In Québec, Canada, interest in school-based outdoor education is growing, driven by educators’ grassroots efforts and ministerial support. Despite its increasing adoption, a shared understanding of school-based outdoor education remains lacking. In response to this lack of shared understanding, this study adopted an action research approach, engaging 37 practitioner-researchers across various educational and professional roles to co-develop a framework and resources for school-based outdoor education. Guided by Guay and Gagnon’s (2021) methodology, our research team and practitioner-researchers collaboratively identified the current situation, priority problems, and a desired situation, as well as the research, action, and educational aims of the study. The resulting framework includes a clear, consensus-based definition and eight guiding principles that reflect a diversity of practices and contexts. Additionally, six professional development resources were co-created to support outdoor education across different educational levels and sectors. These resources aim to promote a shared understanding and facilitate capacity-building among educators, administrators, and public health professionals. Findings highlight the importance of intersectoral collaboration, contextual sensitivity, and professional learning in developing a framework and resources for school-based outdoor education. The study’s contributions include a contextually grounded framework and practical resources to support policy development, pre-service and in-service training. While the framework was validated by collaborating practitioner-researchers involved in this action research, its relevance and transferability in other educational contexts—such as different provinces, international settings, or culturally diverse communities—remain to be further explored.
