Outdoor learning in urban schools: Effects on 4–5 year old children's noise and physiological stress
Article
Goldenberg, G., Atkinson, M., Dubiel, J. and Wass, S. 2024. Outdoor learning in urban schools: Effects on 4–5 year old children's noise and physiological stress. Journal of Environmental Psychology. 97 (Art. 102362). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2024.102362
Authors | Goldenberg, G., Atkinson, M., Dubiel, J. and Wass, S. |
---|---|
Abstract | Natural outdoor environments reduce physiological stress. But in an urban school context, does outdoor learning still have beneficial effects even where nature exposure is more limited? The current, pre-registered study used wearable devices including heart rate monitors and actigraphs to examine physiological stress in 4–5 year old children across 8 matched indoor and outdoor sessions (N = 76 children, N = 601 sessions in total). Results revealed that children's resting heart rates while seated and listening to a teacher were significantly lower when outside compared to indoors (p < 0.001, d = 0.512). Children also moved more while seated during indoor sessions (p < 0.001, d = 0.546). Despite activities and resources being matched across conditions, outdoor learning sessions were significantly quieter than indoor ones, both when children were seated, listening to a teacher (p = 0.004, d = −0.455) and when actively engaged in play and learning activities (p < 0.001, d = 1.064). There was a significant positive correlation between noise levels and resting heart rate in the indoor condition (r(97) = 0.364, p < 0.001) but not in the outdoor condition. These findings suggest that learning outdoors, even in urban settings, associates with lower physiological stress in children and that this effect may partly be due to reduced noise. The fact that noise associates with resting heart rate indoors but not outdoors may indicate that being outside buffers children against the stressful effects of excess noise. |
Journal | Journal of Environmental Psychology |
Journal citation | 97 (Art. 102362) |
ISSN | 0272-4944 |
1522-9610 | |
Year | 2024 |
Publisher | Elsevier |
Publisher's version | License File Access Level Anyone |
Supplemental file | License File Access Level Anyone |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2024.102362 |
Publication dates | |
Online | 15 Jun 2024 |
Aug 2024 | |
Publication process dates | |
Accepted | 13 Jul 2024 |
Deposited | 16 Jul 2024 |
Funder | Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) |
University of East London | |
Newham Learning | |
European Union Horizon 2020 | |
Copyright holder | © 2024, The Author(s) |
https://repository.uel.ac.uk/item/8y025
Download files
Publisher's version
1-s2.0-S027249442400135X-main.pdf | ||
License: CC BY 4.0 | ||
File access level: Anyone |
Supplemental file
1-s2.0-S027249442400135X-mmc1.pdf | ||
License: CC BY 4.0 | ||
File access level: Anyone |
69
total views29
total downloads4
views this month0
downloads this month