Healthy ChildrenBio-ExploNCT07147634
Outdoor Science Education and Child Well-being in Primary Schools: Protocol for a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial on Learning, Connection to Nature, Eco-anxiety, and Stress
A study testing Outdoor science education and Indoor classroom-based science education in people with Healthy Children, run by Université de Sherbrooke at 1 site in Canada.
Trial summary
The goal of this randomized controlled trial is to learn if an outdoor science education intervention can improve primary school students' learning and well-being when compared to an indoor classroom-based science education intervention. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Any ageHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Healthy Children
- What is being tested?
- Outdoor science education and Indoor classroom-based science education
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 1,000 participants
- Where
- 1 siteCanada
- Study dates
- 2 Sep 2025to Nov 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages Any age
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Primary schools need to have a deprivation index equal to or superior to 1 (with 10 being the maximum) and be located in Montreal, Longueuil or Laval (QC).
- Teachers have to show some interest in outdoor education but are not obliged to have already done some before in order to be included.
- Only 5th and 6th grade teachers are included.
- Primary schools with two teachers interested in participating in the project.
Who cannot join
- Alternative schools or those welcoming recently arrived non-Francophone students are not included.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Canada1 site, 1 recruiting
- Recruiting
Greater Montreal area (Laval, Longueuil, Montreal)
Montreal, Quebec
Gabriela Quintela Do Carmo, 803-477-7554, quig1988@usherbrooke.ca
About this study
The goal of this randomized controlled trial is to learn if an outdoor science education intervention can improve primary school students' learning and well-being when compared to an indoor classroom-based science education intervention. The main questions it aims to answer are:
- Will students who engage in outdoor science learning produce higher-quality observations of living organisms than students who receive instruction exclusively in an indoor, classroom-based context, when both groups are invited to make observations in an unfamiliar natural environment?
- Does an outdoor education intervention embedded within the science curriculum contribute to children's connection to nature, eco-anxiety and stress?
Read more
Participants will:
- Receive a science education intervention 2h/week for a total of 5 weeks, either indoors or outdoors
- Answer questionnaires before and after the intervention
- Participate in a field day-trip after the intervention where they will be asked to observe living organisms.
- Conditions
- Healthy Children
- Being tested
- Outdoor science education, Indoor classroom-based science education
- Keywords
- Stress, School-Based Intervention, Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial, Primary School, Connection to Nature, Eco-anxiety, Science Learning, Outdoor Education
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Outdoor science educationBehavioural
Following Québec's mandatory curriculum, primary school teachers will provide life science lessons 2h/week for a total of 5 weeks in an outdoor setting
Indoor classroom-based science educationBehavioural
Following Québec's mandatory curriculum, primary school teachers will provide life science lessons 2h/week for a total of 5 weeks inside the classroom
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor science education | Experimental | 2h of outdoor science education intervention per week for a total of 5 weeks (following Québec's mandatory curriculum) Receives: Behavioral: Outdoor science education |
| Indoor classroom-based science education | Active comparator | 2h of indoor science education intervention per week for a total of 5 weeks (following Québec's mandatory curriculum) Receives: Behavioral: Indoor classroom-based science education |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Score on the Scientific Observation Skills Rubric (0-15) in a Novel Environmental Context
Students' scientific observation skills will be assessed using a structured observation rubric designed for elementary science education. After the 5-week intervention, each student will spend one day in a new environmental context (field activity at the end of October). Students will be asked to make a total of five oral observations of living organisms in this setting. Independent raters, trained in the use of the rubric, will evaluate the quality of each scientific observation using a four-level scoring framework, with scores ranging from 0 (lowest) to 3 (highest quality of scientific observation). The total score will range from 0 to 15, with higher scores indicating stronger scientific observation skills. Inter-rater agreement will be monitored to ensure reliability.
