Affordances of Outdoor Education in Iceland: How nature contributes to place-based experience, reflection and friendship

• Main Author: Þorsteinsson, Jakob Frímann
• Other Authors: Dr Jón Torfi Jónasson & Dr Gunnar Þór Jóhannesson, Faculty of Health Promotion, Sport and Leisure Studies (UI), Deild heilsueflingar, íþrótta og tómstunda (HÍ), Menntavísindasvið (HÍ), School of Education (UI), University of Iceland, Háskóli Íslands
• Format: Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Háskóli Íslands, Menntavísindasvið 2024
• Subjects: Nature; Place; Leisure; Experience; Outdoor education; Útikennsla; Náttúran; Útivist; Stuðlar; Iceland
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11815/4799

The study reported here is essentially in two parts. The principal part is five published papers, framed by a kappa that shows how they connect within the context of Outdoor Education. The research aims to explore different aspects of outdoor activities in Iceland and highlight some key factors that contribute to its educational value (thus making it Outdoor Education) and simultaneously place it in the context of children's outdoor life. I argue that nature itself takes precedence, but social interaction, personal experiences, place, and reflection are all key components that ensure that the outdoor activities become significant as Outdoor Education, which thus undoubtedly belongs in the realm of good education. The doctoral project as a whole sheds light on a range of Outdoor Education activities that can be found as vital components in leisure and schools, but notably also in tourism. The overarching concern of this study is to connect and answer three fundamental questions. The study starts from the question of what characterises the discourse about and within Outdoor Education in Iceland, in order to set the stage for an in-depth probing of the field, seen both in the Icelandic and international context. This led to two principal questions, which in turn gave rise to the specific research questions in the five research papers that underpin my study. The second question defines the principal focus of the study and thus the foci of three papers: How does Outdoor Experiential Education in Iceland value and explore issues of place, reflection and friendship in the context of nature? This emphasises that nature is a principal characteristic of the outdoor settings being studied and identifies the three principal dimensions emerging from the studies. The third question brings attention to the children themselves, by asking: How are the outdoor and travel behaviours of children impacted by social and health factors? Thus, the three questions ask and lead to exploration how some of these fundamental values of ...