Abstract
Recent research on schoolyards demonstrate that these environments a substantial role for the teaching and learning aspects of education (see Woolner& Stadler-Altmann, 2021; Stadler-Altmann, 2016).Nevertheless, academic inquiries into schoolyards have rarely incorporated the perspectives of students and teachers. Mainly, the activities of students during the breaks for recreation (see Powell et al., 2016), as well as possibilities for movement (e.g. Stanley et al. 2012) for students have been examined. The teachers' perspective has only been studied in educational policy discourses (see Larsson, 2013) and in questions of supervision and control of students during breaks. Our paperexaminesthe student’s view onschoolyards and outdoor areas: approximately 8.000 students completed a questionnaire during2005-2011 about the satisfaction with, and the importance of, their schoolyard. The students also described their activities there. Our data made it obvious, that students prefer schoolyards with different zones of action and silence, public and private. These results differ in primary and secondary school students and in a gender perspective.We also surveyed 360 teachers about size, equipment, and design of their schoolyards. Both surveys provided distinct insights which did not completely correlate with one another. The aim of our paper is to highlight what transformational processes can take place in schoolyards and outdoor areas, considering that they are educational spaces. Based on the perspective of students and teachers, we develop fundamental ideas for the educational design and usage of schoolyards as an important area of school development and ascertain the need for further research in this field.