Teaching Outdoor and Adventure Activities in the Philippines during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Significance, Challenges, and Opportunities

Abstract

The COVID-19 crisis greatly affected the educational system around the world. Shifting from traditional face-to-face learning to distance or hybrid learning brings big adjustments for teachers and students. Given the current situation, it is important to develop a greater understanding of teachers’ experiences in terms of teaching outdoor and adventure activities during the pandemic. To date, although several studies have been conducted in this area across the globe, the researchers believe that inadequate information is available on the teachers’ challenges and opportunities in teaching outdoor and adventure activities and their significance in the new normal setting. Thus, this research intended to fill such a gap. Utilizing a mixed-method approach, findings revealed that teachers strongly agree on the positive benefits of outdoor and adventure activities. Unfortunately, limited or no access to outdoor facilities, the internet, and gadgets are the most common challenges they experience. Despite the challenges, it is also found that teaching the subject provides opportunities for outdoor-related life skills to be applied in real-life applications even during a pandemic, as well as for teachers to be more creative in developing activities for students. Further studies are recommended to explore the experiences of teachers in teaching outdoor and adventure activities in schools. It is hoped that the result of this study will contribute to policy-making, intervention programs, and professional support that will strengthen the implementation of the program.