Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis; Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
Abstract :
[en] This systematic review synthesised evidence on associations between nature-based early childhood education (ECE) and children’s social, emotional, and cognitive development. A search of nine databases was concluded in August 2020. Studies were eligible if: (a) children (2–7 years) attended ECE, (b) ECE integrated nature, and (c) assessed child-level outcomes. Two reviewers independently screened full-text articles and assessed study quality. Synthesis included effect direction, thematic analysis, and results-based convergent synthesis. One thousand three hundred and seventy full-text articles were screened, and 36 (26 quantitative; 9 qualitative; 1 mixed-methods) studies were eligible. Quantitative outcomes were cognitive (n = 11), social and emotional (n = 13), nature connectedness (n = 9), and play (n = 10). Studies included controlled (n = 6)/uncontrolled (n = 6) before-after, and cross-sectional (n = 15) designs. Based on very low certainty of the evidence, there were positive associations between nature-based ECE and self-regulation, social skills, social and emotional development, nature relatedness, awareness of nature, and play interaction. Inconsistent associations were found for attention, attachment, initiative, environmentally responsible behaviour, and play disruption/disconnection. Qualitative studies (n = 10) noted that nature-based ECE afforded opportunities for play, socialising, and creativity. Nature-based ECE may improve some childhood development outcomes, however, high-quality experimental designs describing the dose and quality of nature are needed to explore the hypothesised pathways connecting nature-based ECE to childhood development (Systematic Review Registration: CRD42019152582).
Disciplines :
Education & instruction
Author, co-author :
Johnstone, Avril
Martin, Anne
Cordovil, Rita
Fjørtoft, Ingunn
Iivonen, Susanna
Jidovtseff, Boris ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Unités de recherche interfacultaires > Research Unit for a life-Course perspective on Health and Education (RUCHE)
Lopes, Frederico
Reilly, John J.
Thomson, Hilary
Wells, Valerie
McCrorie, Paul
Language :
English
Title :
Nature-Based Early Childhood Education and Children’s Social, Emotional and Cognitive Development: A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review
Publication date :
13 May 2022
Journal title :
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Pearce, A.; Mason, K.; Fleming, K.; Taylor-Robinson, D.; Whitehead, M. Reducing Inequities in Health Across the Life-Course: Early Years, Childhood and Adolescence. Available online: Https://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/457289/Reducing- inequities-in-health-across-the-life-course.pdf (accessed on 25 August 2020).
World Health Organization. Child. and Adolescent Mental Health. Available online: Https://www.who.int/mental_health/maternal- child/child_adolescent/en/#:~:text=Worldwide%2010%2D20%25%20of%20children,young%20people% 20in%20all%20regions (accessed on 20 August 2020).
Kessler, R.C.; Amminger, G.P.; Aguilar-Gaxiola, S.; Alonso, J.; Lee, S.; Ustun, T.B. Age of onset of mental disorders: A review of recent literature. Curr. Opin. Psychiatry 2007, 20, 359.
Reiss, F. Socioeconomic inequalities and mental health problems in children and adolescents: A systematic review. Soc. Sci. Med. 2013, 90, 24-31.
Sahoo, K.; Sahoo, B.; Choudhury, A.K.; Sofi, N.Y.; Kumar, R.; Bhadoria, A.S. Childhood obesity: Causes and consequences. J. Fam. Med. Prim. Care 2015, 4, 187.
Van Huizen, T.; Plantenga, J. Do children benefit from universal early childhood education and care? A meta-analysis of evidence from natural experiments. Econ. Educ. Rev. 2018, 66, 206-222.
Lerstrup, I.; Konijnendijk van den Bosch, C. Affordances of outdoor settings for children in preschool: Revisiting heft’s functional taxonomy. Landsc. Res. 2017, 42, 47-62.
Broekhuizen, K.; Scholten, A.M.; De Vries, S.I. The value of (pre) school playgrounds for children’s physical activity level: A systematic review. Int. J. Behav. Nutr. Phys. Act. 2014, 11, 1-28.
Sobel, D. Learning to walk between the raindrops: The value of nature preschools and forest kindergartens. Child. Youth Environ. 2014, 24, 228-238.
