The role of Outdoor Education in child development in Italian nursery schools

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to investigate the influence of Outdoor Education (OE) on different areas of development in 1–3-year-old children attending Italian nursery schools. The sample was composed of 160 children (1–3-year-old) divided into a first group (Traditional), with 76 children attending nursery schools with traditional educational activities; and a second group (Outdoor) of 84 children following a continuous OE programme at school. In January (T1) and in June (T2), the quality of child development was assessed by teachers, appropriately trained, through Kuno Beller Developmental Scales. Comparing the two groups, the results showed that, in most of the developmental areas (cognitive, emotional, social, fine motor skills), significant improvements at T2 were detected for the Outdoor group compared to the Traditional group. The findings highlight that OE, compared to indoor activities, offers greater opportunities for the child development – playing, therefore, a crucial role as a protective developmental factor since early childhood.

KEYWORDS:

• Outdoor Education
• early childhood
• nursery school
• child development

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the teachers of the schools and all the parents.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributor

Fiorella Monti is Full Professor in Psychodynamics and Chief of the Research Unit on Developmental Psychodynamics at the Department of Psychology, University of Bologna. She is also Head of the Psychological Help Service for Young Adult and the Psychological Help Service for Infancy. She has published several papers and books on perinatal psychopathology, premature birth, and infant observation.

Roberto Farné is Full Professor in General Didactics and he is vice director at the Department for Life Quality Studies, University of Bologna. His main research interests and activities, documented by several publications, regard the Educational iconography and the Media education, the pedagogy of play and sport. He is Editor-in-Chief of the journal ‘Infanzia’.

Fabiola Crudeli is pedagogist, coordinator of various nursery schools and kindergartens in Cesena and Forlì areas. She has published books and articles on child play, infant observation, and teacher training. She is trained in OE and she has been working on OE projects for several nursery schools and kindergartens.

Francesca Agostini is psychologist, Associate Professor in Psychodynamics at the Department of Psychology, University of Bologna. Her main research activities are in the field of transition to parenthood, parent–infant interactions, developmental psychopathology, and interventions in childhood to promote mental health and well-being. She is expert in Perinatal Psychopathology and co-founder of SIRCIP, Italian Society for Research, Clinic and intervention in Perinatality.

Marianna Minelli is psychologist who holds a Ph.D. in Psychology at the University of Bologna. Her main research interests are child temperament, Behavioural Inhibition in preschool age, OE and child psychopathology. She is trained in several clinical assessments of mother–infant interactions. She has been working on research projects with parents, teachers and children in kindergartens.

Andrea Ceciliani is Professor in Technique and Didactics of Physical Education in developmental age at the Department for Life Quality Studies (QUVI), University of Bologna. His main research activities are in the field of Physical Education in childhood and youth age. Also, he is expert in Outdoor Education Strategies and Cooperative Learning Approaches.

ORCID

Fiorella Monti http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4644-3870

Francesca Agostini http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0847-1400

Marianna Minelli http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0646-8440