Abstract
This study addresses a gap in our understanding of Forest Schools (FS) by providing a deeper insight into how FS activities are enacted by teachers within a primary school, how children perceive their experiences in the FS setting, and the challenges teachers face as they seek to embed FS activities into their everyday teaching practice. The research was guided by an interpretivist paradigm. Qualitative data was collected from the Northern Ireland Forest School Association (NIFSA) and two primary schools situated in Nl. From each school the Principal, one Key Stage 2 teacher, and the children from their class participated in the research.Observations and semi-structured interviews were the main methods of data collection. All data was analysed thematically.
Previous research has indicated that FS affords children many benefits (Murray, 2004; Murray and O'Brien, 2005; Borradaile, 2006). However, much of this research has been criticised for its descriptive nature and lack of conceptual framework (Smith et al, 2018; Waite et al, 2015). The findings from this study provide new knowledge regarding the benefits of learning in a FS setting, and how FS activities can facilitate a child's motivation to learn. Analysis of the data showed that participation in FS activities has the potential to fulfil a child's motivational need for autonomy, competence and relatedness, thus having positive consequences for health, well-being and a child's inherent interest in learning (Deci and Ryan, 2000: 68). It is proposed that future research use the Self-Determination Theory (SDT) (Deci & Ryan, 1985, 2000) to provide a theoretical framework for FS research, something that has been missing from the research evidence relating to FS. Providing empirical evidence to support claims that experiences in FS provide the conditions to foster children's intrinsic motivation to learn, by increasing their feelings of autonomy, competence and relatedness, provides a compelling argument for the inclusion of FS in primary school settings.
Another key theme that, constructed from the analysis of the data, was how a teacher's intention to embed FS activities can be challenged by both personal and external factors. Arguably, previous research has lacked an in-depth analysis of how teachers enact their FS activities (Knight, 2011; Slade et al, 2013), instead describing the barriers that may impact FS (Maynard et al, 2013; Passy, 2014; Waller, 2010). By focussing on the 'espoused values, contexts and observed practices' of FS (Waite and Davis, 2006:7), this study provides a new perspective of how neoliberal values appear to infiltrate and influence the enactment of FS activities. Analysis of the data showed that teachers are generally keen to engage with FS activities and recognise the potential educational benefits of FS. Flowever, observations of FS activities suggest that teachers are challenged in their endeavours by other prevailing and persuasive policy discourses that privilege a business model of education where only what is explicitly measured is deemed viable. Therefore, the findings from this study introduce new knowledge surrounding the challenges FS face and how neoliberal technologies influence a teacher's enactment of FS in a primary school.
| Date of Award | Dec 2019 |
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| Original language | English |
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| Supervisor | Caitlin Donnelly (Supervisor) |