Substantial evidence exists to indicate that outdoor science education (OSE)—properly conceived, adequately planned, well taught, and effectively followed up—offers learners opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills in ways that add value to their everyday experiences in the classroom. Specifically, OSE can have a positive impact on long-term memory due to the memorable nature of the setting. Effective OSE, and residential experience in particular, can lead to individual growth and improvements in students’ social skills. More importantly, there can be reinforcement between the
This paper will review literature on learning science in K-8 classrooms by asking and answering three major questions: Who learns science in classrooms? How is science learned in classrooms? What science is learned in classrooms? These questions will be addressed from a sociocultural perspective, which means that the unit of analysis (both theoretically and methodologically) should include both the individual and the social world. Thus, the proposed connections between causes and outcomes must include contextual as well as psychological factors.