CHILDREN'S AWARENESS OF THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

CHILDREN'S AWARENESS OF THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

Robert J. Griffore and Lillian A. Phenice, Michigan State University

What do young children understand of the natural environment? Preschool children were interviewed in order to obtain information about their awareness of the meaning of natural environments, including natural processes. Interviews were conducted in preschool classrooms. Topics included perceptions of what comprises nature, and where nature is located, involvement with nature, distinctions of the living vs. the non-living world, perceptions of the need for air, water, and sun, and family involvement in gardening, recycling, and other experience. Results are discussed in terms of comparisons of findings for children in two sites: a diverse multicultural laboratory preschool and a Head Start classroom.

The authors wish to acknowledge Kyung Sook Lee and Kunlakarn Lekskul, doctoral students in the Department of Family and Child Ecology, Michigan State University, for their assistance.

What do young children know, and how do they think, about nature, natural processes, and ecological concepts? Do they see nature as a machine? Do they see the natural world as purposive or as chaotic? Do they see the self as a part of nature or separate from nature? How do young children learn about nature? To what extent do experiences with peers and parents influence young children’s knowledge about the natural environment? And how can experiences in early childhood education influence young children’s awareness of the natural environment?

Relatively little is known about how preschool age children think about nature and what they know. In recent years there has been some research about how older children understand nature. For example, research conducted in England has found that very young children are likely to understand nature in relation to human activity. Older children tend to think more about the needs of organisms for resources, and about ecological relationships (Leach, Driver, Scott, & Wood-Robinson, 1992; 1995; 1996a; 1996b). Kelemen (1999) has explored children’s tendencies to explain living and non-living things using teleological explanations, focusing on the assumption that events have purposes. By examining the beliefs of children in elementary and middle school, Kahn (1997) studied their moral and ecological reasoning concerning the 1990 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska.

Presently there is relatively little understanding of how young children’s experiences provide them with awareness and knowledge of nature. Once children are in elementary school they may have access to many concrete experiences that can help them learn about natural processes and the natural environment. This research examines preschool children’s awareness of the natural environment and some of their experiences that can shape their awareness.

Method

Children were interviewed in a university-based Laboratory Preschool and in a local Head Start classroom. In the Laboratory Preschool, data were collected from 48 males and 49 females. In total, 74 children were white, and 23 were ethnic minority children. The sample of children from the Laboratory Preschool ranged in age from 31 to 74 months, with an average of 52.3 months. The present analysis is based on 87 children, due to missing data for 10 children.

In the Head Start classroom, data were collected from 14 males and 12 females. Five were white and 21 were non-white. For the Head Start children, age in months ranged from 48 to 73, with an average of 58.21 months. This analysis is based on all 26 Head Start children.

Young children were asked questions about their awareness and understanding of the natural environment, how they perceive their experiences within the natural environment, and influences on their learning of information. Children were asked the questions shown in Table 1.

Results

Table 1 shows response frequencies for all children. Table 2 shows response frequencies for Laboratory Preschool children. Table 3 shows response frequencies for Head Start children. When appropriate, chi-square tests of significance were calculated to compare Laboratory Preschool and Head Start groups. Tables 4 and 5 show that children in the Laboratory Preschool and Head Start report significantly different experiences with regard to whether they compost at home. Tables 6 and 7 show that children in the Laboratory Preschool and Head Start also report significantly different experiences with regard to whether their families have gardens.

Conclusions

The results of this research suggest that many young children have acquired a substantial awareness of the natural environment, as measured here. In some respects, their awareness and understandings are developmentally mature. In general, children like to go for walks in the woods. They like to watch birds and wild animals. They also like insects. They understand that animals, plants, trees, and people are part of nature. They are aware that animals, plants, and people need water and air. This suggests that early childhood educators might include in the curriculum more outdoor activities to enhance children’s awareness of nature. Children might then develop more factually based understandings of other aspects of nature. For example, more than 90 percent of all children reported that there will always be enough clean water and clean air for people. This example is an indication that children’s understanding of the natural environment is limited by their experiences.

In general, few significant differences were observed between children in the Laboratory Preschool and children in Head Start. Of 30 questions, there were two area of significant difference. First, almost 70 percent of Head Start children reported composting at home. In contrast, 25 percent of Laboratory Preschool children reported composting at home. It is interesting to note that about 70 percent of Head Start children also reported that they recycled at home, while about 60 percent of Laboratory Preschool families recycled. This suggests that Laboratory Preschool children, who are generally middle class, are influenced by the norms of their community. Laboratory Preschool children, live in a city that promotes, and takes pride in, recycling, but not composting. It is not clear why Head Start families compost and recycle.

The second area of significant difference was in whether or not their families had a garden. About 84 percent of Laboratory Preschool families had a garden, compared to about 61 percent of Head Start families. Gardening is an activity that can help young children understand the cyclical process of nature. It is important for children to experience, at developmentally appropriate levels, an ecological awareness that there is a cyclical process in the interconnectedness of all things, and that distributions of energy and resources are based on the integration of human and natural ecosystems.

As children become more aware of the ecological significance of organism-environment relationships, there are resulting changes in behaviors. Understanding natural environments and resources, and acquiring environmentally supportive behaviors will be essential in future generations. Maintaining the quality of human-environment relationships is becoming increasingly crucial.

In this analysis, data show that young children are in many ways quite aware of the natural environment. On the other hand, there are some prevalent misunderstandings, as well. Young children’s responses to the questions in this research suggest that their early experiences within the natural environment and in social interaction, in particular their families, can play a significant role in shaping their knowledge base and information, as well as beliefs about the natural environment. It seems evident that early childhood education can play a significant role by emphasizing the importance of human–nature relations in planning and implementing a curriculum for early childhood education.

References

Kahn, P.H., Jr. (1997). Children's moral and ecological reasoning about the Prince William Sound oil spill. Developmental Psychology, 33, 1091-1096

Kelemen, C. (1999). Why are rocks pointy? Children's preference for teleological explanations of the natural world. Developmental Psychology, 35, 1440-1452.

Leach, J. T., Driver, R. H., Scott, P. H., & Wood-Robinson, C. (1992). Progression in Understanding of Ecological Concepts by Pupils Aged 5 to 16. Centre for Studies in Science and Mathematics Education, The University of Leeds.

Leach, J. T., Driver, R. H., Scott, P. H., & Wood-Robinson, C. (1995). Children's ideas about ecology 1: Theoretical background, design and methodology. International Journal of Science Education, 17, 721 - 732.

Leach, J. T., Driver, R. H., Scott, P. H., & Wood-Robinson, C. (1996a). Children's ideas about ecology 2: Ideas about the cycling of matter found in children aged 5 -16. International Journal of Science Education, 18, 19 - 34.

Leach, J. T., Driver, R. H., Scott, P. H., & Wood-Robinson, C. (1996b). Children's ideas about ecology 3: Ideas found in children aged 5 -16 about the interdependency of organisms. International Journal of Science Education, 18, 129 -142.