The Impact of Participation in an Outdoor Education Program on Physical Education Teacher Education Student Self-Efficacy to Teach Outdoor Education

Purpose : Self-efficacy, having been identified as a factor influencing teacher effectiveness, combined with the increased prevalence of outdoor education (OE) content being taught within physical education contexts, warrants the need for physical education teacher education (PETE) programs to address OE outcomes. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine if participation in an OE program increased self-efficacy to teach OE among PETE students. Methods : PETE students ( N = 95) were taught OE content in multiple residential environments and were evaluated using the “Survey of Self-efficacy for Teaching Outdoor Education.” Results : Results indicated a significant increase in self-efficacy scores from pretest to posttest in all content areas (OE skills, group dynamic skills, and models and theories). Overall, the OE program had a large effect in changing self-efficacy scores. Conclusion : Participation in the program positively affected PETE students’ self-efficacy for teaching OE, which may improve their ability to ultimately teach this content in physical education settings.