Exploring Outdoor Learning Through Interdisciplinary Perspectives

Dear Colleagues,

In this Special Issue, we invite all interested academics, researchers, and practitioners to make their contributions to this important interdisciplinary topic titled “Exploring Outdoor Learning Through Interdisciplinary Perspectives”. The main aim of this Special Issue is to “open” and “enhance” scientific and professional debate in the field of outdoor learning in the context of interdisciplinary research and practice.

Current global challenges in education require new ways of learning, teaching, and research. In the age of the digital revolution, fueled by the use of AI models, the topic of outdoor learning and the possibilities of its application constitute an indispensable challenge for many scientists and practitioners, including the initial education and professional development of teachers/educators in kindergartens, school, and universities (Barrable, & Larkin, 2019; Kesler, Kaasinen & Kervinen, 2024; Kelley, & Wenzel, 2025).

The concept of outdoor learning is based on numerous ideas, theories and philosophies. From Pestalozzi and Froebel to forest kindergartens and the application of AI tools in outdoor learning (North et al., 2023; Natalini, 2023; Kilty, 2024; Fowlin, 2025), outdoor learning constitutes a broad field of research and offers unique challenges in creating quality practices.

Outdoor learning, viewed through the interdisciplinary prism of numerous scientific fields, is situated within the contexts of outdoor and risky play, socioemotional and psychological well-being, mental health, psychological resilience, happiness, connectedness to nature, environmental attitudes and identity, education for sustainable development, kinesiology, social inclusion, transition periods, and other related domains (Anđić, 2022; Molyneux, Zeni, & Oberle, 2022; Fuentes Diaz, Sénéchal, & Bouchard, 2024; Falzon & Conrad, 2024; Mann et al., 2021; Walshe, Bungay, & Dadswell, 2023; Vasilaki et al., 2025; Anđić & Tatalović Vorkapić, 2025; Tatalović Vorkapić, 2020, 2021, 2024; Tatalović Vorkapić & LoCasale-Crouch, 2021; Tatalović Vorkpaić et al., 2021).

As both a research phenomenon and an educational practice situated within an interdisciplinary arena, research on outdoor learning offers a unique opportunity for synthesizing scientific knowledge and creating synergy between research ideas and practices.

Accordingly, the fundamental questions that this Special Issue seeks to address are the following:

1. How can outdoor learning be understood as a “laboratory for learning, teaching and interdisciplinary research”?
2. How can outdoor learning be researched in an interdisciplinary context?
3. What are the challenges of applying outdoor learning to processes of learning and teaching?
4. What impact does outdoor learning have on learning and teaching processes?
5. What impact does outdoor learning have on psychological well-being and mental health?
6. What is the contribution of outdoor learning for socio-emotional competencies among children?
7. What impact does outdoor learning have on nature connectedness and ESD?
8. What effect does outdoor learning have on student–teacher relationships?
9. What are the benefits of outdoor learning, and what are the barriers to its implementation?
10. How can new digital technologies, including AI, be integrated into their application in learning and teaching in kindergartens, schools, and universities?
11. What opportunities does outdoor learning offer in the context of lifelong education?
12. What examples of good practice are there?
13. Are children who experience outdoor learning happier?

In addition to the above questions, important unanswered questions remain.

1. How can kindergarten or preschool teachers, elementary and primary school teachers, and university professors be trained for outdoor learning in the age of digitalization of education at all levels?
2. What competences do they need, and how can they be developed in initial education and continuing professional development?

We welcome a variety of different answers to these questions and challenges to these issues. New contributions and views regarding this topic are welcomed as well.

Literature:

