Periodic Reporting for period 2 - OTTER (Outdoor Science Education for a Sustainable Future)
Reporting period: 2022-12-01 to 2024-02-29
Interest in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) subjects among young people is in decline, with students not choosing university studies in STEAM either because they do not see the relevance of science to their lives or they do not see themselves as future scientists. To tackle the problem of low interest in STEAM subjects at a time of high demand for scientists, researchers and policy makers have been pushing for introducing different types of science education through Education Outside the Classroom (EOC) methods, supported by an abundance of benefits that such contexts bring to students. Learning outside the classroom is not only learning in nature, but also about teaching and learning in different settings and environments. With the right educator, museums and heritage sites, adventure camps, streets and towns, farms and zoos can inspire and foster a new set of skills amongst students. The OTTER project aimed to make Education Outside the Classroom more popular. Together with passionate educators, we proved that our innovative approach brought about benefits for teachers' motivation, as well as helped students improve their scientific knowledge, get closer to STEAM subjects and become better citizens.
The OTTER project connected EOC experts from Finland, Hungary, Ireland and Spain, strengthening networks within Europe and building a foundation for the development of EOC pilot schemes within the four focus countries. The effects of these pilots on the performance of participating students, including their levels of sophisticated consumption and scientific citizenship, were analysed to better understand the effects of EOC on EU citizens. The pilots built upon the recent momentum in tackling environmental issues and helping to promote sophisticated consumption by incorporating a theme of reducing and managing plastic waste. The analysis also identified differences in the effect of the programmes on students from different geographical locations and of different genders, comparing those who participated in the EOC pilot schemes with students who only participated in formal education.
The OTTER project connected EOC experts from Finland, Hungary, Ireland and Spain, strengthening networks within Europe and building a foundation for the development of EOC pilot schemes within the four focus countries. The effects of these pilots on the performance of participating students, including their levels of sophisticated consumption and scientific citizenship, were analysed to better understand the effects of EOC on EU citizens. The pilots built upon the recent momentum in tackling environmental issues and helping to promote sophisticated consumption by incorporating a theme of reducing and managing plastic waste. The analysis also identified differences in the effect of the programmes on students from different geographical locations and of different genders, comparing those who participated in the EOC pilot schemes with students who only participated in formal education.
OTTER established a Hub that is easily accessible and understandable for our main target group – teachers, but also researchers and educators in general. All partners have been working on bringing experts on board and the platform will continue existing through another EU funded project and hopefully OST network. Numerous live events related to the platform showed a need for such a space to exist and encourage educators and professional to meet and discuss topics of EOC, sustainability, STEAM, etc. with all of their advantages and realistic obstacles. Our Hub is a community where knowledge, ideas and challenges are shared, setting the basis for inspiring new EOC activities and using the OTTER approach.
OTTER's main academic results include:
- a comprehensive literature review that was conducted to identify, organize, and synthesize previous empirical research into the impacts of EOC practices on students (aged 6–18 years) in terms of cognitive, effective, social/interpersonal, and physical/behavioral outcomes; gender and geographical differences in these impacts; methodologies for assessing impacts; and effective tools and practices used by EOC practitioners to achieve these positive impacts
- a detailed analysis of the data gathered from the pilot activities in 4 different countries, including a comparison of student performance across gender and geographical location variables. This thorough analysis is proving that students' engagement in the project activities increased their motivation to learn science. This was evidenced through enhanced relationships with peers and teachers, engagement in class activities and active participation in science-related projects.
- a robust EOC Quality Assurance Protocol (QAP), aiming to introduce a unifying mechanism alongside relevant processes for further improving and advancing the quality and standards relating to EOC Implementations, EOC Practitioners and EOC Institutions.
All of the valuable conclusions from these results will be transformed into scientific research papers and published in relevant science magazines, allowing for the researchers to further build on them.
OTTER also defined the methodology for the OTTER Outdoor Labs and adapted it to each country’s requirements. A monitoring and evaluation framework was also created in order to have a standardised approach to the implementation, design, targets, and coordination strategies for evaluating and monitoring the project. All of these efforts, after pilot implementation and feedback, resulted in the OTTER Learning Platform, an interactive tool aiming to provide support for teachers who want to further learn and implement the OTTER Lab approach. To cater the needs of target groups with varying levels of knowledge, we created beginners, intermediate and advanced courses on sustainability, step-by-step guidelines on how to implement the OTTER Outdoor Lab activities, how to connect EOC and sustainability topics, as well as plenty of good practice examples from various educational systems so that they could be applicable in the widest European context.
