TY - JOUR
T1 - Preservice early childhood educators' perceptions of outdoor settings as learning environments
AU - Ernst, Julie
AU - Tornabene, Ladona
PY - 2012/10
Y1 - 2012/10
N2 - In the context of encouraging the use of natural settings for educational experiences with young children, an exploratory study using survey research and photographs of outdoor settings was conducted to understand how preservice early childhood educators perceive these settings and what educational opportunities, motivations, and barriers they associate with them. Based on the results of 110 participants, this study suggests preservice early childhood educators perceive parks as the most conducive outdoor setting for achieving educational outcomes, specifically structured learning about nature, and that they are more inclined to use maintained outdoor settings than natural outdoor settings. The strongest predictors of intention to use natural outdoor settings were perceived difficulty in using natural settings, participants' level of nature relatedness, and the degree to which they agreed that experiences in nature were important for young children's health and wellness. Barriers to address include perceived lack of access to natural settings and safety concerns.
AB - In the context of encouraging the use of natural settings for educational experiences with young children, an exploratory study using survey research and photographs of outdoor settings was conducted to understand how preservice early childhood educators perceive these settings and what educational opportunities, motivations, and barriers they associate with them. Based on the results of 110 participants, this study suggests preservice early childhood educators perceive parks as the most conducive outdoor setting for achieving educational outcomes, specifically structured learning about nature, and that they are more inclined to use maintained outdoor settings than natural outdoor settings. The strongest predictors of intention to use natural outdoor settings were perceived difficulty in using natural settings, participants' level of nature relatedness, and the degree to which they agreed that experiences in nature were important for young children's health and wellness. Barriers to address include perceived lack of access to natural settings and safety concerns.
KW - early childhood education
KW - landscape preference
KW - natural settings
KW - nature relatedness
KW - preservice
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84867327971&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84867327971&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/13504622.2011.640749
DO - 10.1080/13504622.2011.640749
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84867327971
SN - 1350-4622
VL - 18
SP - 643
EP - 664
JO - Environmental Education Research
JF - Environmental Education Research
IS - 5
ER -