Affect and conceptual learning in indoor and green outdoor school environments
Psychophysiological self‐regulation matters
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21297085 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Lucia Mason (0000-0001-7134-0510, Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialisation University of Padua Padua Italy, corresponding author), Libera Ylenia Mastromatteo (0000-0001-8870-7630, Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialisation University of Padua Padua Italy), Cecilia Rocchi (Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialisation University of Padua Padua Italy), Sara Scrimin (0000-0001-6290-322X, Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialisation University of Padua Padua Italy) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 96 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 802-820 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | British Journal of Educational Psychology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0007-0998 • E-ISSN: 2044-8279 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/bjep.70052 |
| PMID | 41408873 |
| OpenAlex | W4417448365 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 67 |
BACKGROUND: Research on the role of the physical school environment in areas other than educational psychology has documented the benefits of exposure to nature for cognitive and emotional functioning. Positive effects have been indicated not only after a break in nature in mentally fatigued students but also in students who did not have depleted mental resources when performing cognitive tasks in a green area. AIMS: We investigated the impact of the physical school environment during a single lesson. We also considered psychophysiological self-regulation as a possible moderator of the relationship between environment and learning. SAMPLE: We used data from 101 sixth and seventh graders for self-reported variables. Data about psychophysiological self-regulation, measured as resting cardiac vagal tone, was available for 83 students. METHOD: In a within-participants research design, we compared the effects of a lesson in the classroom and a lesson in a green urban park close to the school - featuring numerous trees of different sizes, with lush foliage - on participants' affective state, perception of the environmental quality, and conceptual learning. RESULTS: After the lesson in nature, students reported more positive affect and perceived the park as a higher quality environment compared with the indoor classroom. Students with higher cardiac vagal tone learned more in nature, whereas this individual characteristic did not play a role in the classroom environment. CONCLUSION: Passive exposure to nature during a school lesson has a positive affective impact and may also be beneficial for conceptual learning in combination with a higher ability to flexibly adapt to environmental demands.
Affect (linguistics) · Concept learning · Conceptual change · Conceptual framework · Conceptual model · Educational Environments and Student Outcomes · Environmental Education and Sustainability · Urban Green Space and Health
Self-Regulated Learning
Mindfulness-based interventions in schools—a systematic review and meta-analysis
A meta-analysis of heart rate variability and neuroimaging studies
A measure of restorative quality in environments
Directed Attention as a Common Resource for Executive Functioning and Self-Regulation
The health benefits of the great outdoors
Natural Versus Urban Scenes
The polyvagal perspective
The effect of exposure to the natural environment on stress reduction
Examining the learning benefits of school lessons in green spaces
Teaching traditional indoor school lessons in nature
Cooperation in primary school children
Children’s Attentional Processes in Outdoor and Indoor Environments
Lessons in a Green School Environment and in the Classroom
Mental, physical and social health benefits of immersive nature-experience for children and adolescents
Moderate baseline vagal tone predicts greater prosociality in children
First‐graders’ allocation of attentional resources in an emotional Stroop task
Reading with induced worry
The developmental trajectory of perceived self-regulation, personal interest, and general achievement throughout high school
Choice matters
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |