Seeking consensus: An e-Delphi study exploring the concept of success in Australian outdoor education

Abstract Outdoor education can take many forms, with factors such as the teaching environment, local climate and environment, participants' age and ability, support from participant families and the broader community, and school leadership all requiring disparate approaches to achieve the success of program outcomes. As such, a universal description of what constitutes success in outdoor education is difficult to articulate, and so this study aimed to answer the question: “What constitutes success in Australian outdoor education?”. A mixed methods e-Delphi study approach was utilised by recruiting a sample of 11 experienced outdoor education teachers acting as expert panellists from Western Australia, who responded to questions and statements over two sequential survey rounds. Using a combination of deductive and inductive template thematic analysis and statistical inferences to draw the conclusions of this study, a consensus was reached on what constitutes success in an Australian outdoor education context. Support from school leadership, greater time spent with students, the development of “life skills” in students, and the continued prioritisation of safety all featured as important for success. Recommendations for future research include examining how these findings could be implemented in increasingly busy school landscapes. This paper is novel in its approach as it furthers the utility of the e-Delphi method in outdoor education research and its potential for future studies.