Definitions

Outdoor Learning (OL) refers to extensive educational activities whose intent is to enhance the external environment with all its composition as an education tool (Coppola, et al., 2021). In their contribution, Sutherland and Legge (2016) state OL essentially occurs outdoors, as such, issues on environmental justice emerge with use of external environment to achieve outdoor learning.

Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) points to a distinctive group of pupils who may possess additional learning needs directly associated to a disability or a difficulty in general such as pupils with mental ill-health, visual or hearing impairment, orthopaedically disabled, behaviour disorders, learning difficulties etcetera (Buli-Holmberg and Jeyaprathaban, 2016).

Current developments and challenges in OL and CSPMLD literature

An initial discovery indicated that few scholars have researched the advantages of OL linked to the wellbeing and development of pupils with complex, severe, profound, multiple learning disabilities (CSPMLD) in a primary school or how it is embedded within the school curricular (Guardino, 2019). This study seeks to contribute theoretical and empirical evidence to this particularly understudied field.

Recently, a high number of children are growing up detached from the outdoors than any earlier generation spending more time inside buildings (Harvey et al., 2020; Waite, 2020; National Physical Activity Plan 2018). However, Hass et al. (2021) and Michalakis et al. (2020) contradict this notion stating that connection with outdoors, as seen in the COVID-19 pandemic, can still be achieved using technologies such as augmented reality (AR). OL is still under-researched in the context of special schools in primary schools as most research is on early years or standard mainstream primary schools (Waite, 2020).

Effects of Outdoor Learning on pupils with CSPMLD

Extant literature discovered positive effects such as improved wellbeing, independence with children who participated in OL (Harvey et al., 2020; Coppola et al. (2021)). In their contribution, Guardino et al. (2019) suggests not only is OL beneficial for pupils, but teachers benefitted too. My position on this proposed study, is to investigate if similar effects exist among pupils with CSPMLD and classroom staff. I aim to explore availability of opportunities to embed OL in schools’ curriculum and the quality of outdoor spaces.

In contrast, Joy et al. (2015) argues that since pupils with CSPMLD face unique risks in OL, inappropriate risk assessments might result in OL being more harmful.

Despite existing literature evidence on OL, several scholars and policy makers are postulating that OL has been marginalised from mainstream curriculum-based school (Mann et al., 2021). This research will investigate how OL is used in selected special schools’ context. 

Theoretical Framework

The theoretical framework for this study will come out of the systematic literature review process. Preliminary results highlight Activity Based Learning (ABL) grounded on experiential learning to offer pedagogical explanations for outdoor learning (Sutherland and Legge, 2016); prevalent theories such as, biophilia hypothesis, proposes that individuals possess an inborn tendency to interact with outdoors, leading to acquire cognitive and emotional satisfaction (Wilson, 1984 as quoted by Harvey et al., 2020; Becker et al., 2017).

Research objectives and draft research questions

The main question is: How do special schools embed outdoor learning for pupils with CSPMLD?

1. The primary aim of this study is to explore how OL is being implemented in selected special schools in an East Anglia urban setting whose pupils have CSPMLD.

2. The secondary aim will explore the experiences and whether participation in OL influences the mental wellbeing, and communication, social, and independence skills of pupils with CSPMLD

Philosophical position This study will undertake a qualitative approach gathering perspectives that provide empirical rigorous answers for this study’s research questions and gain a deeper contextual understanding of OL participation for staff and pupils (Blaikie, 2007; Myers, 2009). I will adopt a philosophical position of interpretivism paradigm (Collis and Hussey, 2009). Methodical Systematic Literature Review Protocol From the outset, I searched for precise information tightly linked to the study aims; inclusion and exclusion criteria was determined with the intention to generate results with maximum relevance and impact in understanding what we mean by embedding OL into special school culture and how it works. 1.Planning A criterion for including articles was designed to maintain academic rigour and sound arguments (Denyer and Tranfield, 2011). Citation mining was used to locate other key literature in the field. 2.Search and Scope strategy Investigating academic literature, such as ProQuest Education Database, ERIC (EBSCO); Policy literature such as SEND Policy, Education Policy and project outputs (grey literature) such as Nuffield, Learning for Landscapes will be explored. 3.Exclusion criteria Based on my linguistic skills and resources, English language was adopted as a working language of the research and articles outside of this were excluded from the study. Empirical Research Methods to be used I will take a case study method (Yazan, 2015), aiming for a thick description on participants’ disabilities and their interaction with OL and will include transparency about my own positionality within the description (Hengst et al. 2015). In essence, the findings of this study will not be generalisable but the aim for them is to be transferrable through the richness of the description. Case studies will utilise two special schools for pupils with CSPMLD located within East Anglia, particularly an urban area - likely more populated and diverse. My choice of research focus has been informed by my lived experience of working with this vulnerable group as a residential support worker in a children’s care home. I plan to draw from that experience when interacting with pupils who have CSPMLD during fieldwork. The selected schools have to self-report different degrees of OL. In the special schools, I will conduct semi-structured interviews with staff, parents, carers, and observation of service users. In support, Orson et al. (2020) recommends future studies to interview pupils not as a focus group, to gain their perspective outside of their peers; and obtain perspectives from others such as teachers.

The research is intended to gain an insight on what is currently happening with OL schemes developed in special schools utilising the external environment sustainably and their effect in aiding development of pupils with CSPMLD, specifically in the geographical context of East Anglia, which is underrepresented in the field. A systematic literature review of OL and SEND from different disciplines will be conducted and will be used to substantiate OL’s impact in the context of pupils with CSPMLD; establishing a new source of insightful assumptions and definitions, based on the current perspectives of the intentions and experiences of OL support schemes. The school management and organisation influence on culture within the school will be reviewed. This study is also anticipated to have policy implications in the SEND Education framework on various strategic forms of support towards pupils with CSPMLD being made available; to aid deeper understanding of embedding OL in SEND schools in the UK context.

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