Exploring the Beliefs Regarding the Importance of Students’ Outdoor Play and Cold Weather among Formal and Non-formal Educational Communities of Northeast Minnesota

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to describe formal administrators, non-formal environmental education (EE) administrators, formal educators, and non-formal EE educators’ beliefs regarding the importance of students’ outdoor play, as well as their beliefs toward cold weather. This research also explored the degree to which participant groups’ beliefs regarding the importance of students’ outdoor play and their professional, cognitive beliefs toward cold weather were related. Using online survey research, this descriptive study found both formal and non-formal EE educational communities to have overall, positive beliefs toward the importance of students’ outdoor play, however, significant differences emerged between educational settings’ beliefs toward cold weather. Results from this study point toward differences between the cultures of institution in formal and non-formal EE, and invite discussion for possible implications on students’ opportunities for outdoor play in cold weather. Strategies for educational gatekeepers were also presented to support students’ opportunities for outdoor play in cold weather, fostering year-round well-being and resilience. Avenues for future research were also noted.