RecruitingNot ApplicableNCT07147634

Outdoor Science Education and Child Well-being in Primary Schools: Protocol for a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial on Learning, Connection to Nature, Eco-anxiety, and Stress


Sponsor

Université de Sherbrooke

Enrollment

1,000 participants

Start Date

Sep 2, 2025

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Conditions

Summary

The goal of this randomized controlled trial is to learn if an outdoor science education intervention can improve primary school students' learning and well-being when compared to an indoor classroom-based science education intervention. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Will students who engage in outdoor science learning produce higher-quality observations of living organisms than students who receive instruction exclusively in an indoor, classroom-based context, when both groups are invited to make observations in an unfamiliar natural environment? * Does an outdoor education intervention embedded within the science curriculum contribute to children's connection to nature, eco-anxiety and stress? Participants will: * Receive a science education intervention 2h/week for a total of 5 weeks, either indoors or outdoors * Answer questionnaires before and after the intervention * Participate in a field day-trip after the intervention where they will be asked to observe living organisms.


Eligibility

Plain Language Summary

Simplified for easier understanding

This study is examining whether outdoor science education programs in primary schools improve children's wellbeing, connection to nature, and eco-anxiety levels. It is a school-based study aimed at teachers and students in the greater Montreal area. **You may be eligible if...** - You are a 5th or 6th grade teacher in a French-language school in Montreal, Longueuil, or Laval (Quebec) - Your school has at least two teachers interested in participating - Your school has a deprivation index of 1 or higher - You have an interest in outdoor education (prior experience is not required) **You may NOT be eligible if...** - Your school is an alternative school - Your school primarily serves recently arrived non-Francophone students Talk to your doctor to see if this trial is right for you.

This is a simplified summary. Always discuss eligibility with your doctor before enrolling in a clinical trial.

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Interventions

BEHAVIORALOutdoor science education

Following Québec's mandatory curriculum, primary school teachers will provide life science lessons 2h/week for a total of 5 weeks in an outdoor setting

BEHAVIORALIndoor classroom-based science education

Following Québec's mandatory curriculum, primary school teachers will provide life science lessons 2h/week for a total of 5 weeks inside the classroom


Locations(1)

Greater Montreal area (Laval, Longueuil, Montreal)

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

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NCT07147634


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