Bibliographic review on physical activity in the natural environment in physical education

Abstract

Curbing climate change and reducing its impact on society is one of the great challenges facing us today. It implies educating the new generations in sustainable practices in the natural environment, as well as respecting and caring for it. Physical Education teachers must include Physical Activity in the Natural Environment (AFMN) in their content, encouraging students to respect and value the environment. The aim of this study was to carry out a systematic literature review of the articles published on AFMN and Physical Education from the beginning to the present day to analyze the number of publications and their main themes. For the bibliographic analysis, the Statistical Analysis of Textual Data was used, supported by the MANOVA Biplot, obtaining a final result of 142 articles. The conclusions drawn show that the first investigations were conducted in 2010, with a significant increase from 2019 onwards. An evolution of the themes was observed in 3 groups in different years: 1) recreation and leisure, 2) education and 3) education, health and responsible leisure, the latter being the one in which most research can be found. AFMN can generate multiple benefits for adolescents in different areas both physically and mentally. It should also be noted that these activities generate greater respect for the environment in participants.