TY - JOUR
T1 - Children’s perception of biodiversity in their school grounds and its influence on their wellbeing and resilience
AU - Montgomery, Louise
AU - Gange, Alan
AU - Watling, Dawn
AU - Harvey, Deborah
PY - 2022/7/28
Y1 - 2022/7/28
N2 - Evidence increasingly demonstrates nature engagement benefits. However, little evidence shows nature engagement provides children with a reflective perception of biodiversity, nor whether perception influ-ences children’s wellbeing and resilience. We explored the impact of weekly nature engagement in schoolgrounds on 509 eight-to-eleven- year-olds’ biodiversity perception, wellbeing, and resilience. At the start and end of the academic year, wellbeing and resilience questionnaires were completed, and biodiversity perception was assessed by children drawing what they thought was in their schoolgrounds. Children initially perceived few organisms within easily visible taxa, and perceived more vertebrates compared to invertebrate species. After, children were more aware of taxa, resulting in a more reflective biodiversity perception. Children with initially low scores in wellbeing and resilience increased in these measures, and a positive association was found between increased invertebrates and vertebrates perception and improved resilience. Nature engagement within curriculum could reduce children’s extinction of experience and improve wellbeing and resilience.
AB - Evidence increasingly demonstrates nature engagement benefits. However, little evidence shows nature engagement provides children with a reflective perception of biodiversity, nor whether perception influ-ences children’s wellbeing and resilience. We explored the impact of weekly nature engagement in schoolgrounds on 509 eight-to-eleven- year-olds’ biodiversity perception, wellbeing, and resilience. At the start and end of the academic year, wellbeing and resilience questionnaires were completed, and biodiversity perception was assessed by children drawing what they thought was in their schoolgrounds. Children initially perceived few organisms within easily visible taxa, and perceived more vertebrates compared to invertebrate species. After, children were more aware of taxa, resulting in a more reflective biodiversity perception. Children with initially low scores in wellbeing and resilience increased in these measures, and a positive association was found between increased invertebrates and vertebrates perception and improved resilience. Nature engagement within curriculum could reduce children’s extinction of experience and improve wellbeing and resilience.
U2 - 10.1080/14729679.2022.2100801
DO - 10.1080/14729679.2022.2100801
M3 - Article
SN - 1754-0402
SP - 1
JO - Journal of Adventure Education & Outdoor learning
JF - Journal of Adventure Education & Outdoor learning
ER -