Johnstone, A.; McCrorie, P.; Cordovil, R.; Fjørtoft, I.; Iivonen, S.; Jidovtseff, B.; Lopes, F.; Reilly, J.J.; Thomson, H.; Wells, V.; et al. Nature-based early childhood education for child health, wellbeing and development: A mixed-methods systematic review protocol. Syst. Rev. 2020, 9, 226.
Mygind, L.; Kjeldsted, E.; Hartmeyer, R.; Mygind, E.; Bølling, M.; Bentsen, P. Mental, physical and social health benefits of immersive nature-experience for children and adolescents: A systematic review and quality assessment of the evidence. Health Place 2019, 58, 102136.
Mygind, L.; Kurtzhals, M.; Nowell, C.; Melby, P.S.; Stevenson, M.P.; Nieuwenhuijsen, M.; Lum, J.A.G.; Flensborg-Madsen, T.; Bentsen, P.; Enticott, P.G. Landscapes of becoming social: A systematic review of evidence for associations and pathways between interactions with nature and socioemotional development in children. Environ. Int. 2020, 146, 106238.
Tillmann, S.; Tobin, D.; Avison, W.; Gilliland, J. Mental health benefits of interactions with nature in children and teenagers: A systematic review. J. Epidemiol. Community Health 2018, 72, 958-966.
Gibson, J.J. The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception: Classic Edition; Psychology Press: Hove, UK, 2014.
Heft, H. Affordances and the body: An intentional analysis of Gibsonʹs ecological approach to visual perception. J. Theory Soc. Behav. 1989, 19, 1-30.
Kyttä, M. Affordances of childrenʹs environments in the context of cities, small towns, suburbs and rural villages in Finland and Belarus. J. Environ. Psychol. 2002, 22, 109-123.
Kyttä, M. The extent of childrenʹs independent mobility and the number of actualized affordances as criteria for child-friendly environments. J. Environ. Psychol. 2004, 24, 179-198.
Dankiw, K.A.; Tsiros, M.D.; Baldock, K.L.; Kumar, S. The impacts of unstructured nature play on health in early childhood development: A systematic review. PLoS ONE 2020, 15, e0229006.
Pluye, P.; Hong, Q.N. Combining the power of stories and the power of numbers: Mixed methods research and mixed studies reviews. Annu. Rev. Public Health 2014, 35, 29-45.
Moher, D.; Liberati, A.; Tetzlaff, J.; Altman, D.G. Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: The PRISMA statement. Ann. Intern. Med. 2009, 151, 264-269.
Higgins, J.P.T.; Thomas, J.; Chandler, J.; Cumpston, M.; Li, T.; Page, M.J.; Welch, V.A. Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions; John Wiley & Sons: Hoboken, NJ, USA, 2019.
Thomas, B.; Ciliska, D.; Dobbins, M.; Micucci, S. A process for systematically reviewing the literature: Providing the research evidence for public health nursing interventions. Worldviews Evid. Based Nurs. 2004, 1, 176-184.
Dixon-Woods, M.; Shaw, R.L.; Agarwal, S.; Smith, J.A. The problem of appraising qualitative research. BMJ Qual. Saf. 2004, 13, 223-225.
Campbell, M.; McKenzie, J.E.; Sowden, A.; Katikireddi, S.V.; Brennan, S.E.; Ellis, S.; Hartmann-Boyce, J.; Ryan, R.; Shepperd, S.; Thomas, J.; et al. Synthesis without meta-analysis (SWiM) in systematic reviews: Reporting guideline. BMJ 2020, 368, l6890.
Guyatt, G.; Oxman, A.D.; Akl, E.A.; Kunz, R.; Vist, G.; Brozek, J.; Norris, S.; Falck-Ytter, Y.; Glasziou, P.; DeBeer, H.; et al. GRADE guidelines: Introduction—GRADE evidence profiles and summary of findings tables. J. Clin. Epidemiol. 2011, 64, 383- 394.