1. Anđić, D. & Tatalović Vorkapić, S. (2025). The role of relationships with nature and outdoor play in the quality of transitional periods during childhood: The Psychology of children’s well-being, vol. 4. Rijeka: Faculty of Teacher Education, University of Rijeka, 2025. In press.
2. Anđić, D. (2022). Play, nature and sustainable development: how to encourage connection with nature in early and (pre)school children? Rijeka: Faculty of Teacher Education, University of Rijeka, 2022.
3. Barrable, A., & Lakin, L. (2019). Nature relatedness in student teachers, perceived competence and willingness to teach outdoors: An empirical study. Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning, 20(3), 189–201. https://doi.org/10.1080/14729679.2019.1609999
4. Falzon, D., & Conrad, E. (2024). Designing primary school grounds for Nature-based learning: A review of the evidence. In Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education (Vol. 27, Issue 3). Springer Nature Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42322-023-00142-4
5. Fowlin, J., Coleman, D., Ryan, S., Gallo, C., Soares, E., & Hazelton, N. A. (2025). Empowering Educators: Operationalizing Age-Old Learning Principles Using AI. Education Sciences, 15(3), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15030393
6. Fuentes Diaz, M. F., Sénéchal, M., & Bouchard, D. R. (2024). Impact of Outdoor Play Structures on Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity in Children during Recess: A Comparative Study. Children, 11(7), 828. https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/11/7/828
7. Kelley, M., & Wenzel, T. (2025). Advancing Artificial Intelligence Literacy in Teacher Education Through Professional Partnership Inquiry. Education Sciences, 15(6), 659. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15060659
8. Kilty, T. J. (2024). Choosing Whether to Use Mobile Technology Outdoors. Education Sciences, 14(9), 992. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14090992
9. Kesler, M., Kaasinen, A., & Kervinen, A. (2024). Teaching science outdoors: Supporting pre‑service teachers’ skill development with the help of available mobile applications. Education Sciences, 14(11), 1218. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14111218
10. Mann, J., Gray, T., Truong, S., Sahlberg, P., Bentsen, P., Passy, R., Ho, S., Ward, K., & Cowper, R. (2021). A systematic review protocol to identify the key benefits and efficacy of nature-based learning in outdoor educational settings. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(3), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18031199
11. Molyneux, T. M., Zeni, M., & Oberle, E. (2022). Choose Your Own Adventure: Promoting Social and Emotional Development Through Outdoor Learning. Early childhood education journal, 1–15. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-022-01394-3
12. Natalini, A. (2023). Outdoor Education, Artificial intelligence e Heritage Education. Journal of Inclusive Methodology and Technology in Learning and Teaching, 3(4). ISSN 2785-5104. https://iris.uniroma1.it/retrieve/24df3b41-ad6b-4425-8182-8981c4697a9b/Natalini_Outdoor_2023.pdf
13. North, C., Hills, D., Maher, P., Farkić, J., Zeilmann, V., Waite, S., … French, G. (2023). The impact of artificial intelligence on adventure education and outdoor learning: international perspectives. Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning. https://doi.org/10.1080/14729679.2023.2248302
14. Tatalović Vorkapić, S. (2020). Psychology of attachment and adjustment in kindergarten: The Psychology of children’s well-being vol. 1. University of Rijeka, Faculty of teacher Education, Rijeka.
15. Tatalović Vorkapić, S. (2021). How to go tearless to kindergarten and primary school? Support for socio-emotional well-being of children during transitions and adjustment: The Psychology of children’ well-being, vol.2. Rijeka: University of Rijeka, Faculty of teacher Education & City of Rijeka. ISBN: 978-953-7917-32-6 (PDF). https://urn.nsk.hr/urn:nbn:hr:189:492309
16. Tatalović Vorkapić, S. (2024). Children’s well-being during transitions periods: Empirical validation of an Ecological and Dynamic model: The Psychology of children’s well-being vol. 3. University of Rijeka, Faculty of teacher Education, Rijeka.
17. Tatalović Vorkapić, S. & LoCasale-Crouch, J. (2021). Supporting Children's Well-being during Early Childhood Tranisiton to School. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, USA.  9781799844358
18. Tatalović Vorkapić, S., Anđić, D., Čepić, R., Lončarić, D. & Verdonik, M. (2021). Some of the scientific contribution for enhancing education in Croatia. In: L. Gómez Chova, A. López Martínez, I. Candel Torres (Eds.) EDULEARN2021 Proceedings, 14th International Technology, Education and Development Conference, 5th-6th July 2021, Valencia, Spain (pp. 1753-1763).
19. Vasilaki, M.-M., Zafeiroudi A., Tsartsapakis I., Grivas G.V., Chatzipanteli A., Aphamis G., Giannaki C., & Kouthouris C. (2025). Learning in Nature: A Systematic Review and Meta‑Analysis of Outdoor Recreation’s Role in Youth Development. Education Sciences, 15(3), 332. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci15030332
20. Walshe, N., Bungay, H., & Dadswell, A. (2023). Sustainable Outdoor Education: Organisations Connecting Children and Young People with Nature through the Arts. Sustainability (Switzerland), 15(5), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15053941

Prof. Dr. Dunja Anđić
Prof. Dr. Sanja Tatalović Vorkapić
Guest Editors

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• outdoor learning
• sustainability
• wellbeing
• teachers
• nature
• kindergarten
• competency
• socioemotional development
• lifelong education
• AI