Teacher training students’ perception of outdoor activities and their applicability in school centers [Percepción de los estudiantes de magisterio sobre las actividades en el medio natural y su aplicabilidad en los centros escolares]

Teachers’ perception of insufficient training is one of the reasons why outdoor activities are not carried out properly in some schools. The aim of this qualitative study was to know the opinion of future teachers about this content. A total of 62 students (34 men and 28 women; 22.74±1.57 years) from the Degree in Primary School Education from a Spanish university participated voluntarily. To collect data, practice diaries were employed, completed at the end of the different work contents. A content analysis of the 477 journals delivered through the software NVivo 12-Plus programme was carried out. Previously, a category system defined by two dimensions was established: Firstly, the sensations aroused by the practice of outdoor activities; secondly, their possible replicability in a Primary School classroom. In the first dimension, references to the emotional and social facets dominated. In the second one, the perception of an improvement in professional performance and the intention of replicating it due to its high educational value, as well as the limitations to its applicability in schools were remarkable. It can be concluded that initial training should focus more on finding solutions to the limitations encountered by students. © 2021, Universidad Catolica San Antonio Murcia. All rights reserved. la opinión de los futuros maestros sobre este contenido. Participaron voluntariamente un total de 62 estudiantes (34 hombres, 28 mujeres; 22.74±1.57 años) del Grado de Magisterio en Educación Primaria de una universidad española. Para la recogida de datos se utilizaron diarios de prácticas, completados al finalizar los diferentes contenidos de trabajo. Se realizó un análisis de contenido de 477 diarios mediante el programa informático NVivo 12-Plus. Previamente, se estableció un sistema de categorías definido por dos dimensiones: primero, las sensaciones que suscita la práctica de actividades en el medio natural; segundo, su posible replicabilidad en un aula de Educación Primaria. En la primera dimensión, predominaron las referencias sobre las facetas emocional y social. En la segunda, destacaron tanto la percepción de una mejora en el desempeño profesional y la intención de réplica por su alto valor educativo como las limitaciones para su aplicabilidad en la escuela. Se puede concluir que la formación inicial debería incidir más en la búsqueda de soluciones a las limitaciones encontradas por los estudiantes