Education Outside the Classroom in Aotearoa New Zealand – A Comprehensive National Study : Final Report

Abstract

Executive Summary: Education outside the Classroom (EOTC) has a long and rich history in Aotearoa New Zealand schools (Lynch, 2006), contributing positively to the lives of many young New Zealanders. The purpose of this study was to gain a contemporary and comprehensive understanding of what EOTC is currently occurring in schools across, the value that schools see in/ascribe to EOTC, and the various challenges and factors that influence the provision of EOTC. Data for the EOTC Comprehensive National Study was gathered from late 2017 throughout 2018 utilising a multiphase mixed methods research design. Data collection involved a national EOTC questionnaire (NEOTCQ) completed by school leaders and EOTC coordinators’ (n=523), specific EOTC inventories from a small sample of schools (n=23), and individual and focus group interviews with school leaders and teachers (n=28), students (n=140) and LEOTC providers (n=9). This executive summary provides a succinct overview of the key findings from the comprehensive final report. The summary comprises four key sections addressing: what schools are doing with EOTC, teacher and student perspectives on the value of EOTC, how school leaders and teachers view challenges associated with EOTC provision, and enablers of flourishing EOTC in schools.