Outdoor school-based nature education programs improve social life and vitality: evidence from a six-wave longitudinal study on Italian secondary school students.

INTRODUCTION

This longitudinal study investigated how social identity predicts civic engagement and vitality over time among Italian secondary school students participating in school-based outdoor nature education activities.

METHODS

A total of 203 students participated in a six-wave longitudinal study conducted over one academic year (control group, n = 90; intervention group, n = 113). Three schools were involved, each implementing structured, school-specific outdoor nature education activities aimed at fostering psychological well-being, sense of belonging, and participation, including nature excursions, biodiversity projects, and outdoor group reflections. Longitudinal relationships among social identity, civic engagement, and vitality were examined using contemporaneous crossed-effects panel modeling in R.

RESULTS

Participation in the outdoor nature education program was associated with higher early levels of social identity and civic engagement compared with the control condition. Social identity significantly predicted civic engagement across multiple measurement waves, which in turn positively predicted vitality. A significant indirect effect of the intervention on vitality through social identity and civic engagement emerged during the initial intervention phase, whereas other indirect effects across subsequent waves were not statistically significant. The variability of effects over time may reflect developmental and contextual factors, including differences in program content and intensity across schools.

DISCUSSION: The findings support the role of social identity as a psychological foundation for civic engagement and suggest that school-based outdoor nature education may contribute to adolescents' psychological vitality by providing opportunities for belonging and meaningful collective participation. At the same time, variability across measurement waves and intervention contexts highlights the importance of considering program heterogeneity when evaluating the longitudinal effects of outdoor education initiatives.