Outdoor learning and school inclusion in Italy: reconfiguring participation through educational space

This article examines the relationship between curriculum-integrated outdoor learning and inclusive education in Italy. Although both fields have developed extensively, their intersection remains underexplored, particularly in school systems committed to full mainstream inclusion for students with disabilities. The study investigates how outdoor learning may contribute to inclusive practices within the Italian educational context, where inclusive education has been embedded since Law No. 517 (1977). Drawing on a multi-phase qualitative empirical design, including expert consultation and case studies across early childhood and primary education, the study explores how inclusive processes emerge across different educational settings. The findings suggest that outdoor learning, when intentionally integrated within inclusive school cultures, can act as a spatially mediated catalyst for participation, with forms of inclusion that vary according to developmental stage and educational context.