Chapter 13: Walking And Writing: Cross-Case Analysis of Secondary Literacy Lessons Held Outside

Outdoor education has been associated with improved student wellbeing in several ways, including academic performance and mental health. Research is often centered, however, in elementary grades or content classes such as science. Less research has focused on secondary school students and rarely has that research investigated the possible intersection of literacy and outdoor learning. This cross-case analysis of two English language arts classes in a public high school in Southeast, USA, employs affect theory to examine student journal entries and survey responses as evidence of student reactions to the change of classroom setting. Movement from the classroom to the outdoor learning space provided opportunity for relationship building, creating a second classroom (Campano, 2007) where students and teacher could build a trustworthy writing community. Students wrote about finding stress release in their walks and enjoying time with friends, but their responses revealed consequential differences in their attitudes toward nature, the complexity of their written responses, and the types of outdoor literacy events they found valuable.