iNaturalist as a tool for connecting future kindergarten teachers with nature

Πρακτικά Εκτεταμένων Συνόψεων Εργασιών
PDF (ελληνικά)
Published: Sep 21, 2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.12681/codiste.5484
Michail Potsikas
University of Ioannina
Katerina Plakitsi
University of Ioannina
Abstract

The present study investigates the emotional and experiential connection of prospective preschool teachers with nature  by applying the Connectedness to Nature Scale (CNS) and changes in the levels of the construct after the interventions. One group received educational lessons in using iNaturalist and in animal and plant classification, and participated in two different biodiversity recordings, (a) around the Castle of Ioannina and (b) around the Department. The other received no training and only participated in the first recording. The first showed a significant positive shift in the construct as compared to the other. Programs with higher intensity and longer duration should also be considered.

Article Details
  • Section
  • 19. TEACHING AND LEARNING IN ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION/SUSTAINABILITY EDUCATION
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
References
Commoner, B. (2015). The closing circle: nature, man, and technology. In Thinking About The Environment (pp. 161-166). Routledge.
Echeverria, A., Ariz, I., Moreno, J., Peralta, J., & Gonzalez, E. M. (2021). Learning plant biodiversity in nature: The use of the citizen–science platform iNaturalist as a collaborative tool in secondary education. Sustainability, 13(2), 735. https://www.doi.org/10.3390/su13020735
Kellert, S. R., & Wilson, E.O. (1993). The biophilia hypothesis. Island press.
Leopold, A. (1949). A Sand County almanac, and sketches here and there. New York: Oxford University Press, USA.
Martin, L., White, M. P., Hunt, A., Richardson, M., Pahl, S., & Burt, J. (2020). Nature contact, nature connectedness and associations with health, wellbeing and pro-environmental behaviours. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 68, 101389. https://www.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2020.101389
Mayer, F. S., & Frantz, C. M. (2004). The connectedness to nature scale: A measure of individuals’ feeling in community with nature. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 24 (4), 503-15. https://www.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2004.10.001
Navarro, O., Olivos, P., & Fleury-Bahi, G. (2017). “Connectedness to Nature Scale”: Validity and reliability in the French context. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 2180. https://www.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02180
Tam, K. P. (2013). Concepts and measures related to connection to nature: Similarities and differences. Journal of environmental psychology, 34, 64-78. https://www.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2013.01.004