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Open research questions in Outdoor and Experiential Education

270 gap statements mined from Outdoor and Experiential Education papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 2,257 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.

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What the literature leaves open

  • The need for further research into effective practices and frameworks, as well as deep and frank discussion, was echoed by Kelly et al. This need for a coordinated response was also raised by Aylward and Mitten (2022), who argued that collaboration is warranted to increase inclusion in the field of outdoor learning.

    Theorising Universal Design for Learning to Create More Inclusive Outdoor Play Spaces: A Preliminary Review · 2025 · DOI

  • The finding that caregiver engagement is an important factor in the outcomes of adolescent WT is compelling and merits further exploration. Future research should explore which family therapy interventions have the greatest effect on outcomes. Such research could help to define best practices in caregiver engagement and family therapeutic work in adolescent out-of-home treatment.

    Does Caregiver Engagement Predict Outcomes of Adolescent Wilderness Therapy? · 2025 · DOI

  • Future research should examine longitudinal integration of virtual components within hybrid experiential models and evaluate their impact on competency development, particularly in domains requiring interprofessional immersion and direct patient engagement.

    Readiness for virtual experiential education: A qualitative study of PharmD students and faculty preceptor perspectives in a postgraduate program · 2026 · DOI

  • Holistically, if we want to enhance the cognitive and developmental growth of our children, the provision of measured risk taking is warranted.

    Risky Play Is Not a Dirty Word: A Tool to Measure Benefit–Risk in Outdoor Playgrounds and Educational Settings · 2025 · DOI

  • Walking pedagogy, sometimes referred to as walking curriculum or walking collaboratories, is an understudied form of nature-based learning that involves using walks (or other forms of journeying) for educational purposes.

    Moving towards inclusion and connection: practitioners’ conceptualisations of walking pedagogy · 2025 · DOI

  • There is a paucity of data concerning the lived-body experiences of women age 50 and over. Much of the knowledge concerning women and immersive wilderness recreation has been drawn from the perspective of a younger demographic.

    Post-Menopausal Women Speak Out: A Study Examining Generational Attitudes and Barriers to Wilderness Engagement · 2026 · DOI

  • The integration of outdoor learning into early childhood education remains limited. There is a need to address emotional and motivational processes within teacher education programs to support the adoption of outdoor learning methodologies.

    Transforming preservice teachers’ emotions and appraisals on outdoor learning in early childhood education · 2026 · DOI

  • The challenge of promoting early brain development in a modern world with limited exposure to natural environments. The challenge of strengthening parenting skills in a modern world with limited support for parents and caregivers.

    OWL babies: The impact of an outdoor learning programme on early brain development and parenting skills · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research can explore the interplay between the motivations and the elements of Self-Determination Theory in more depth. Further studies can investigate the impact of outdoor learning on student outcomes.

    Embracing nature’s classroom: Understanding educators’ intrinsic motivation for outdoor learning and play through self-study · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a gap in understanding educators' motivations for delivering high-quality outdoor learning experiences. Prior research has highlighted the benefits of outdoor learning, but the motivations behind it are not well understood.

    Embracing nature’s classroom: Understanding educators’ intrinsic motivation for outdoor learning and play through self-study · 2026 · DOI

  • Further research should investigate how leaders and educators in outdoor education programs can be supported and motivated to use neurodiversity-affirming models. In this case, strong leadership commitment and proactive collaboration were central to the training’s success.

    Bridging neurodiversity and nature: a case study on inclusive training for outdoor educators · 2026 · DOI

  • The author identifies a gap in outdoor education, where the field has not fully acknowledged or addressed the impact of Canada's colonial history on Indigenous Peoples and land. The author recognizes that reconciliation in outdoor education is not a new idea, but there is still a need for guidance on how to create purposeful encounters that acknowledge, examine, and challenge dominant colonial discourses.

    Experience, re-experience, and experience back: a developing pathway for reconciliation in outdoor education · 2026 · DOI

  • The current education system is test-dominant, leaving a gap for alternative approaches to education. There is a need for studies on the long-term influence of Sit Spot on students' holistic well-being.

    Slow education, Sit Spot, and holistic well-being: A narrative case study in secondary science education · 2026 · DOI

  • An anti-oppressive framework is needed to address these challenges. The development of such a framework requires drawing on concepts from various disciplines.

