Promoting orienteering in physical education: An evaluation of school-based orienteering activities

Abstract

Introduction & Purpose

Orienteering is an endurance-running sport that combines physical activity with cognitive demands. The main goal is to complete a predefined route, navigating through specific control points with the help of a map and a compass. This unique combination of physical and cognitive involvement makes orienteering an ideal sport for promoting cognitive development and health among children and adolescents. Indeed, a recent meta-analysis reported large effects of orienteering interventions on physical fitness and memory, and moderate improvements in spatial skills among young people (Yen et al., 2025). In addition, several orienteering activities have been developed for educational settings and successfully implemented in Scandinavian schools (Andersson, 2017), offering practical examples that could also be adopted by physical education (PE) teachers in Austria. However, little is known about how Austrian students perceive orienteering during PE lessons. Therefore, the aim of this pilot study was to examine students' perceptions of different orienteering activities and assess whether they found them enjoyable, engaging, and feasible.

Methods

A total of 182 students (aged 10 to 16 years) from eight schools participated in up to three different orienteering activities during their regular PE classes. The activities varied in duration, complexity, setting, and format, thereby illustrating a range of ways in which orienteering can be integrated into PE. After each activity, students completed a brief eight-item questionnaire assessing motivation, perceived difficulty, acceptance, and feasibility. Teachers also evaluated students' motivation, the feasibility of implementing the activities, and whether they would recommend them to colleagues. All responses were recorded on a five-point Likert scale ranging from not at all to very much. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Results

Students reported consistently high motivation across the orienteering activities. Overall, 61% indicated that they enjoyed the activities much or very much, while perceived difficulty was most commonly rated as moderate (41%). Furthermore, 75% rated the activities as much or very much feasible, and overall acceptance was moderate (34%) to high (44%). Outdoor activities tended to receive more favorable evaluations than those conducted in the sports hall. Teacher feedback was similarly positive: all participating teachers stated that they would recommend orienteering activities to colleagues, and 88% rated their implementation in regular PE as much or very much feasible.

Discussion

These findings indicate that orienteering is a motivating and feasible activity for PE. Students responded particularly positively to the combination of physical activity, cognitive challenges, and outdoor experiences. Future research should employ longitudinal designs to further investigate its effects on physical activity levels, learning outcomes, and students’ emotional experiences.

Conclusion

Overall, the study demonstrates that orienteering may become a suitable and well-accepted component of physical education. Its combination of physical and cognitive demands, together with the potential for digital support (e.g., an orienteering app), makes it a promising teaching approach for promoting student motivation and learning.

References

Yen, H. Y., Huang, H. Y., & Lin, T. Y. (2025). The effectiveness of orienteering exercise on improving physical fitness and cognitive functions in non-athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Public Health, 245, 105789. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2025.105789

Andersson, G. (2017). Cool, awesome and educational: Orienteering in simple English. Emit.