Preschoolers' drawing show positive relationships with nature with differences based on gender and age

People-nature interactions have steadily declined over the years due to a number of reasons, including industrialization and mass consumption of natural resources. This disconnect can be attributed to anthropocentrism. Anthropocentrism is the belief that humans are the center of the natural world, and because of it, natural resources exist solely for them. On the other hand, ecocentrism is the belief that although humans are considered a part of the natural world, they are not at the center. In addition, ecocentrism highlights that because natural resources are limited, the natural world should be given the same rights of treatment as humans. Ecocentric pedagogy in environmental education can shift anthropocentric traditions. Children's environmental attitudes, beliefs and behaviors start shaping as early as in preschool, therefore it is important to understand children's connection to nature at this age. This study investigated the ways in which Turkish preschool children are connected to nature through their depiction of the environment in drawings, and the researchers sought to find out how gender and age affected the children's relationship with nature.

The authors conducted the study in Kastamonu, a mountainous region located in northwest Turkey. They collected data from 4 kindergarten classes and 13 nursery classes that included a total of 212 preschool children ages four to six years. The researchers used both qualitative and quantitative methodology to collect data including drawings and interviews. Children were given 42 minutes to draw scenes in response to the question “Can you draw yourself while doing something in nature?”. Interviews were conducted one-on-one with the children, and they were asked: “Can you talk to me about your drawing? Can you talk about your relationship with nature in your drawing?” These questions elicited responses that provided insight into the relationships preschoolers have with their natural surroundings. Sessions were transcribed and the transcriptions were analyzed. The drawings were collected and categorized by codes based on the elements present in the pictures. Then the frequency of the codes was calculated, and a descriptive analysis was run against words like nature, forest, and self.

The data showed that 81.1% of the drawings the children produced were representational style drawings, meaning they showed more representation of elements in the drawings and were higher quality. A majority of the children drew images that showed a positive relationship with nature. The researchers also found the children drew different animals in their nature scenes, more so than plants, and showed human figures interacting with natural resources. This may have been caused by children seeing more animals in cartoons or in zoos. Children also mostly drew themselves alone in nature, but this result fit their developmental age. Among the 212 preschoolers' drawings, 18 different play activities were displayed. The results varied among age and gender. Informal learning occurs through play in preschool, such as developing science skills and learning science concepts. Females drew more natural areas and depicted fruit in their drawings. In contrast, males drew themselves alone and tree climbing was a top activity among the depictions collected. Positive tones about nature were found more often in girls' drawings than boys' drawings. In regards to age, older children in the study had a higher representational style in their drawings, but also the less positive tones in their drawings. This could have been due to older children spending less time in nature. Overall, living and nonliving things were observed in drawings, and activities showed ecocentric and anthropocentric views.

Limitations were present in this study. Preschoolers in general can be distracted easily and may not always have the capability to verbally articulate themselves. Another limitation is that an individual's connection to nature is subjective and cannot always be interpreted clearly.

The researchers recommend that environmental education should be included in early childhood education to facilitate compassion and care for natural surroundings. They also suggest field trips be utilized to increase direct experiences in nature. Furthermore, the researchers suggest that more environmentally-focused schools should be developed for children to attend, such as forest schools, because of the positive impacts such curricula provide for the longevity of students' learning. They lastly suggest that even virtual experiences can improve connections to nature.