‘It was like that they were more equal outside.’ : teachers’ perception of experiences, benefits and challenges of inclusive outdoor education.

Abstract: Inclusion presents a task to school education: creating truly inclusive learning setting, the perseverance of segregated educational practices, and the contrary opinions of teachers and parents about the appropriateness of those educational settings. Outdoor education offers an alternative setting for learning. Experiential learning is the focus here. Studies show that outdoor learning can have a positive impact on learning. In addition, individual studies also illustrate positive effects on individual support needs. In contrast, this study explores teachers' experiences in inclusive outdoor education and does not focus on a single support need. Perceived benefits and challenges are analyzed and interpreted to form foundations for theory and practice for future inclusive outdoor education. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. 8 interviews with 9 teachers from Denmark, Sweden and Ireland were conducted. A common understanding of the concepts of inclusion and outdoor education and therefore inclusive outdoor education has been found. Even though it is only a small sample of 9 teachers, it can be stated that the benefits mentioned outweigh the challenges: More and varied benefits are mentioned. Benefits could be found in the following areas: well-being, inclusion, learning and calming. Challenges were found in the areas of external circumstances, pedagogical challenges and challenges within the student. The findings of the study are partly in line with previous studies, but also complement them by the specialfocus on general inclusion.