competences are mainly acquired in physical education teacher training. We conclude that to align the teachers' qualifications with the widespread uteskole practices, it should become a mandatory element in teacher education across all subjects. With the substantial evidence highlighting the positive effects of uteskole, we firmly believe that Norway is uniquely positioned to provide its future generations with an education that equips them to meet the challenges that confront our world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was through semi-structured interviews to explore udeskole teacher's perceptions of motivational factors and challenges while teaching regularly outside the classroom on a weekly basis during a year. Six females and two male udeskole teachers participated and answered an interview guide containing five themes about their motivations, student relations, teaching experiences, challenges and recognition. Udeskole was perceived to have substantial potentials to improve both academic learning and life skills and 'the common third', i.e. teacher–pupil relations, was mentioned as a value added to the indoor teaching. Health and safety issues were not perceived as barriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Education Outside the Classroom (EOtC) is a teaching method that is gaining traction, aiming to promote learning and well‐being. However, research on the association between EOtC and well‐being is limited. METHODS: This quasi‐experimental trial involved pupils (9–13 years) from 16 Danish public schools which implemented EOtC in some classes. Pupils (N = 511) from 27 classes were regularly exposed to EOtC (2–7 hours per week), and pupils (N = 120) from 7 parallel comparison classes were much less exposed (less than 2 hours per week). The pupils' psychosocial well‐being was measured at the beginning and end of the school year using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. The results were compared between the groups. RESULTS: Pupils regularly exposed to EOtC showed the greatest improvement in prosocial behavior. Negative associations were seen between EOtC and hyperactivity‐inattention and peer problems in pupils of low socioeconomic status (SES). The observed improvements were smaller when the EOtC was spread over a larger number of sessions. Results were independent of sex. CONCLUSIONS: Regular exposure to EOtC was found to promote social well‐being, especially for pupils of low SES, and was most beneficial when concentrated in fewer, longer sessions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Regular exposure to EOtC was associated with more new in-class dyadic peer affiliations. • Regular exposure to EOtC was not associated with a greater loss of dyadic peer affiliation. • Transportation time have a supressing influence on lost dyadic affiliations. • Regular exposure to EOtC is not reflected in network centrality. • Amount and size of peer group affiliations was not related to regular EOtC exposure. This study is the first to investigate education outside the classroom (EOtC) and pupils' social relations in a large-sample experimental design. Social Cognitive Mapping was used to collect data on informal peer affiliation groups among pupils, aged 9–13 years, at the start and end of the school year. 332 pupils from 16 classes that were regularly exposed to EOtC, were compared with 158 pupils from 8 comparable classes that were not. Regular exposure to EOtC was positively associated to a gain in new peer affiliations, but not to increases in the total number of relations. In conclusion, regular exposure to EOtC is related to minor positive changes in pupils' informal peer affiliations in their class networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Regular education outside the classroom is related to increased reading performance. • This result strengthens the argument for a positive causal relationship. • The relationship does not depend on gender and prior reading performance. • The relationship does not depend on national language lessons outside the classroom. The use of education outside the classroom (EOtC) in schools is increasing; however, there are currently few studies assessing the longer-term impacts on academic achievement. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between one school-year of regular (more than 2.0 h a week) participation in EOtC and Danish primary school children's reading performance. We conducted a quasi-experimental study involving 20 EOtC intervention group classes and 10 comparison group parallel classes (Grades 3–6). Children were tested pre- and post-intervention in reading performance. We found that exposure to EOtC had a small positive impact on test scores. The implication that regular EOtC is positively associated with reading performance is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this quasi-experimental intervention study was to investigate the association between primary school students’ (9–13 years) school motivation and regular participation in education outside the classroom (EOtC). School motivation of 311 Danish public students from 24 intervention classes and 88 students from seven parallel comparison classes was measured at the start and end of the 2014–2015 school year using the Academic Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SRQ-A). Exposure to EOtC was monitored by intervention and comparison teachers. Multilevel analyses showed that regular exposure to EOtC was associated with improvement in intrinsic motivation and was moderated by prior intrinsic motivation in favor of students with higher prior intrinsic motivation. Results were independent of gender and socio-economic-status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]