A first exploration of the nature education for sustainable teaching (NEST) program: perceived outcomes of an outdoor education training course for student teachers

Outdoor Education (OE) is increasingly recognized as a powerful approach to foster meaningful and creative learning experiences in early childhood. Despite growing interest, OE training is still rarely included in university curricula for future educators. This study examined the perceived outcomes of the Nature Education for Sustainable Teaching (NEST) program, a four-session OE training course for student teachers and educators focusing on the 0–6 sector. The program aimed to enhance participants’ perceived knowledge, self-efficacy, and willingness to teach OE, promoting competencies that support quality education. A total of 206 participants (Mage = 26.3 years, 95.6% female) completed pre- and post-intervention questionnaires assessing perceived knowledge, self-efficacy, and willingness to teach OE. Paired-sample t-tests showed significant improvements after the intervention. Follow-up analyses on a subsample (n = 190) indicated maintenance of effects over time, with perceived knowledge and self-efficacy increasing further and willingness to teach OE remaining stable. These findings suggest that the NEST program may support the development of future educators’ perceived competencies and confidence in relation to OE. Embedding OE within teacher education curricula may represent a promising direction to equip future professionals with the skills to design outdoor learning experiences that foster children’s well-being and advance sustainable, high-quality education.