Lärares syn på utomhusundervisning i närliggande grönområden : En kvalitativ intervjustudie om lågstadielärares syn på utomhusundervisning i biologiämnet

Sammanfattning: This study aims to showcase how primary school teachers for ages 7-9, view qualities of outdoor areas and how they perceive obstacles and opportunities with teaching the subject of Biology outdoors. The aim is also to contribute with knowledge of how elementary schools can make outdoor education more accessible. The data was collected by semi-structured interviews and was conducted with nine primary school teachers from four municipalities in Sweden. The thematic analysis of the interview shows that the teachers are positive towards outdoor education and its influence on pupils’ knowledge acquisition in Biology. Despite this, teachers tend to avoid using outdoor education because of the different challenges that comes with it. The results show that the teachers’ perception of the quality of outdoor areas as well as their didactic and subject knowledge, influenced their use of outdoor teaching in biology. We can use the teachers’ views on the outdoor educations’ possibilities and challenges to contribute with recommendations as to how the schools can support the use of outdoor education. This includes having enough personnel, possibilities for teachers to improve their competence in the area, outdoor classrooms and preserving outdoor areas.