Cordiano, T.S.; Lee, A.; Wilt, J.; Elszasz, A.; Damour, L.K.; Russ, S.W. Nature-Based Education and Kindergarten Readiness: Nature-Based and Traditional Preschoolers Are Equally Prepared for Kindergarten. Int. J. Early Child. Environ. Educ. 2019, 6, 18-36 Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 5967 31 of 32
Burgess, E.; Ernst, J. Beyond Traditional School Readiness: How Nature Preschools Help Prepare Children for Academic Success. Int. J. Early Child. Environ. Educ. 2020, 7, 17-33.
Ernst, J. Early childhood educatorsʹ use of natural outdoor settings as learning environments: An exploratory study of beliefs, practices, and barriers. Environ. Educ. Res. 2014, 20, 735-752.
Ernst, J.; Johnson, M.; Burcak, F. The Nature and Nurture of Resilience: Exploring the Impact of Nature Preschools on Young Childrenʹs Protective Factors. Int. J. Early Child. Environ. Educ. 2018, 6,12
Ernst, J.; Burcak, F. Young Childrenʹs Contributions to Sustainability: The Influence of Nature Play on Curiosity, Executive Function Skills, Creative Thinking, and Resilience. Sustainability 2019, 11, 4212.
Wojciehowski, M.; Ernst, J. Creative by Nature: Investigating the Impact of Nature Preschools on Young Childrenʹs Creative Thinking. Int. J. Early Child. Environ. Educ. 2018, 6, 3-20.
Zamzow, J.; Ernst., J. Supporting School Readiness Naturally: Exploring Executive Function Growth in Nature Preschools. Int. J. Early Child. Environ. Educ. 2020, 7, 6-16.
Fyfe-Johnson, A.L.; Saelens, B.E.; Christakis, D.A.; Tandon, P.S. Physical Activity and Parental Attitudes and Beliefs of Children Attending a Nature Preschool. Int. J. Early Child. Environ. Educ. 2019, 6, 3-17.
Rice, C.S.; Torquati, J.C. Assessing connections between young childrenʹs affinity for nature and their experiences in natural outdoor settings in preschools. Child. Youth Environ. 2013, 23, 78-102.
Cosco, N.G.; Moore, R.C.; Smith, W.R. Childcare Outdoor Renovation as a Built Environment Health Promotion Strategy: Evaluating the Preventing Obesity by Design Intervention. Am. J. Health Promot. 2014, 28, S27-S32.
Drown, K.K.C.; Christensen, K.M. Dramatic play affordances of natural and manufactured outdoor settings for preschool-aged children. Child. Youth Environ. 2014, 24, 53-77.
Zamani, Z. Affordance of Cognitive Play by Natural and Manufactured Elements and Settings in Preschool Outdoor Learning Environments. Ph.D. Thesis, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA, October 2013.
Lillard, A.J.S. Growing Minds: Evaluating the Effect of a School Garden Program on Children’s Ability to Delay Gratification and Influence Visual Motor Integration. Ph.D. Thesis, College Station, TX, US, January 2016.
Liu, X. Healthy Designed Environments for Pre-school Children: Investigating Ways to Optimize the Restoration Experience in Nature-based Outdoor Play Environments. Ph.D. Thesis, Clemson, SC, USA, May 2020.
Herrington, S.; Studtmann, K. Landscape interventions: New directions for the design of childrenʹs outdoor play environments. Landsc. Urban Plan. 1998, 42, 191-205.
Robertson, N.; Morrissey, A.M.; Moore, D. From boats to bushes: Environmental elements supportive of childrenʹs sociodramatic play outdoors. Child. Geogr. 2020, 18, 234-246.
Dyment, J.; OʹConnell, T.S. The impact of playground design on play choices and behaviors of pre-school children. Child. Geogr. 2013, 11, 263-280.
Morrissey, A.M.; Scott, C.; Rahimi, M. A comparison of sociodramatic play processes of preschoolers in a naturalized and a traditional outdoor space. Int. J. Play. 2017, 6, 177-197.
Dowdell, K.; Gray, T.K. Nature and its influence on children’s outdoor play. J. Outdoor Environ. Educ. 2011, 15, 24-35.
