Student motivation, enjoyment, and engagement are higher in natural learning settings, including spillover to subsequent indoor lessons¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · review r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2019 · checked against its sources 2026-10-16 (automated, 1 of 1 entry) · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Students and teachers report strikingly high levels of student engagement and motivation during nature activities, and learning in and around nature is associated with intrinsic motivation. → Kuo M 2019

Evidence¶

Kuo M 2019¶

Kuo M, Barnes M and Jordan C (2019) Do Experiences With Nature Promote Learning? Converging Evidence of a Cause-and-Effect Relationship. Front. Psychol. 10:305. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00305

q2 · i? · review · r2

The review reports that across prior reviews and recent studies, "students and teachers report strikingly high levels of student engagement and motivation" in nature activities, and that learning in and around nature is associated with intrinsic motivation, which is crucial for engagement and longevity of interest in learning.

"students and teachers report strikingly high levels of student engagement and motivation, during both student-elected and school-mandated nature activities"

Discussion¶

Learner Variables¶

• Motivation — outcome: instruction changes it
• Interest — outcome: instruction changes it
• Achievement Emotions — outcome: instruction changes it

Related Claims¶

• Nature exposure relieves stress in learners, including experimentally demonstrated reductions in heart rate and self-reported stress — related
• The article argues learning is a natural, enjoyable human process rather than one driven by pressure and anxiety — a broader claim this one bears on
• Autonomy, meaningful purpose, and interest improve intrinsic motivation and deeper processing — related
• Changing activities during lessons improves student attention during the activity and subsequent lecture segments — related