| Pupils’ local outdoor areas map
The pupils have engaged in interdisciplinary activities that allowed them to research about each one of the local outdoor spaces selected and visited have created a “map” that included information and has been used as a means of encouraging their parents to visit more frequently those areas. Below is the map that the pupils have created.
Picture 1.1
Picture 1.2
4.4 End of project survey
The questionnaires at the end of this action research project have been distributed online and the parents/carers have been invited to take part in this survey via an email. It is important to mention that this step of the action research project took place during the lockdown period due to COVID-19. Due to the changes that this unexpected situation has introduced, five participants have been able to take part in this final section of the project.
The results have shown that the parents agree or strongly agree with the importance of outdoor experiences and that it is a significant factor of the development of the child’s health and well-being. All five parents/carers that participated in the end of the project survey are aware of the local outdoor spaces that they can have access to, and they have learned through this intervention a new local outdoor area. All the parents agree that by developing a positive relationship with the outdoors can benefit the growth of respect for nature. Finally, they are positive that after this experience, visiting the local outdoor spaces has increased or it is likely to increase in the near future.
Discussion
Outdoor play opportunities are needed at all ages and stages as a frequent part of family life. As children grow older, they need opportunities to develop independence through playing outdoors, helping to develop and practice important life skills within the real world (Bento & Dias, 2017). As it has been mentioned in the literature review of the current project, the quality of communication between the school setting and families is fundamental, as it can inform the later about the benefits of accessing the local outdoor spaces and allow children to develop positive experiences in the outdoors. Moreover, according to the current project, a factor that can affect the access to the local outdoor spaces is the lack of knowledge of these spaces by parents/carers and concerns that they have related to allowing the children visiting these areas. By encouraging the students to develop a positive relationship with the local outdoors and transfer this knowledge to their families could affect the way parents/cares perceive the access to the local outdoor spaces. The current action research project has offered the opportunity to identify the parental attitudes towards outdoor experience, a fact that offers a starting point for building on the development of a positive relationship with the local outdoor spaces. The circumstances in which the project has taken place, have affected the final part of this study. However, acknowledging the parental attitudes towards accessing the local outdoor spaces and exploring the pupils’ reflections, has offered a baseline for future learning in this area of interest.
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