Measured: After the 5-week intervention has ended, students will spend one day in a new environmental context (at the end of October) in order to make observations
Secondary outcomes (4)
Connection to nature - Score on the Inclusion of Nature in Self Scale (0-7)
Students' connection to nature will be assessed using the Inclusion of Nature in Self Scale (Schultz, 2001, as used in Braun \& Dierkes, 2016), a validated 1-item self-report questionnaire appropriate for culturally and ethnically diverse samples of children. The item is rated on a 7-point scale (1 = nature and self do not overlap at all to 7 = nature and self completely overlap). The total score ranges from 0 to 7, with higher scores indicating a stronger subjective connection to nature. The Inclusion of Nature in Self Scale will be administered at baseline and again immediately after the 5-week intervention.
Measured: At baseline and immediately after the 5-week intervention has ended
Score on the Perceived Stress Scale for Children (PSS-C; range 0-39)
Students' perceived stress will be assessed using the Perceived Stress Scale for Children (PSS-C), which is a standardized 13-item self-report questionnaire previously tested on a sample of Canadian children (White, 2014). Each item is rated on a 4-point Likert scale (0 = never to 3 = a lot). Scores are summed to produce a total ranging from 0 to 39, with higher scores indicating greater perceived stress. The questionnaire will be administered in class at baseline and immediately after the 5-week intervention.
Measured: At baseline and immediately after the 5-week intervention has ended
Score on the 11-item Hogg Eco-Anxiety Scale (HEAS-13; range 0-33)
Students' eco-anxiety will be assessed using the Hogg Eco-Anxiety Scale (HEAS-13; Hogg et al., 2021), a validated 11-item self-report questionnaire. Each item is rated on a 4-point Likert scale (0 = never to 3 = almost every day). Scores are summed to produce a total ranging from 0 to 33, with higher scores indicating greater subjective feelings of eco-anxiety. The HEAS-13 will be administered in class at baseline and immediately after the 5-week intervention.
Measured: At baseline and immediately after the 5-week intervention has ended
Score on the Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction Scale - School Version (range 0-36)
Students' satisfaction of the three basic psychological needs identified by Self-Determination Theory (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) will be assessed with a 9-item version of the Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction Scale, adapted for children. Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale (0 = almost never to 4 = almost always). Total scores range from 0 to 36, with higher scores indicating greater satisfaction of basic psychological needs.
Measured: Baseline and immediately after the 5-week intervention
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted29 Aug 2025
- Study start2 Sep 2025
- Primary completionNov 2026 (estimated)
- Study completionNov 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Healthy ChildrenStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Université de SherbrookeThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- The science education intervention consists of teaching Québec's mandatory science curriculum, focusing on life science topics and issues.
- Masking
- Double blind
- Who is masked
- Investigator, Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 1,000 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Université de Sherbrooke
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Jean-Philippe Ayotte-Beaudet, Université de Sherbrooke
- Investigators
- Jean-Philippe Ayotte-Beaudet, PhD, Principal investigator, Université de Sherbrooke
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07147634
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2023-3453
- Other IDs
- 435-2022-0651
- Acronym
- Bio-Explo
- Status last verified
- Dec 2025
- First submitted
- 15 Aug 2025
- Last updated
- 31 Dec 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No: Due to ethical considerations and to protect participant confidentiality, no de-identified individual participant data will be made available. Only aggregate results will be published.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 31 Dec 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Outdoor Science Education and Child Well-being in Primary Schools: Protocol for a Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial on Learning, Connection to Nature, Eco-anxiety, and Stress
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07147634
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- Bio-Explo / 2023-3453
- Conditions
- Healthy Children
- Keywords
- Stress, School-Based Intervention, Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial, Primary School, Connection to Nature, Eco-anxiety, Science Learning, Outdoor Education
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 1,000 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Université de SherbrookeUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 2 Sep 2025 (actual)
- Primary completion
- Nov 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Nov 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 29 Aug 2025 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The goal of this randomized controlled trial is to learn if an outdoor science education intervention can improve primary school students' learning and well-being when compared to an indoor classroom-based science education intervention. The main questions it aims to answer are:
- Will students who engage in outdoor science learning produce higher-quality observations of living organisms than students who receive instruction exclusively in an indoor, classroom-based context, when both groups are invited to make observations in an unfamiliar natural environment?