    Empowering from the Start: Building an Anti-Oppressive Framework for Outdoor Experiential Education · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research should explore the impact of risky outdoor play on the development of toddlers with developmental delays or disabilities. Future research should examine the effectiveness of equity-focused and disability-informed strategies to promote developmentally meaningful outdoor play experiences.

    A Risk Worth Taking? Caregiver Perspectives on Risky Outdoor Play for Toddlers with Developmental Disabilities in an Urban U.S. Setting · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a lack of evidence on the design of adventure learning and its impact on children's cognitive skills and social and emotional learning. The study identifies a gap in the understanding of how adventure learning can be used to promote improved peer relationships, help repair broken student-teacher relationships, and engage disengaged learners.

    Flourishing through adventure learning: A (semi)cautionary tale · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of a comprehensive framework to guide the design of experiential learning opportunities. The need for a theory-informed approach to experiential learning. The requirement for a user-friendly tool to support educators in creating effective experiential learning opportunities.

    A theoretical framework for experiential learning: Creating Active Knowledge Experiences (CAKE) · 2026 · DOI

  • However, the 10 papers found in this scoping review show that despite scarce research in this area, there is an interest in increasing inclusion in outdoor play.

    Theorising Universal Design for Learning to Create More Inclusive Outdoor Play Spaces: A Preliminary Review · 2025 · DOI

  • Limited to participants who volunteered to participate in the research.

    OWL babies: The impact of an outdoor learning programme on early brain development and parenting skills · 2026 · DOI

  • Given that some acquisition-oriented, place-oriented and experience-oriented interventions point to benefits in reading, writing, social studies and mathematics (with contradictory results for this discipline), the whole being corroborated by a number of qualitative studies not included in this article…

    The Effects of Outdoor Teaching on Academic Achievement and Its Associated Factors—A Scoping Review · 2025 · DOI

  • Intervention studies targeting educator and parental attitudes yielded mixed results.

    Risky Outdoor Play and Adventure Education in Nature for Child and Adolescent Wellbeing: A Scoping Review · 2025 · DOI

  • This is a scarcely researched area, yet it is a topic of importance given the ever…

    Exploring the Transformational Role of Regular Nature-Based Adventure Activity Engagement in Mental Health and Long-Term Eudaimonic Well-Being · 2025 · DOI

  • This narrative review synthesised the evidence of the types of preparations students undergo before their OE programs, identifying a gap in the literature in this area.

    Are they ready? A narrative literature review of pre-program physical and social-emotional preparation for adolescent outdoor education participants · 2026 · DOI

  • Further study on the influence of parents and children on each other's camp experiences - Research on the effectiveness of camps in building strong relationships with parents…

    Unpacking Parent Perspectives on Summer Camp: An Explanatory Sequential Mixed-Methods Approach · 2026 · DOI

  • The fast-changing social, technological, and professional environment - The need for learners to develop various competencies - The limitations of traditional educational…

    Experiential Learning: Empowering Learners With 21st-Century Skills · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Outdoor and Experiential Education

Most recent work

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Open questions raised by papers listed on this page include: (1) There is a paucity of data concerning the lived-body experiences of women age 50 and over (“Post-Menopausal Women Speak Out: A Study Examining Generational Attitudes and…”, 2026); (2) The integration of outdoor learning into early childhood education remains limited (“Transforming preservice teachers’ emotions and appraisals on outdoor learning…”, 2026); (3) Future research can explore the interplay between the motivations and the elements of Self-Determination Theory in more depth (“Embracing nature’s classroom: Understanding educators’ intrinsic motivation for…”, 2026); (4) Further research should investigate how leaders and educators in outdoor education programs can be supported and motivated to use neurodiversity-affirming models (“Bridging neurodiversity and nature: a case study on inclusive training for…”, 2026); (5) There is a need for studies on the long-term influence of Sit Spot on students' holistic well-being (“Slow education, Sit Spot, and holistic well-being: A narrative case study in…”, 2026). 270 gap statements have been mined from Outdoor and Experiential Education papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 2,257 papers on the topic; the gaps come from whichever of those papers state one. They are mostly the research gaps the authors state and the papers' abstracts, plus future-work, limitations and challenges passages. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one, so you can read the original claim in context.

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