The Influence of Culture on Children's Relationships with Nature

Donnell, Andrea; Rinkoff, Robert F.

doi:10.7721/chilyoutenvi.25.3.0062

Cited by 10 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 52 publications

(88 reference statements)

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“…The drawings made by the children included mainly animals, plants, human‐made structures and other objects. This supports the idea that children may attribute similar meanings to nature (Ahi & Atasoy, 2019; Donnell & Rinkoff, 2015; Stokas et al., 2017). The consistent representation of animals and plants by preadolescents can be explained by the biophilia hypothesis, which suggests that humans have an inherent inclination to focus on living organisms and life‐like processes (Wilson, 2017).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 77%

Multidimensional mental representations of natural environment among Chinese preadolescents via draw‐and‐write mapping

Yue,

Meng,

Chen

2023

People and Nature

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The mental associations that children have with the natural environment can be referred to as their natural representations. These representations encompass a blend of shared consensus and individual differences, playing a pivotal role in shaping human relationships with nature and influencing attitudes and behaviours. However, comprehending children's natural representations, particularly among preadolescents with limited verbal narrative abilities, remains a challenge. To address this challenge, we conducted a study employing a draw‐and‐write task and a questionnaire survey. Our investigation aimed to understand how the level of nature experiences and demographic variables affects the multidimensional representations of nature among preadolescents (aged 9–12) in China. Specifically, we examined the impacts of direct, indirect and vicarious nature experiences on their natural representations. These representations included dimensions such as the level of wildness, cognitive complexity, extent of elaboration, expression of emotion and representation style. These dimensions were based on literature review and supported by empirical data collected from children's drawings. Our findings showed that children's drawings of nature not only share similarities but also display significant variations. Most of their drawings include natural components, such as living and non‐living elements, while a notable proportion of drawings depicts human activities. Interestingly, we observed notable differences in the level of wildness, elaboration and representation style among preadolescents from different regions. Additionally, we found that vicarious nature experiences have a significant positive impact on the cognitive complexity, extent of elaboration and positive emotional expression in children's drawings, while direct nature experiences also have a weaker but still significant positive effect on the elaboration. Moreover, female students exhibit greater proficiency in these three aspects compared to their male counterparts. The study highlights the significance of the surrounding environment and nature experiences, especially vicarious nature experience, in shaping the natural representations of preadolescents. Using draw‐and‐write mapping is recommended as a valuable approach to understanding the children's mental representations of the natural environment. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 77%

Multidimensional mental representations of natural environment among Chinese preadolescents via draw‐and‐write mapping

Yue,

Meng,

Chen

2023

People and Nature

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“…Many childhood nature experiences have been linked to a greater likelihood of being involved in ecological and nature-based activities in adulthood (Molinario et al, 2020;Rosa et al, 2018). Yet, the limited existing cross-cultural studies have demonstrated that the extent and the benefits of feeling connected with the natural environment seem to vary in terms of different cultural contexts and in light of different cultural perspectives on nature (Beery et al, 2023;Donell & Rinkoff, 2015). In this respect, the present study explored the relationship between childhood nature activities, adult nature experiences and adult nature connections in a Greek sample.…”

Section: Main Findingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nature connection in adulthood: The role of childhood nature experiences

Barrable,

Friedman,

Beloyianni

2024

People and Nature

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Nature connection describes our relationship with the rest of the natural world. Promoting nature connection in children and adults has been identified as a worthwhile focus for education and public health, given the positive associations between nature connection, well‐being and pro‐environmental behaviours. Prior research has looked at activities that promote an individual's connection to nature, reporting that a variety of interventions can be effective. Particular emphasis has been placed on positive childhood nature experiences due to their effects on adult nature connection. Research from varied places such as New Zealand, Australia, the USA and Brazil suggest that an individual's childhood nature experiences can play a positive role in their adult connection to nature. This paper is the first of its kind to explore the associations between childhood nature activities, both their type and frequency, and adult nature connection in a Greek sample (n = 401). We gathered the perspectives of Greek‐speaking adults using quantitative measures in an online survey. Our results suggest that, in line with previous research, childhood nature experiences were significantly and positively correlated with adult nature connectedness. However, contrary to previous research, analysis suggested that adult nature experiences did not mediate the relationship between childhood nature experience and adult nature connection. Age was positively correlated with less structured childhood nature experiences such that older adults were more likely to have participated in unstructured outdoor activities like flower picking and general alone time outside during childhood. Capturing retrospective self‐reports on the frequency and type of childhood nature experiences in this Greek sample helps us understand how these experiences may predict engagement and relationships with nature in adulthood. In turn, these findings inform context‐specific recommendations for encouraging nature contact in childhood. For instance, this may have implications for nature‐based learning in Greece as well as the provision of urban green and blue spaces. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

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“…Qualitative data has a richness and depth not often available in quantitative data. For example, in a mixed-methods study conducted by Donnell and Rinkoff (2015), the authors looked at how culture influenced children's perceptions of nature. By examining photographs of nature with children from Canada and Slovakia, drawing and engaging in conversations, the authors could explore how children felt about and experienced nature.…”

Section: Qualitative Interviews With Childrenmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Drawing is a safe and familiar activity for most children and has been used in previous research to engage children in conversation (Barnikis, 2015;Donnell & Rinkoff, 2015). This was done by asking them to draw the farm or a horse, if they so chose.…”

Section: Interview Processmentioning

confidence: 99%

“It’s easier to be with them”: How children with mental health concerns perceive their experiences with equine-assisted therapies

Harvey¹

2021

Preprint

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Animal assisted therapy was founded as early as 1792 to support an individual’s health (Wilson, Buultjens, Monfries & Karimi, 2017). One form of animal assisted therapy drawing attention over the past few decades is equine-assisted therapy and interventions (EAT/I). Research in this area has largely considered adults’ perspectives of EAT/I and has failed to consider how children using EAT/I perceive treatments. Using a sociology of childhood framework (Prout & James, 1997), a children’s rights perspective (Di Santo & Keannelly, 2014), and a disability justice framework (Devlieger, 1999) the present research employed qualitative, semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions and play-based methods. Five children aged five to twelve were interviewed, each of whom were enrolled in EAT/I. The findings demonstrated the children’s appreciation for their experiences with horses and experiences at the farm. They provided insight into how EAT/I benefit them and contrasted these experiences to their lived experiences outside the farm. Keywords: Equine assisted therapy, sociology of childhood, children’s rights, mental health

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The Influence of Culture on Children's Relationships with Nature

Cited by 10 publications

References 52 publications

Multidimensional mental representations of natural environment among Chinese preadolescents via draw‐and‐write mapping

Multidimensional mental representations of natural environment among Chinese preadolescents via draw‐and‐write mapping

Nature connection in adulthood: The role of childhood nature experiences

“It’s easier to be with them”: How children with mental health concerns perceive their experiences with equine-assisted therapies

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