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

NCT07147634 | Recruiting

• 2 other identifiers: 2023-3453435-2022-0651
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 1,000
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief 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.

Conditions

Healthy Children

Keywords

Stress; School-Based Intervention; Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial; Primary School; Connection to Nature; Eco-anxiety; Science Learning; Outdoor Education

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Score on the Scientific Observation Skills Rubric (0-15) in a Novel Environmental Context

  Students' scientific observation skills will be assessed using a structured observation rubric designed for elementary science education. After the 5-week intervention, each student will spend one day in a new environmental context (field activity at the end of October). Students will be asked to make a total of five oral observations of living organisms in this setting. Independent raters, trained in the use of the rubric, will evaluate the quality of each scientific observation using a four-level scoring framework, with scores ranging from 0 (lowest) to 3 (highest quality of scientific observation). The total score will range from 0 to 15, with higher scores indicating stronger scientific observation skills. Inter-rater agreement will be monitored to ensure reliability.

  After the 5-week intervention has ended, students will spend one day in a new environmental context (at the end of October) in order to make observations

Secondary Outcomes (4)

• Connection to nature - Score on the Inclusion of Nature in Self Scale (0-7)

  At baseline and immediately after the 5-week intervention has ended

• Score on the Perceived Stress Scale for Children (PSS-C; range 0-39)

  At baseline and immediately after the 5-week intervention has ended

• Score on the 11-item Hogg Eco-Anxiety Scale (HEAS-13; range 0-33)

  At baseline and immediately after the 5-week intervention has ended

• Score on the Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction Scale - School Version (range 0-36)

  Baseline and immediately after the 5-week intervention

Study Arms (2)

Outdoor science education

EXPERIMENTAL

2h of outdoor science education intervention per week for a total of 5 weeks (following Québec's mandatory curriculum)

Behavioral: Outdoor science education

Indoor classroom-based science education

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

2h of indoor science education intervention per week for a total of 5 weeks (following Québec's mandatory curriculum)

Behavioral: Indoor classroom-based science education

Interventions

Indoor classroom-based science education BEHAVIORAL

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

Indoor classroom-based science education

Outdoor science education BEHAVIORAL

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

Outdoor science education

Eligibility Criteria

• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17), Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Primary schools need to have a deprivation index equal to or superior to 1 (with 10 being the maximum) and be located in Montreal, Longueuil or Laval (QC).
• Teachers have to show some interest in outdoor education but are not obliged to have already done some before in order to be included.
• Only 5th and 6th grade teachers are included.
• Primary schools with two teachers interested in participating in the project.

You may not qualify if:

• Alternative schools or those welcoming recently arrived non-Francophone students are not included.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Université de Sherbrooke: lead

Study Sites (1)

Greater Montreal area (Laval, Longueuil, Montreal)

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

RECRUITING

Study Officials

• Jean-Philippe Ayotte-Beaudet, PhD

  Université de Sherbrooke

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Central Study Contacts

Gabriela Quintela Do Carmo

CONTACT

803-477-7554; quig1988@usherbrooke.ca

Jean-Philippe Ayotte-Beaudet

CONTACT

514-999-6647; jean-philippe.ayotte-beaudet@usherbrooke.ca

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Professor

Model Details: The science education intervention consists of teaching Québec's mandatory science curriculum, focusing on life science topics and issues.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 15, 2025
• First Posted: August 29, 2025
• Study Start: September 2, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): November 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): November 1, 2026
• Last Updated: December 31, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-12

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

CA (1)