A Systematic Review on Education Outside the Classroom: Lessons for Science EOC Practices

Abstract

The United Nations’ sustainable development goals highlight the importance of embracing our natural environment through action in education. In science education, it is therefore important to enhance our understanding of pedagogical approaches that promote Education Outside the Classroom (EOC). The aim of this systematic review is to investigate EOC methods and pedagogies and examine how they can help inform students’ acquisition of scientific knowledge and skills. In total, 157 full texts were read and considered for inclusion in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. The final review included 49 empirical studies that examined EOC research between 2012 and 2021 across all disciplines. Positive outcomes are reported regarding student learning, motivation, and enjoyment, which highlight the benefits and rationale for adopting such approaches to support learning. However, a lack of longitudinal data was evident regarding the impact of the EOC experiences. This review shows that the pedagogical models underpinning the approaches to EOC were not always explicit or clearly stated. In terms of the methodological considerations, a number of gaps emerged in relation to the reporting of geographical and gender differences. We offer recommendations to implement EOC in science education and suggest areas for future research.