Writing as a method of inquiry about students’ experiences in a New Zealand primary school outdoor education programme

ABSTRACT

In Health and Physical Education (HPE) of the New Zealand Curriculum, Outdoor Education (OE) is one of the seven key areas of learning. It has been taught in various forms because it includes a whole range of outdoor adventure activities and leisure pursuits. To better understand/interpret its nature and value in a New Zealand semi-rural primary school, we worked with eight students’ essays on their outdoor experiences to co-construct this paper. Students’ essays and school documents served as our data. Our inquiry linked students’ experiences to the underpinning philosophy of the school and created composite stories of their OE experiences. Students’ writing revealed their emotions, feelings, and the impact of their outdoor experiences during a three-day residential camp. Although this is a small, circumscribed study, the findings illustrate some primary school students’ OE experience and offer pedagogical insight to support the educative purpose of OE. The tangible OE experiences can provide an entry point into students’ affective learning and literacy with learning in other subjects.

KEYWORDS:

• Outdoor education
• primary schools
• student experience
• writing as a method of inquiry

Acknowledgment

We would like to thank the anonymous reviewers and all the participants for their help.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. The flying fox called zip line activity is an adventure activity that offers fun and thrills. People will be harnessed and secured to a steel cable/wire rope at a higher position and then slide down safely with the cable/rope. Helmets have to be worn for protection.

2. School deciles are any number between 1 and 10. The lower decile means more students in the school are from low-income families. Conversely, the higher decile means that most minor students in the school are from low-income families. The lower the school’s decile, the more government funding will be granted. School deciles have ceased, and the Equity Index has been used to determine funding starting in January 2024.

3. Pākehā is a Māori word describing inhabitants of New Zealand with European descent.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Cheng Deng

Dr Cheng Deng was admitted to the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education by the University of Auckland, New Zealand, in 2022. His research interest is around primary school physical education, sport, health, and outdoor education.

Maureen Legge

Dr Maureen Legge was a Senior Lecturer and Program Leader of Bachelor of Physical Education in the Faculty of Education and Social Work, University of Auckland, New Zealand. Her research focuses on cross-cultural understanding of teacher education, health, physical education, outdoor education, using autoethnography and narrative inquiry.