Exploring the Educational Potential of Green Grounds in Primary Schools and Kindergartens: A Pilot Study From the Selected Polish Cities

Abstract The increasing disconnection of children from nature is a growing concern for both sustainability education and child development. Green grounds of schools and kindergartens offer a promising way to counteract this trend by expanding opportunities for outdoor learning. This pilot study aims (1) to examine the natural and infrastructural characteristics of these grounds in municipal institutions and their relationship with the frequency of teachers’ outdoor practices, and (2) to test the reliability of the survey tools. An online questionnaire was sent to all municipal schools and kindergartens in three large Polish cities, with responses from 194 kindergartens and 154 primary schools (N = 348, average response rate = 59.7 %). Descriptive statistics, ANOVA, linear regression, and content analysis have been applied. Outdoor use is most frequent in kindergartens and early primary grades, especially among teachers of nature-related subjects, and least frequent among humanities and social science teachers. Regression has shown that infrastructural features have a stronger effect on use frequency than natural ones, yet together both indices explain only a small share of variance (11 % in schools, 4 % in kindergartens). Barriers signaled by respondents include limited funding and insufficient knowledge of how to conduct outdoor lessons. Reliability is high for use frequency, moderate for infrastructural diversity, and low for natural diversity, pointing to the need for refinement. The findings suggest that factors beyond grounds characteristics – such as teacher competences – play a significant role, highlighting the importance of linking investment in green grounds with teacher training and the integration of outdoor education into teacher education programs.