Abstract:

This study investigated primary school pre-service teachers’ perceptions related to outdoor education and their intentions to teach outside the classroom. 52 pre-service teachers enrolled in an environmental education course at a public university in Turkey were the participants of this study. Pre-service teachers were required to read “the last child in the woods” book through the course. After reading the book they were asked to write an essay about their childhood outdoor experiences and their opinions related to outdoor education. Moreover, interviews were conducted with 11 voluntary pre-service teachers among 52 after essay writing. Qualitative data were collected through essay writing and interviews. Data analysis indicated that pre-service teachers described significant outdoor experiences in their childhood and positive perceptions and intentions to teach lessons outside. During the interviews, pre-service teachers also described several barriers to implement outdoor education. These barriers are related to family concern, the attitude of school management and weather conditions. It is recommended that pre-service teachers should be given more opportunities to implement outdoor activities and develop their outdoor experiences in teacher education programs.

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