Research article management

Wellbeing education is education that supports and promotes good mental health for learners. It can have a positive impact on academic attainment as well as other student outcomes such as self-efficacy, self-esteem, motivation and decreased probability of drop out.
Good mental health is ‘a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to his or her community’ (World Health Organisation, 2018).

There is an urgent need to enable wellbeing education across schools and universities, so students can develop the life skills they need to manage challenges in and out of school or university. Such skills should help them prevent problems or identify problems early on and seek support accordingly. It could also help minimise and remove the current stigma around mental health, freeing young people to express themselves and seek help when in
need. Students who are happy and satisfied with their lives are more likely to attend to and achieve high educational outcomes.

Philosophers long ago remarked upon the fact that the act of walking, alone or with others, facilitates thinking and discussion, which are key elements of learning. As education is increasingly conducted online and there are concerns around the harmful effects of too much sedentary and isolated learning from home, there is interest in reviving, adapting or devising pedagogies that involve both conversations and the act of walking. During a pandemic, outdoor activities such as a walk or a hike may be available when meeting indoors is not possible, providing an alternative way to connect with others and relief from sitting in front of a computer or TV.

Walking can stimulate curiosity about one’s surroundings, improve one’s mood, clear the mind and spark new ideas. Its rhythm is conducive to oral rehearsal, for example when preparing or learning a speech, which may aid memorisation and build confidence.
When walking with another person or in a group, there are opportunities for side-by- side conversations that may differ from those when people are looking at each other face- to-face. When we are walking, we are not directly looking at each other, and this may encourage some people to talk more openly or be willing to talk more than they would otherwise, therefore the walking element of the conversation influences the interactions we have in these situations.