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Although outdoor education has a rich history of providing key transformative moments and personal growth for students, its incorporation into public school education has been weak at best. With such an established role of providing effective learning environments, this naturally raises the question: What has prevented the greater inclusion of outdoor education in our public school system? This research addresses this question by demonstrating that the role of outdoor education in public schools can be framed as either pedagogy or curriculum. The relationship between pedagogy and curriculum is revealed to create difficulties for outdoor education’s incorporation into schools because the public education system has the ability to use it selectively in a piecemeal fashion. This research demonstrates that the current lack of articulation of this duality has enabled those opposed to its inclusion in schools to create false arguments against its use, while those in favor of incorporation face challenges by not understanding outdoor education in this way. The importance of framing outdoor education’s role for schools in this manner is shown to affect two areas: developing integrated school programs and its incorporation into teacher training programs. In order to adequately explore the above problem this dissertation divides and separately considers three frames of reference for outdoor education programming relative to schools: supplementary, curricula-based, and integrated. Curricula-based outdoor programs are shown to emphasize outdoor education as curriculum for schools (as a body of knowledge), while integrated outdoor programs largely focus on outdoor education as pedagogy (as experiential education). Primary research investigated Canadian integrated outdoor programs through surveys of veteran outdoor education teachers operating such programs in our schools. This research identified two key roles for outdoor program inclusion: an experiential learning framework, and personal life skills development. By redefining the roles of outdoor education in schools in this way we now understand that previous reference to education about the natural heritage refers to curriculum initiatives while education through the natural heritage refers to pedagogical aims. In addition, the roles of the institution and the educator are examined in relation to the compatibility of outdoor education in public schools.

The chemistry of the macrocycle PhP(CH₂SiMe₂NSiMe₂CH₂)₂PPh (abbreviated as [P₂N₂] within this thesis) with niobium(III) is explored. The paramagnetic chloride compound NbCl[P₂N₂] (1) is used as a starting material for other derivatives, such as {[P₂N₂]Nb}₂ (µ-N₂) (2) , Nb(CH₂SiMe₃)[P₂N₂] (6), and Nb(CH₂Ph)[P₂N₂ ] (9). Compound 1 forms adducts with small molecules and solvents, including CO which causes the complex to become diamagnetic. NbCl[P₂N₂] (1) reacts with KC₈ under 1 atm of N₂ to give {[P₂N₂]Nb}₂(µ-N₂) (2). Complex 2, characterized by X-ray crystallography, is found to have an end-on bound dinitrogen ligand with an N-N bond length of 1.272 (5) A . This is only the fourth niobium dinitrogen species to be structurally characterized. Reaction of 2 with 2 equivalents of Me₃N-HCl gives the original chloride 1 and 0.31 equivalents of hydrazine. Nb(CH₂SiMe₃)[P₂N₂] (6) and Nb(CH₂Ph)[P₂N₂] (9) are synthesized by reaction of chloride 1 with LiCH₂SiMe₃ and KCH₂Ph respectively. Reaction of trimethylsilylmethyl 6 with H₂ in benzene results in the formation of a cyclohexadienyl ligand complex, Nb(ƞ⁵-C₆H₇)[P₂N₂] (8). Also, reaction of compound 6 with CO results in the CO insertion and rearrangement with the trimethylsilylmethyl ligand to give an enolate complex. Compound 9 is determined to have an ƞ⁵ bound benzyl ligand. Preliminary investigations in the reaction of compound 1 with LiN(SiMe₃)₂, Mel, and KC₈ while under Ar give Nb{N(SiMe₃)₂}[P₂N₂] (4), Nb(MeI)Cl[P₂N₂] (10), and {[P₂N₂]Nb}₂ (3) respectively. Molecular structure information is given for {[P₂N₂]Nb}₂(µ-N₂)(µ-Cl) (5); the first characterized side-on bridged dinitrogen niobium complex. Studies into the elemental determinations of {[P₂N₂]Nb(µ-N₂) (2) and Nb(CH₂Ph)[P₂N₂] (9) reveal limitations in microanalysis due to the formation of stable niobium nitrides and carbides. ¹H NMR spectroscopy is successfully used for identification of all paramagnetic complexes within this thesis.