Outdoor Education: An Evaluation in the Context of Preschool Education Program Materials

Abstract

The aim of the study is to determine the type of activity, area of development, subject, concepts and the manner in which the outdoors are positioned in the Integrated Family Support Education Guide (OBADER), the Activity Book (2013) and the Activity Book for Teachers (2018), which are the materials of the Preschool Education Program. A document review technique was used in the study, and the data were analyzed through the content analysis method. One of the 62 activities in OBADER (1.6%), five of the 40 activities in the Activity Book (12.5%) and 27 of the 340 activities in the Activity Book for Teachers (7.9%) were found to be outdoor activities. The fact that the Activity Books give a limited attention to outdoor activities is considered to show that the program does not emphasize teaching outdoors. Within the priority action plan, it will be appropriate to enrich the preschool education program and the practical materials with a greater number and variety of outdoor activities with the aim of guiding educators and developing attitudes in this process.