English teaching outdoors – Student responses and attitudes towards outdoor EFL teaching

The purpose of this degree project is to address upper secondary outdoor language education. It explores upper secondary EFL students’ attitudes and responses towards the teaching of English outdoors. The research has been based on data from qualitative research methods with an action research approach: peer observation, a reflective diary and focus group interviews. Peer observation and the reflective diary was used to recover information on four upper secondary EFL classes’ responses towards being taught outdoors. Focus group interviews were conducted on two groups of students from two of the classes on their attitudes towards being taught in outdoor English. The results from the data gathering are discussed using secondary sources which can be connected to outdoor education, and the research establishes that the students responded negatively to the instructions during the classes, many of them were active while some did not do what they were supposed to, and hardly no English was spoken. Even though mostly negative results were found the interviewees were generally positive to be taught outdoors and enjoyed it more than receiving education indoors, but some of them were aware that they did not learn much English since they hardly used it. This research provides ideas for how the lessons can be improved and acts as inspiration for future outdoor ESL classes