What shapes the outdoor learning practices in Israeli kindergartens? ECE teachers’ perceptions

Abstract

The importance of outdoor learning to support children’s learning and development has been recognized by research and policy. It carries the potential for social interactions, and authentic, informal, and playful learning. It fosters curiosity and creativity and develops the ability to deal with uncertain and risky situations. The Israeli Ministry of Education encourages a variety of outdoor learning activities, in and near the preschool yard. During the COVID-19 crisis, learning in outdoor spaces became even more important for children, staff, and parents. The aim of this research is to understand early childhood education teachers’ perceptions of what shapes the outdoor practices in Israeli preschools. This study was based on a mixed-methods methodology, as it included qualitative (semi-structured interviews) and quantitative components (survey-questionnaire). Participants were 85 ECE teachers: 75 teachers participated in survey-questionnaire and 10 teachers participated in semi-structured interviews. The qualitative data analysis was performed using an inductive approach, which is based on an interpretive content analysis that is prevalent in the grounded theory paradigm. The results showed that most of the preschool teachers acknowledged the great importance of outdoor learning to a variety of learning areas. The teachers considered outdoor learning as providing a meaningfully “high contribution” to social-emotional and scientific learning, and for motor, cognitive and linguistic development. According to the teachers’ perceptions, parents, preschool staff, the municipal authorities, and the Ministry of Education all serve as influential factors for outdoor learning. In addition, the findings revealed that the COVID-19 pandemic influenced the ways of working in outdoor spaces.