This paper considers a range of factors that may contribute to an unwillingness or inability of teachers
to participate in the teaching of biology through fieldwork. Through a synthesis of the views of both
pre-service teachers in training and primary school teachers in practice we explore the relative importance
of a wide range of potential barriers and potential responses to them in the context of the wider
literature. We conclude that although fieldwork may be impeded by the interaction of a wide range of
individual barriers, including an individual’s predisposition towards the outdoors, it is possible to group
interacting barriers into two main areas: school culture and teacher confidence. It is also apparent that
barriers may assume different levels of significance when considered in general terms rather than when
applied to a particular context and that the significance of barriers may change through time. Encouragingly,
we have also shown that in-service teachers have a willingness to overcome these barriers.

• Barriers To Biological Fieldwork: What Really Prevents Teaching Out of Doors?

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