Outdoor learning in nature reduces student stress (cortisol decline), but stress-restoration findings are mixed by measure and age¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · reviewr3·q3
Currency · newest study 2024 · checked against its sources 2026-10-21 (automated, 2 of 2 entries) · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
the rigour judged within that kind: what each code means.
This claim: no standardized effect is recorded in observations/ for it yet, so no benchmark reading is possible.
q3 i? Students in outdoor forest learning showed significantly greater cortisol decline across the school day than controls, but heart rate and blood pressure showed no significant greenspace effect in adolescents. → Vi Ly · Dianne A. Vella-Brodrick 2024
Evidence¶
Vi Ly · Dianne A. Vella-Brodrick 2024¶
Vi Ly · Dianne A. Vella-Brodrick. (2024). Effects of School-led Greenspace Interventions on Mental, Physical and Social Wellbeing in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09963-1
q3 · i? · review · r3
The review reports Dettweiler et al.'s quasi-experimental study found "a significant decline in stress for 37 primary school students engaged in outdoor learning in a forest" versus 11 controls, using salivary cortisol. No effect size is printed.
"Dettweiler et al. (2017) found a significant decline in stress for 37 primary school students engaged in outdoor learning in a forest, compared to 11 students in traditional indoor classrooms, measured using salivary cortisol."
Vi Ly · Dianne A. Vella-Brodrick 2024 (2)¶
Vi Ly · Dianne A. Vella-Brodrick. (2024). Effects of School-led Greenspace Interventions on Mental, Physical and Social Wellbeing in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review. Educational Psychology Review. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09963-1
q3 · i? · review · r3
The review reports a null result from Greenwood and Gatersleben's RCT with 120 secondary students: "a non-significant difference between relaxing in the school greenspace and an indoor room" on stress restoration measured by heart rate and blood pressure.
"Greenwood and Gatersleben (2016) found a non-significant difference between relaxing in the school greenspace and an indoor room, on secondary-school students' stress restoration, as measured by heart rate and blood pressure levels."
Discussion¶
Learner Variables¶
- Affect Regulation — outcome: instruction changes it
Related Claims¶
- Forest preschool attendance is associated with higher nature connectedness on some measures, with no significant changes in environmentally responsible behaviors — related
- The wellbeing effects of school-led nature interventions show a gender effect, with girls benefiting in PA in some studies, but inconclusive findings for age — related
- Outdoor learning in nature significantly increases students' physical activity in most studies, with some null results — related
- Nature exposure relieves stress in learners, including experimentally demonstrated reductions in heart rate and self-reported stress — related
- The TSST-G stress induction increased negative affect and cortisol relative to control — related
- Effects of nature exposure on divergent thinking are mixed: five of eight reviewed studies showed significant effects while others found null or partial effects — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
outdoor-learning-reduces-student-stress-cortisol |
title |
Outdoor learning in nature reduces student stress (cortisol decline), but stress-restoration findings are mixed by measure and age |
description |
Outdoor learning in nature reduces student stress (cortisol decline), but stress-restoration findings are mixed by measure and age |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
mixed |
newest_evidence |
2024 |
source_checked |
2026-10-21 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-21 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
2 — vi-ly-dianne-a-vella-brodrick-2024, vi-ly-dianne-a-vella-brodrick-2024-2 |
Frontmatter is the page's machine-readable record — see the Schema & Guide.