Wishart, L.; Cabezas-Benalcázar, C.; Morrissey, A.M.; Versace, V.L. Traditional vs naturalised design: A comparison of affordances and physical activity in two preschool playscapes. Landsc. Res. 2019, 44, 1031-1049.
Elliot, E.; Ten Eycke, K.; Chan, S.; Müller, U. Taking kindergartners outdoors: Documenting their explorations and assessing the impact on their ecological awareness. Child. Youth Environ. 2014, 24, 102-122.
Müller, U.; Temple, V.A.; Smith, B.; Kerns, K.; Ten Eycke, K.; Crane, J.; Sheenan, J. Effects of nature kindergarten attendance on childrenʹs functioning. Child. Youth Environ. 2017, 27, 47-69.
Brussoni, M.; Ishikawa, T.; Brunelle, S.; Herrington, S. Landscapes for play: Effects of an intervention to promote nature-based risky play in early childhood centres. J. Environ. Psychol. 2017, 54, 139-150.
Streelasky, J. A forest-based environment as a site of literacy and meaning making for kindergarten children. Literacy 2019, 53, 95-101.
Sando, O.J. The outdoor environment and children’s health: A multilevel approach. Int. J. Play. 2019, 8, 39-52.
Bjørgen, K. Physical activity in light of affordances in outdoor environments: Qualitative observation studies of 3-5 years olds in kindergarten. Springerplus 2016, 5, 950.
Sandseter, E.B.H. Affordances for risky play in preschool: The importance of features in the play environment. Early Child. Educ. J. 2009, 36, 439-446.
Martensson, F.; Boldemann, C.; Soderstrom, M.; Blennow, M.; Englund, J.E.; Grahn, P. Outdoor environmental assessment of attention promoting settings for preschool children. Health Place 2009, 15, 1149-1157.
Giusti, M.; Barthel, S.; Marcus, L. Nature routines and affinity with the biosphere: A case study of preschool children in Stockholm. Child. Youth Environ. 2014, 24, 16-42.
Soderstrom, M.; Boldemann, C.; Sahlin, U.; Martensson, F.; Raustorp, A.; Blennow, M. The quality of the outdoor environment influences childrens health—A cross-sectional study of preschools. Acta Paediatr. 2013, 102, 83-91.
Cooper, H. An Evaluation of Forest School for Nursery Aged Children. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK, 2018.
Barrable, A.; Booth, D. Nature Connection in Early Childhood: A Quantitative Cross-Sectional Study. Sustainability 2020, 12, 375. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 5967 32 of 32
Maynard, T.; Waters, J.; Clement, J. Child-initiated learning, the outdoor environment and the ‘underachieving’child. Early Years 2013, 33, 212-225.
Agostini, F.; Minelli, M.; Mandolesi, R. Outdoor Education in Italian Kindergartens: How Teachers Perceive Child Developmental Trajectories. Front. Psychol. 2018,9 https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01911.
Carrus, G.; Pirchio, S.; Passiatore, Y.; Mastandrea, S.; Scopelliti, M.; Bartoli, G. Contact with nature and childrenʹs wellbeing in educational settings. J. Soc. Sci. 2012, 8, 304.
Puhakka, R.; Rantala, O.; Roslund, M.I.; Rajaniemi, J.; Laitinen, O.H.; Sinkkonen, A.; ADELE Research Group. Greening of daycare yards with biodiverse materials affords well-being, play and environmental relationships. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2019, 16, 2948.
Luchs, A.; Fikus, M. A comparative study of active play on differently designed playgrounds. J. Adventure Educ. Outdoor Learn. 2013, 13, 206-222.
Nazaruk, S.K.; Klim-Klimaszewska, A. Direct learning about nature in 6-year-old children living in urban and rural environments and the level of their knowledge and skills. J. Balt. Sci. Educ. 2017, 16, 524.
Park, S.A.; Cho, M.K.; Yoo, M.H.; Kim, S.Y.; Im, E.A.; Song, J.E.; Lee, J.C.; Jun, I.G.; Horticultural Activity Program for Improving Emotional Intelligence, Prosocial Behavior, and Scientific Investigation Abilities and Attitudes in Kindergarteners. Horttechnology 2016, 26, 754-761.
