Education outside the classroom increases children’s reading performance: Results from a one-year quasi-experimental study

Education outside the classroom (EOtC) has the potential to increase children’s learning, physical activity, social relations, school motivation, and well-being. In Denmark, EOtC has undergone a rapid development from a grassroots movement to part of a top-down reform in public schools. It is therefore pertinent to provide an update of the survey conducted by Bentsen et al. (2010) and a baseline to serve as the basis for evaluating future effects of policy intervention on EOtC. Based on a nationwide telephone survey of school leaders, this study shows an increase in Danish school classes practicing EOtC on a weekly or biweekly basis, from at least 14% of public and private/independent schools in 2007 to at least 17.9% of all public schools and 19.4% of all independent and private schools today. While the new school act appears to promote EOtC, we believe that teachers who are not familiar with this practice may lack the necessary competence to practice it. We argue that the widespread use of green space and nearby environment in teaching should be reflected in initial teacher training, connecting educational planning and green space management.