OTTER partners will continue exploiting the key results at an institutional level and through various sustainability and dissemination activities planned. The consortium is planning on applying to Horizon Results Booster with sister projects and prolong the life of our Hub through passing it on to a sister project, among other things.
OTTER's main academic results include:
- a comprehensive literature review that was conducted to identify, organize, and synthesize previous empirical research into the impacts of EOC practices on students (aged 6–18 years) in terms of cognitive, effective, social/interpersonal, and physical/behavioral outcomes; gender and geographical differences in these impacts; methodologies for assessing impacts; and effective tools and practices used by EOC practitioners to achieve these positive impacts
- a detailed analysis of the data gathered from the pilot activities in 4 different countries, including a comparison of student performance across gender and geographical location variables. This thorough analysis is proving that students' engagement in the project activities increased their motivation to learn science. This was evidenced through enhanced relationships with peers and teachers, engagement in class activities and active participation in science-related projects.
- a robust EOC Quality Assurance Protocol (QAP), aiming to introduce a unifying mechanism alongside relevant processes for further improving and advancing the quality and standards relating to EOC Implementations, EOC Practitioners and EOC Institutions.
All of the valuable conclusions from these results will be transformed into scientific research papers and published in relevant science magazines, allowing for the researchers to further build on them.
OTTER also defined the methodology for the OTTER Outdoor Labs and adapted it to each country’s requirements. A monitoring and evaluation framework was also created in order to have a standardised approach to the implementation, design, targets, and coordination strategies for evaluating and monitoring the project. All of these efforts, after pilot implementation and feedback, resulted in the OTTER Learning Platform, an interactive tool aiming to provide support for teachers who want to further learn and implement the OTTER Lab approach. To cater the needs of target groups with varying levels of knowledge, we created beginners, intermediate and advanced courses on sustainability, step-by-step guidelines on how to implement the OTTER Outdoor Lab activities, how to connect EOC and sustainability topics, as well as plenty of good practice examples from various educational systems so that they could be applicable in the widest European context.
OTTER partners will continue exploiting the key results at an institutional level and through various sustainability and dissemination activities planned. The consortium is planning on applying to Horizon Results Booster with sister projects and prolong the life of our Hub through passing it on to a sister project, among other things.
By exploring the existing literature, its impacts and good practices, OTTER drew conclusions on the main benefits and areas of improvement before designing its own methodology that aims to be universal and applicable in different geographical areas, subjects and sustainability challenges. This methodology is a result of the deep theoretical analysis of the state-of-the-art – extensive theoretical, as well as empirical research provided through regular contacts with experts and practitioners.
Our carefully designed OTTER Labs provided practical feedback on the methodology we created in the first part of the project. Cooperation with organisations outside of school, piloting EOC activities and an innovative approach to science learning through tackling plastic waste issues contributed to the understanding of EOC at the European level and in different school systems and cultures. OTTER analysed the effects of EOC on student performance, motivation and interest in STEAM subjects, helping to better define the effects of science education outside the regular education institutions.
This programme was made flexible so that educators in more or less rigid educational systems can utilise it, as proven by the OTTER pilots. The Learning Platform that we have and continue to heavily promote is the main practical result, enabling teachers and educators in general to create their own approach to EOC with a focus on sustainability. Also, quality standards and guidelines to accreditation of EOC present a pathway to policy and institutional changes that OTTER recommends. Creating accreditation in the broad European context is a challenge, however, our standards are aiming to be as universal as possible to make them broadly applicable, yet concrete enough to have a common ground on the quality of EOC implementation.
Our carefully designed OTTER Labs provided practical feedback on the methodology we created in the first part of the project. Cooperation with organisations outside of school, piloting EOC activities and an innovative approach to science learning through tackling plastic waste issues contributed to the understanding of EOC at the European level and in different school systems and cultures. OTTER analysed the effects of EOC on student performance, motivation and interest in STEAM subjects, helping to better define the effects of science education outside the regular education institutions.
This programme was made flexible so that educators in more or less rigid educational systems can utilise it, as proven by the OTTER pilots. The Learning Platform that we have and continue to heavily promote is the main practical result, enabling teachers and educators in general to create their own approach to EOC with a focus on sustainability. Also, quality standards and guidelines to accreditation of EOC present a pathway to policy and institutional changes that OTTER recommends. Creating accreditation in the broad European context is a challenge, however, our standards are aiming to be as universal as possible to make them broadly applicable, yet concrete enough to have a common ground on the quality of EOC implementation.