Outdoor Environment as a Discourse in Policy Documents

• In Event: Roundtable Session 25
  In Roundtable Session: Experiences in Nature and Outdoor Education

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate what characterizes discourse in educational policy documents about the role of an outdoor environment in young children’s education. Approaches of Foucault and Bourdieu constitute the theoretical background of historical discourse analysis used in this study. Policy documents, laws and regulations, curricula of pre- and elementary school levels and relevant documents from local communities were analyzed. A six-step approach to analyse discourse (Jóhannesson, 2006, 2010; Sharp and Richardson, 2001) was utilized in this study. The main findings of the research are that outdoor environment is not highlighted as a learning environment, although it is seen as good for children’s learning, health and play as well as fostering children’s positive attitudes towards their outdoors.

Authors

• Kristín Norðdahl, University of Iceland

• Ingolfur Asgeir Johannesson, University of Iceland

• Johanna Einarsdottir, University of Iceland