Outdoor education in Ethiopian grade nine biology curriculum materials

The purpose of this study was to examine how outdoor learning activities are systematically and progressively integrated into the Ethiopian Grade nine biology curriculum materials. A desk review was conducted to assess the inclusion of outdoor learning across the key curriculum materials including the Ethiopian General Education Curriculum framework, the Grade nine Biology syllabus, the student’s textbook, and the teacher’s guide. The data gathered using the structured checklist was supported by content and thematic analysis as well as frequency descriptions. The findings indicate that the General Education curriculum framework was found to use terms such as field-based learning activities conducted both within and outside of the classroom. Similarly, the Grade nine biology teacher’s guide encourages educators to use both in-class and field-based activities. The student’s textbook incorporates activities for example field trip, field observation and the exchange of observations and reflections. However, only 14% (16/114) of the textbook activities were explicitly designed for outdoor learning, while 78% (89/114) could potentially be adapted or contextualized for outdoor use. The broad curriculum framework, which promotes outdoor learning; and the syllabus, which provides no guidance were found significantly out of alignment. Moreover, there were no activities that followed health and safety procedures. These findings reveal a pronounced policy-practice disconnect and insufficient structural guidance for effective outdoor education. The study recommends the systemic incorporation of clearly defined outdoor learning activities, explicit health and safety guidelines and stronger vertical alignment among curriculum materials and further research across additional grade levels of Ethiopian Biology education.