Outdoor education in school curricula: a Norwegian–German comparative analysis

Abstract Due to increasing social crises - particularly as a result of climate change - questions and interest in education for sustainable development (ESD) are constantly growing in Germany (Hauenschild, 2023). Based on this, the Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs(Kultusminister Konferenz, 2024) adopted a recommendation to include ESD in school curricula on an interdisciplinary basis. However, this decision did not clarify how ESD should be integrated into everyday school life and didactically into the school curricula. For sustainable ESD, it seems essential to integrate outdoor education into everyday school life (Molitor, 2024). The further development of school curricula therefore requires inspiration and expertise from countries that already have extensive experience with outdoor education in everyday school life. In Europe, the Scandinavian countries are regarded as pioneers regarding outdoor education. On closer inspection, Norway stands out with its socially recognised concept of friluftsliv , which is even included in school curricula (Gelter, 2000). As a consequence, this article presents a comparative curriculum analysis between Norway and Germany. The aim is to investigate the question: To what extent are outdoor education and friluftsliv included in Norwegian and German education curricula and how are they described? The secondary school is at the centre of the analysis, as this is a research desideratum in Germany regarding outdoor education. The analysis is intended to outline the status quo. Outdoor education in the Norwegian school system is thus seen as a kind of development aid for the German school system and curricula.