Between Systemic Integration and Fragmentation
Outdoor Education in Early Childhood Teacher Education in Europe
Abstract
Outdoor education is increasingly recognised as an important component of contemporary education, yet little is known about how it is institutionalised within teacher education, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe. This study examines the presence of outdoor education in Polish early childhood teacher education programmes and interprets the findings within the context of selected European models. A qualitative document analysis was conducted using curricula and course syllabi from selected public and private universities. The analysis included both explicit references to outdoor education and related content concerning experiential learning, environmental education, and field-based activities. The findings indicate that outdoor education is not established as a distinct component of teacher education but is represented primarily through dispersed curriculum content and teaching approaches. Three levels of curriculum integration were identified – formal, content, and methodological – with the latter two clearly predominating. Compared with Scandinavian models, the Polish approach remains fragmented and only weakly institutionalised. The study proposes an analytical framework for assessing the integration of outdoor education within teacher education programmes and contributes to the broader discussion on its institutionalisation.
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Source materials
The analysed source materials were collected from official university websites and Public Information Bulletins (BIP) (accessed: 30 March 2026).
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