Integrate nature (greenspace) into schools to enhance students' mental, physical and social wellbeing¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 6 claims (6 for) · 1 study (1 review), q3 · 0 of 1 report an effect size · 6 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The review concludes that findings "support the integration of nature in schools to enhance the mental, physical and social wellbeing of children and adolescents". Implementable forms include outdoor learning in forests, school gardens, green schoolyard renovations, and nature walks or camps. Schools are "ideally placed to facilitate nature activities that students may not otherwise experience", and school greenspace "bridges the health equity gap" for students lacking greenspace access.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Interventions must be both nature-based (greenspace) and school-led, located inside or outside school grounds

Constraints¶

• Evidence is strongest for positive affect, physical activity and social relationships; pro-social behaviour effects were non-significant across studies

Target Learners¶

• school-going children and adolescents aged 5–19
• students from low-income urban neighbourhoods lacking greenspace

Target Learning Goals¶

• mental wellbeing
• physical activity
• social relationships and interactions

Affordances¶

• Art Srt Nature Restoration Theories

Claims¶

• 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 [+W]
• Greenspace schoolyards improve students' social interactions and relationships, but not pro-social behaviour [+W]
• Greenspace schoolyards increase students' physical activity in most studies, with effects persisting at 16-month follow-up [+W]
• Outdoor learning in nature significantly increases students' physical activity in most studies, with some null results [+W]
• Outdoor learning in nature reduces student stress (cortisol decline), but stress-restoration findings are mixed by measure and age [+W]
• School-led nature interventions increase positive affect in school students, though not in all studies [+W]

Related Strategies¶

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• 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