- Does an outdoor education intervention embedded within the science curriculum contribute to children's connection to nature, eco-anxiety and stress?
Participants will:
- Receive a science education intervention 2h/week for a total of 5 weeks, either indoors or outdoors
- Answer questionnaires before and after the intervention
- Participate in a field day-trip after the intervention where they will be asked to observe living organisms.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Double blind (investigator, outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- The science education intervention consists of teaching Québec's mandatory science curriculum, focusing on life science topics and issues.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor science education | Experimental | Behavioral: Outdoor science education2h of outdoor science education intervention per week for a total of 5 weeks (following Québec's mandatory curriculum) |
| Indoor classroom-based science education | Active comparator | Behavioral: Indoor classroom-based science education2h of indoor science education intervention per week for a total of 5 weeks (following Québec's mandatory curriculum) |
Who may qualify
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Primary schools need to have a deprivation index equal to or superior to 1 (with 10 being the maximum) and be located in Montreal, Longueuil or Laval (QC).
- Teachers have to show some interest in outdoor education but are not obliged to have already done some before in order to be included.
- Only 5th and 6th grade teachers are included.
- Primary schools with two teachers interested in participating in the project.
Key exclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Alternative schools or those welcoming recently arrived non-Francophone students are not included.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Outdoor science educationFollowing Québec's mandatory curriculum, primary school teachers will provide life science lessons 2h/week for a total of 5 weeks in an outdoor setting | Behavioural | Outdoor science education |
| Indoor classroom-based science educationFollowing Québec's mandatory curriculum, primary school teachers will provide life science lessons 2h/week for a total of 5 weeks inside the classroom | Behavioural | Indoor classroom-based science education |
Primary outcome
Score on the Scientific Observation Skills Rubric (0-15) in a Novel Environmental Context
Time frame: After the 5-week intervention has ended, students will spend one day in a new environmental context (at the end of October) in order to make observations
Students' scientific observation skills will be assessed using a structured observation rubric designed for elementary science education. After the 5-week intervention, each student will spend one day in a new environmental context (field activity at the end of October). Students will be asked to make a total of five oral observations of living organisms in this setting. Independent raters, trained in the use of the rubric, will evaluate the quality of each scientific observation using a four-level scoring framework, with scores ranging from 0 (lowest) to 3 (highest quality of scientific observation). The total score will range from 0 to 15, with higher scores indicating stronger scientific observation skills. Inter-rater agreement will be monitored to ensure reliability.
4 secondary outcomes
Connection to nature - Score on the Inclusion of Nature in Self Scale (0-7)
Time frame: At baseline and immediately after the 5-week intervention has ended
Score on the Perceived Stress Scale for Children (PSS-C; range 0-39)
Time frame: At baseline and immediately after the 5-week intervention has ended
Score on the 11-item Hogg Eco-Anxiety Scale (HEAS-13; range 0-33)
Time frame: At baseline and immediately after the 5-week intervention has ended
Score on the Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction Scale - School Version (range 0-36)
Time frame: Baseline and immediately after the 5-week intervention
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 31 Dec 2025.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No. Due to ethical considerations and to protect participant confidentiality, no de-identified individual participant data will be made available. Only aggregate results will be published.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Jean-Philippe Ayotte-Beaudet, PhD principal investigator
Université de Sherbrooke
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Outdoor science education and Indoor classroom-based science education in people with Healthy Children, run by Université de Sherbrooke at 1 site in Canada.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 31 Dec 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Canada. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Gabriela Quintela Do Carmo (803-477-7554, quig1988@usherbrooke.ca), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Score on the Scientific Observation Skills Rubric (0-15) in a Novel Environmental Context (time frame: After the 5-week intervention has ended, students will spend one day in a new environmental context (at the end of October) in order to make observations). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 31 Dec 2025.