An Exploration of the Perceived Health, Life Skill, and Academic Benefits of Dinghy Sailing for 9-13 Year-old School Children

Research evidence suggests that outdoor education offers significant potential in priming healthy physical activity behaviors, developing life-skills, enhancing self-esteem, and promoting improved academic performance. The aim of the current study was to explore from a cross-sectional perspective the perceived benefits of a dinghy sailing program on 9-13 year old school children. Participants (n=38) were drawn from a diverse range of relevant participation and stakeholder groups, including: school children, teachers, and sailing instructors. Semi-structured interviews (adults) and focus groups (children) were used to collect data, with inductive data analysis methods applied. Six superordinate themes arose from the data highlighting physical and mental health benefits as well as the potential to development key life-skills, self-esteem, and the possible interaction with other aspects of the school curriculum to enhance student learning.