Outdoor education in Australian secondary schools – a domain evaluation

Abstract The domain of Outdoor Education within Australia has many definitions. These definitions have evolved over time, and often overlap depending on location and context. Therefore, definitions of Outdoor Education carry with them a diverse range of understandings regarding its form and place in secondary school curriculum. As a result, it has been neglected as a mandated component of the formal curriculum for secondary schools in Victoria. Outdoor Education provides many learning outcomes beyond the scope of the specified curriculum. The primary purpose of this research is to review and acknowledge these outcomes in the context of the formal curriculum. The study involved two phases, a curriculum document analysis and interviews with recognised and respected experts in the field of Outdoor Education. The findings from the curriculum analysis reinforced that Outdoor Education as a component of curriculum was virtually absent from both the National and Victorian state curriculum structures. Interview results revealed that due to an extensive array of differing perspectives regarding Outdoor Education, the capacity to define it as a field of study and practice is complex and descriptions should be contextual. Overall, the data also revealed that Outdoor Education has many outcomes beyond the realm of formal mandated curriculum requirements and that these outcomes are important whether they are included in official curriculum or not. As a result, recommendations from this study are that Outdoor Education be included as a compulsory curriculum within all school year levels in Australia and that the unrecognised outcomes of Outdoor Education programs be regarded as legitimate irrespective of their status within the formal curriculum.