Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2-2026
Publication Title
The Rural Educator
Publisher
National Rural Education Association
DOI
https://doi.org/10.55533/2643-9662.1539
Abstract
This study explored how rural educators in the US use outdoor environments to enhance science instruction, addressing the educational marginalization of rural students. Using rural cultural wealth as a theoretical framework, we investigated how rural teachers integrate local nature-based resources and students’ out-of-school experiences into science learning. We conducted interviews and observations with rural teachers, using reflexive thematic analysis as our qualitative approach. Three key themes emerged that highlight the ways our participants use the outdoor environment to teach science: (a) harness rural community partnerships, (b) engage students through relational teaching, and (c) design learning opportunities that honor students as both people and scientists. These findings illustrate how outdoor science instruction fosters student engagement; provides authentic scientific inquiry aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards; and promotes deep connections between students, their communities, and the natural world. We conclude by calling for a broader adoption of asset-based approaches to rural education and urging science educators to incorporate outdoor settings into their pedagogy as a way to enhance educational equity in rural communities.
Recommended Citation
Dean, S. N., & Wenner, J. A. (2026). From classroom to field: Rural teachers’ integration of science and the outdoors. The Rural Educator, 47(1), 54-73. https://doi.org/10.55533/2643-9662.1539
Included in
Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Educational Methods Commons, Science and Mathematics Education Commons