Fostering Nature Connectedness Through Outdoor Environmental Education

On a planet facing numerous environmental issues, encouraging environmentally responsible behavior is more important than ever. However, many people are disconnected from nature, making it difficult to encourage environmentally responsible behavior. In this study, the authors considered the effects of one-day and five-day outdoor environmental education programs on students and how such programs can help individuals reconnect with the natural world.

Researchers recruited schools in Singapore through the mail and then randomly selected classes to participate. In total, the study had 601 participants, ranging in age from 7 to 18. The researchers then assigned the classes to one of four groups. Two experimental groups participated in an outdoor education experience, and two control groups completed an ecology unit in school. During both the indoor and outdoor interventions, participants learned about the rainforest ecosystem and conservation through hands-on activities. Before, directly after, and six weeks after the intervention, the authors administered the Inclusion of Nature in Self (INS) scale, which asks students to choose circles labeled “nature” and “me” that overlap to different degrees in order to measure nature connectedness. The researchers then used statistical analyses to see whether any difference occurred between students' connectedness with nature before, directly after, and six weeks after the program.

The authors found that participants in the experimental group showed significant increases in their level of nature connectedness, particularly in the five-day case. The control group students did not have significant increases in their connectedness to nature. Both experimental groups had significant increases in their connectedness to nature in the long-term (six-week) follow-up. Additionally, students in the experimental group with low baseline connectedness scores reported much higher scores post-intervention, and those with high baseline scores remained at that high level. Seven- to nine-year-old participants in the five-day experimental group showed 21 the largest increase in their nature connectedness, which is consistent with the idea that nature connectedness manifests itself as a trait in early years.