BODILY AND ECOLOGICAL APPROACHES TO INCLUSIVE AND SUSTAINABLE OUTDOOR EDUCATION

Vincenza Barra

Abstract


Outdoor education, viewed through an inclusive lens, highlights the body as a key lever to ensure accessibility and participation. The body acts as an epistemic and relational mediator, facilitating learning for all students, including those with disabilities. The article proposes pedagogical models based on UDL and ecological design, integrating nature and body to foster a transformative and sustainable pedagogy.


Full Text:

PDF

References


Bandura, A. (2001). Social cognitive theory: An agentic perspective. Annual Review of Psychology, 52(1), 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.52.1.1

Barra, V., & Corona, F. (2023). Outdoor education: Rethinking the body in learning environments. Giornale Italiano di Educazione alla Salute, Sport e Didattica Inclusiva, 7(1), 1–19.

Barra, V., & Todino, M. D. (2021). Outdoor education as a natural resource for embodied cognition in teaching practices. Giornale Italiano di Educazione alla Salute, Sport e Didattica Inclusiva, 3(1), 1–13.

Barsalou, L. W. (2008). Grounded cognition. Annual Review of Psychology, 59, 617–645. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.59.103006.093639

Beames, S., Higgins, P., & Nicol, R. (2012). Learning outside the classroom: Theory and guidelines for practice. Routledge.

Biesta, G. (2023). World-centered education: A view for the present. Routledge.

Bruwer, N. (2025). Inclusivity in outdoor education: Education in nature. All Means All.

Burke, K., Shogren, K., & Wehmeyer, M. (2024). Self-determination research: Current and future directions. Journal of Special Education.

CAST. (2018). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines Version 2.2. CAST. http://udlguidelines.cast.org

Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227–268. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327965PLI1104_01

Dewey, J. (1938). Experience and education. Macmillan.

Emirbayer, M., & Mische, A. (1998). What is agency? American Journal of Sociology, 103(4), 962–1023. https://doi.org/10.1086/231294

Faella, G., Capuano, M., & Ciaramella, A. (2025). Embodied learning and inclusive education: A scoping review. Frontiers in Education, 10, 1568744. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1568744

Gallagher, S. (2011). The Oxford handbook of the self. Oxford University Press.

Glenberg, A. M. (2010). Embodiment as a unifying perspective for psychology. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Cognitive Science, 1(4), 586–596. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcs.55

Gómez Paloma, F., Ascione, A., & Tafuri, D. (2017). Embodied cognition: Il ruolo del corpo nella didattica. Form@re - Open Journal per la formazione in rete, 17(2), 35–46. https://doi.org/10.13128/formare-21126

Goodley, D. (2016). Disability studies: An interdisciplinary introduction. SAGE.

Imms, C., Granlund, M., Wilson, P. H., Steenbergen, B., Rosenbaum, P. L., & Gordon, A. M. (2017). Participation, both a means and an end: A conceptual analysis of processes and outcomes in childhood disability. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 59(1), 16–25. https://doi.org/10.1111/dmcn.13237

Imrie, R. (1996). Disability and the city: International perspectives. Paul Chapman Publishing.

Kelly, J., Buckley, J., & Lieberman, L. (2022). Universal design for learning in outdoor education: Expanding access and participation. Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education, 25(2), 145–160. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42322-022-00096-z

Kudryavtsev, A., Stedman, R. C., & Krasny, M. E. (2012). Sense of place in environmental education. Environmental Education Research, 18(2), 229–250. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2011.609615

Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M. (1980). Metaphors we live by. University of Chicago Press.

Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge University Press.

Lehrman, J., Patel, S., & Hwang, Y. (2025). Embodied learning and immersive environments: New frontiers in inclusive outdoor education. Computers & Education, 207, 105913. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2025.105913

Louv, R. (2016). Last child in the woods: Saving our children from nature-deficit disorder. Algonquin Books.

Nairn, K. (1999). Embodied fieldwork. Geographical Research, 37(1), 97–106.

Neville, B., Petrass, L., & Ben, N. (2023). Cross-disciplinary teaching in outdoor learning environments. Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education, 26(1), 33–49. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42322-022-00109-x

O’Carroll, L. (2023). Pedagogical reflections on teacher practice in outdoor education. Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy, 28(6), 742–759. https://doi.org/10.1080/17408989.2023.2281918

O’Grady, M. (2023). Access to nature for people with disabilities: Barriers, challenges and opportunities. Policy Lab, Rutgers University.

Oliver, M. (1990). The politics of disablement. Macmillan.

Paparella, N. (2023). L’Io, il Tu e il Mondo: Ecologia della relazione e pedagogia del limite. Mimesis Edizioni.

Pulvermüller, F. (2005). Brain mechanisms linking language and action. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 6(7), 576–582. https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn1706

Rosa, H. (2015). Resonanz. Eine Soziologie der Weltbeziehung. Suhrkamp.

Sandseter, E. B. H., & Beames, S. (2020). Outdoor play, risky play and the inclusive classroom. Children, Youth and Environments, 30(2), 54–75.

Shogren, K., Burke, K., Antosh, A., & Wehmeyer, M. (2024). Longitudinal analysis of self-determination in students with disabilities. Children and Youth Services Review, 159, 107257. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2024.107257

Tancredi, A., Rossi, L., & Di Pietro, F. (2025). Getting up to SpEED: Special Education Embodied Design. Journal of Inclusive Education, 14(1), 45–62.

United Nations. (2015). Transforming our world: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda

Varela, F. J., Thompson, E., & Rosch, E. (1991). The embodied mind: Cognitive science and human experience. MIT Press.

Walton, E. (2025). Inclusive education and systemic change: Bernsteinian perspectives. International Journal of Inclusive Education.

Wilson, M. (2002). Six views of embodied cognition. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 9(4), 625–636. https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03196322

Zhang, W., Morris, D., & Lin, H. (2025). Tactile and adaptive interfaces for inclusive outdoor learning. British Journal of Educational Technology, 56(1), 88–105. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.13325

D.lgs. 13 dicembre 2024, n. 62. Disposizioni per la definizione e l’attuazione del Progetto di Vita per le persone con disabilità. Gazzetta Ufficiale della Repubblica Italiana.




DOI: https://doi.org/10.32043/gsd.v9i3.1642

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2025 ITALIAN JOURNAL OF HEALTH EDUCATION, SPORT AND INCLUSIVE DIDACTICS

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Italian Journal of Health Education, Sports and Inclusive Didactics 
ISSN printed: 2532-3296