A Comparison of Outdoor Green and Indoor Education: Psycho-Environmental Impact on Kindergarten and Primary Schools Teachers

Abstract

This research aims to verify the effect of outdoor green teaching experiences on school affective qualities, perceived restorativeness, school climate, and global well-being in a sample of school teachers. A comparison was conducted between teachers who work mainly indoors and those who frequently run school activities outdoors in green spaces. A sample of kindergarten and primary school teachers working in different Italian regions (n = 209) filled in an online questionnaire including the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), the Perceived Restorativeness Scale (PRS-11), the Scale of Affective Qualities of Place, and the Revised School Level Environment Questionnaire (RSLEQ). Zero-order correlations, preliminary descriptive analyses of variance (ANOVAs) to compare teachers conducting Outdoor Education (vs. teachers conducting only or almost always indoor education), and structural equation modeling (SEM) were carried out on the measured variables. Results from ANOVAs evidenced that teachers conducting outdoor green education show higher levels of perceived affective qualities and restorativeness than teachers working mainly indoors. The model tested through SEM analysis showed that positive affective qualities attributed to the school are associated with higher levels of restorativeness and this, in turn, is linked to a more positive perception of social relationships at school, which increases life satisfaction. Overall, these outcomes support previous research demonstrating the beneficial psychological effects of nature experiences, also in the school environment.