Predictors of intellectual development in outdoor sports education mediated by student satisfaction and moderated by prior outdoor experience

Why Learning Outside the Classroom Matters

Imagine a university class where the lecture hall is replaced by a riverside trail, a climbing wall, or a forest path. Beyond building muscles and stamina, could such outdoor sports courses actually sharpen students’ minds? This study, conducted across several Chinese universities, asks exactly that question. It looks at how the quality of outdoor learning spaces, teaching approaches, and students’ own effort come together to shape their intellectual development—and how enjoyment of the course and past outdoor experience change this picture.

From Fields and Trails to Thinking Skills

The researchers focused on outdoor sports education, a growing part of university life in China as the country emphasizes more well-rounded education. Outdoor courses place students in real environments—mountains, lakes, parks—where they must plan, cooperate, solve problems, and reflect on their actions. The team wanted to know which aspects of these courses best support higher-level thinking skills such as critical analysis, flexible problem-solving, and reflective judgment. They also explored whether students’ satisfaction with the course and their previous experience in outdoor sports helped explain why some students benefit more than others.

What the Researchers Measured

To answer these questions, the authors surveyed 650 students enrolled in outdoor sports courses at five universities spread across different regions of China. Using carefully tested questionnaires, they measured several elements: the quality of the teaching space (for example, safety, organization, and how well it supports hands-on activity), how effective the teaching methods felt to students, how engaged students were during class, and what they believed they had learned. They also asked about overall intellectual development, satisfaction with the course, and how much outdoor sports experience students had before taking the class. Statistical techniques were used to check that these scales were reliable and to map how all of these factors were linked.

How Environment, Teaching, and Effort Work Together

The analysis showed that four factors were especially powerful predictors of intellectual development: high-quality teaching spaces, effective teaching methods, strong student engagement, and positive learning outcomes. In simple terms, students reported greater gains in thinking skills when classes were held in safe, well-designed outdoor settings, instructors used clear and active teaching strategies, students threw themselves into activities, and they felt they had genuinely learned something. The researchers also confirmed that their measurements were robust: the survey items held together well, and no single factor dominated the results, suggesting that responses reflected real differences rather than survey bias.

Why Satisfaction and Experience Change the Impact

Two additional pieces of the puzzle were crucial. First, student satisfaction acted as a bridge between course conditions and intellectual development. Good spaces and good teaching increased satisfaction, which in turn was strongly linked to sharper thinking skills. Likewise, when students were engaged and felt they achieved solid learning outcomes, their satisfaction helped translate those experiences into deeper intellectual growth. Second, prior outdoor sports experience changed how much students benefited from teaching quality. The study found that high-quality instruction and spaces had especially large effects on students with less prior outdoor experience, suggesting that newcomers may gain the most when courses are well designed and delivered.

What This Means for Students and Educators

Overall, the study concludes that outdoor sports courses can be powerful engines for intellectual development when several pieces are in place: safe and thoughtfully designed spaces, active and clear teaching, students who are drawn into the activities, and learning that feels meaningful. Enjoyment of the course is not just a bonus—it is a key pathway through which good teaching and design enhance thinking skills. Meanwhile, recognizing students’ different backgrounds in outdoor activities can help instructors tailor challenges so that both beginners and veterans grow. For the general reader, the message is straightforward: time spent learning and moving outdoors, under supportive teaching, can strengthen the mind as well as the body.

Citation: Tan, F., You, G., Li, Y. et al. Predictors of intellectual development in outdoor sports education mediated by student satisfaction and moderated by prior outdoor experience. Sci Rep 16, 12229 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-43731-1

Keywords: outdoor sports education, experiential learning, student engagement, intellectual development, China universities