Wellbeing, Sense of Belonging, Resilience, and Academic Buoyancy Impacts of Education Outside the Classroom: An Australian Case Study

Thank you for your comments. Please see below our responses to comments. 

Response 

Overall, an interesting study although some work is needed to more directly tie the research data to the findings section.  

Thank you. A clearer through line has been established that ties methods, results and discussion together more cohesively. 

As well, some of the graphs suggest a ceiling effect (the original numbers were already high, and stayed high) which may need to be addressed.  

Thank you for your comment. This has now been addressed in the discussion relating to student socio-economic background.   

The quantitative data should be better described, including the items measured by each survey tool (this could be achieved through an appendix).  

This is covered in the methodology, with each instrument explicitly outlined.  

The qualitative data collected appears to only be the 3-word summaries, with no explanation of what data was provided directly by the focus groups and interviews or how this data was analyzed.  

Thank you. This has been expanded on in Methods and Results sections which link more effectively to the discussion.  

A more clear through line between the data analysis and findings needs to be articulated in the discussion section.  

Clearer links have been made from the results to the discussion.  

The context and description of the outdoor experiences should be in the introduction or early in the methods section.  

Context and description arenow in the introduction.  

The study was described as a pilot study at the end of the methods and limitation sections, but that should also be included in the abstract and introduction, with a description of why this study is a pilot study. 

This is now addressed in the research objectives in the introduction, with a description of why this was a pilot study.  

Comment  

Response 

The paper rethinks the issue of outdoor education and separation from technology with a strong contemporary relevance, even if temporary.  

Thanks 

The author, now a reviewer, comes from the Italian context, which has been at the forefront of open classrooms and free schools since the 1970s.  

Excellent, you have extensive knowledge in the field and we welcome your insights. 

Certainly, rethinking education outside the classroom, with the acronym EOtC, allows us to retrace the steps that have helped people become critical, which is sorely lacking today.  

Agree wholeheartedly  

This contribution is of great value for the attention it pays to the state of the art and for the contribution it offers.  

Thanks for your glowing reviews. 

Unfortunately, we find ourselves in an era of sad passions, unrest, violence, and clubs for men.  

We unanimously concur. 

We must address this globally dangerous situation with progressive educational practices dedicated to inclusion, critical thinking, and compassion for others.  

No argument form this writing team. Appreciate your stance.