Yılmaz, S.; Çığ, O.; Bolat, E.Y. The effect of a short-term nature-based education program on young children’s biophilic tendencies. Elem. Educ. Online 2020, 19, 1729-1739.
Brussoni, M.; Gibbons, R.; Gray, C.; Ishikawa, T.; Sandseter, E.B.H.; Bienenstock, A.; Chabot, G.; Fuselli, P.; Herrington, S.; Janssen, I. et al. What is the Relationship between Risky Outdoor Play and Health in Children? A Systematic Review. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2015, 12, 6423-6454.
Whitebread, D.; Neale, D.; Jensen, H.; Liu, C.; Solis, S.L.; Hopkins, E.; Hirsh-Pasek, K.; Zosh, J. The Role of Play in Childrenʹs Development: A Review of the Evidence; LEGO Fonden: Billund, Denmark, 2017.
Yogman, M.; Garner, A.; Hutchinson, J.; Hirsh-Pasek, K.; Golinkoff, R.M.; Baum, R.; Gambon, T.; Lavin, A.; Mattson, G.; Wissow, L. The power of play: A pediatric role in enhancing development in young children. Pediatrics 2018, 142, e20182058.
Burdette, H.L.; Whitaker, R.C. Resurrecting free play in young children: Looking beyond fitness and fatness to attention, affiliation, and affect. Arch. Pediatrics Adolesc. Med. 2005, 159, 46-50.
Ernst, J.; Juckett, H.; Sobel, D. Comparing the Impact of Nature, Blended, and Traditional Preschools on Children’s Resilience: Some Nature May Be Better Than None. Front. Psychol. 2021, 12, 724340.
Rademacher, A.; Koglin, U. The concept of self-regulation and preschoolers’ social-emotional development: A systematic review. Early Child Dev. Care 2018, 189, 2299-2317.
Karpov, J.V.; Karpov, Y.V. The Neo-Vygotskian Approach to Child Development; Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK, 2005.
Becker, D.R.; McClelland, M.M.; Loprinzi, P.; Trost, S.G. Physical activity, self-regulation, and early academic achievement in preschool children. Early Educ. Dev. 2014, 25, 56-70.
Taylor, A.F.; Butts-Wilmsmeyer, C. Self-regulation gains in kindergarten related to frequency of green schoolyard use. J. Environ. Psychol. 2020, 70, 101440.
Vohs, K.D.; Baumeister, R.F. Understanding self-regulation. In Handbook of Self-Regulation; Guilford Publications: New York, NY, US, 2004; p.
Fonagy, P.; Target, M. Early intervention and the development of self-regulation. Psychoanal. Inq. 2002, 22, 307-335.
Ohly, H.; White, M.P.; Wheeler, B.W.; Bethel, A.; Ukoumunne, O.C.; Nikolaou, V.; Garside, R. Attention Restoration Theory: A systematic review of the attention restoration potential of exposure to natural environments. J. Toxicol. Environ. Health Part B 2016, 19, 305-343.
Kaplan, R.; Kaplan, S. The Experience of Nature: A Psychological Perspective; Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK, 1989.
Rueda, M.R.; Posner, M.I.; Rothbart, M.K. The development of executive attention: Contributions to the emergence of selfregulation. Dev. Neuropsychol. 2005, 28, 573-594.
Boon, M.H.; Thomson, H.; Shaw, B.; Akl, E.A.; Lhachimi, S.K.; López-Alcalde, J.; Klugar, M.; Choi, L.; Saz-Parkinson, Z.; Mustafa, R.A. Challenges in applying the GRADE approach in public health guidelines and systematic reviews: A concept article from the GRADE Public Health Group. J. Clin. Epidemiol. 2021, 135, 42-53.
Holland, I.; DeVille, N.V.; Browning, M.H.; Buehler, R.M.; Hart, J.E.; Hipp, J.A.; Mitchell, R.; Rakow, D.A.; Schiff, J.E.; White, M.P. Measuring Nature Contact: A Narrative Review. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021, 18, 4092.
