Secondary school teachers' opinions on out-of-school learning environments

The learning environment and process of the twenty-first century individual, who lives in a world of increasingly complex crises, digitalization and information bombardment, is independent of time and space. Learning occurs in every aspect of life, largely in spaces outside of school. Overcoming crises, effectively managing the increasing density of information, and making individuals and societies more resilient and fit for the future are all possible through high-quality management of learning processes. Out-of-school learning refers to planned, structured, personal, and social education programs and processes designed to develop a range of skills and competencies in learners, taking place outside of formal school settings but supporting the formal schooling process. The purpose of this research is to determine the opinions and experiences of teachers from different branches, working in schools with diverse socioeconomic structures, regarding out-of-school learning environments. Based on these experiences of teachers, it is to determine how out-of-school learning environments can be made an integral part of formal education. The research method is a phenomenological design, a qualitative research method. The study group consisted of 39 middle school teachers working in Mersin province during the 2024-2025 academic year. Data were collected using a semi-structured interview form. Participants were reached using criterion sampling and snowball sampling methods. Interviews were conducted at times and locations (face-to-face or online) convenient for the participants. The collected data was analyzed using content analysis, a qualitative data analysis method. Teachers emphasized that the planned learning process in out-of-school environments contributes to students' cognitive, affective, and psychomotor development, resulting in more effective, lasting, and context-based learning. They also stated that out-of-school learning enhances students' cooperation, self-confidence, and motivation, and allows them to learn about and appreciate nature, their culture, and their history. They stated that out-of-school learning creates great opportunities in this regard, especially for students with low socioeconomic status. However, they emphasized that integrating out-of-school learning environments into formal education presents numerous economic, logistical, bureaucratic, and temporal limitations and challenges. Based on the findings we obtained from teachers' opinions and experiences, we can recommend that out-of-school learning environments must be integrated into the formal education process. These practices should go beyond individual initiatives, be embedded within an institutional and standardized framework, and be planned and implemented with an interdisciplinary approach.