Print) 1989-9386 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rprb20 Contact with nature in educational settings might help cognitive functioning and promote positive social behaviour / El contacto con la naturaleza en los contextos educativos podría mejorar el funcionamiento cognitivo y fomentar el comportamiento social positivo Giuseppe Carrus, Ylenia Passiatore, Sabine Pirchio & Massimiliano Scopelliti To cite this article: Giuseppe Carrus, Ylenia Passiatore, Sabine Pirchio & Massimiliano Scopelliti (2015) Contact with nature in educational settings might help cognitive functioning and promote positive social behaviour / El contacto con la naturaleza en los contextos educativos podría mejorar el funcionamiento cognitivo y fomentar el comportamiento social positivo, Psyecology, 6:2, 191-212 To link to this article: http://dx.Contact with nature in educational settings might help cognitive functioning and promote positive social behaviour / El contacto con la naturaleza en los contextos educativos podría mejorar el funcionamiento cognitivo y fomentar el comportamiento social positivoAbstract: This research investigates the positive effects that contact with nature in educational settings has on pre-school children. Several studies have shown that contact with nature promotes many beneficial outcomes. In a study conducted in Italy, we tested the hypotheses that exposure to nature in educational settings promotes psychological restoration, strengthens children's cognitive and affective resources and increases the quality of children's social interaction. Children's performance in structured activities and behaviour in free play were assessed through systematic observation, after time spent in outdoor green versus indoor space, respectively. The participants were 39 children from four different childcare centres in the Rome area. Findings confirm the hypothesized pattern, suggesting that contact with outdoor green spaces positively influences children's cognitive performance, affective states and social behaviour.Resumen: El presente trabajo investiga los efectos positivos del contacto con la naturaleza en contextos educativos con niños en edad preescolar. Varios estudios han demostrado que el contacto con la naturaleza favorece múltiples resultados positivos. En un estudio llevado a cabo en Italia, probamos la hipótesis según la cual la exposición a la naturaleza en contextos educativos fomenta la restauración psicológica, refuerza los recursos cognitivos y afectivos de los niños y aumenta la calidad de la interacción social infantil. Se evaluó el rendimiento de los niños en actividades estructuradas y su comportamiento en juegos libres por medio de la observación sistemática, tras pasar un periodo de tiempo en un espacio verde exterior y en un espacio interior, English version: pp. 191-200 / Versión en español: pp. 201-210 References / Referencias: pp. 210-212 Translated from English / Traducción del inglés: Mercè Rius

The increasing flow of immigrants in many European countries and the growing presence of children from immigrant families in schools makes it relevant to study the development of prejudice in children. Parents play an important role in shaping children’s values and their attitudes toward members of other ethnic groups; an intergenerational transmission of prejudice has been found in a number of studies targeting adolescents. The present study aims to investigate the intergenerational transmission of ethnic prejudice in 3- to 9- year-old children and its relations to parenting styles. Parents’ blatant and subtle ethnic prejudice and parenting style are measured together with children’s explicit and implicit ethnic prejudice in pupils and parents of preschool and primary schools in the region of Rome, Italy (N = 318). Results show that parents’ subtle prejudice predicts children’s implicit prejudice regardless of the parenting style. Findings indicate that children might acquire prejudice by means of the parents’ implicit cognition and automatic behavior and educational actions. Implications for future studies and insights for possible applied interventions are discussed.

Experiences of contact with nature in school education might be beneficial for promoting ecological lifestyles and the wellbeing of children, families, and teachers. Many theories and empirical evidence on restorative environments, as well as on the foundations of classical pedagogical approaches, recognize the value of the direct experience with natural elements, and the related psychological and educational outcomes (e.g., positive emotions, autonomy, self-efficacy, empathy). In this work we present two studies focusing on the contact with nature in outdoor education interventions with primary and secondary school students in Italy. A questionnaire measuring connectedness to nature, psycho-physical wellbeing, pro-environmental attitudes, students’ life satisfaction, pro-social behavior, empathy and anxiety was completed before and after the education program by the participants to the intervention group and by students of a control group. The students in the intervention groups (154 in study 1 and 170 in study 2) participated in environmental education programs consisting in guided activities in contact with the nature during four visits in one of two natural protected areas. The students in the control groups (253 in study 1 and 168 in study 2) attended the same schools as the intervention group but they were not involved in the environmental education program. The students in both the groups completed the questionnaire in the same weeks of the year. Findings show that taking part to the outdoor education program has positive outcomes on psycho-physical wellbeing, on connectedness to nature and on pro-social behavior of students in the intervention group, compared to the control group. The implications related to the effectiveness of outdoor education interventions and future directions of research and practice in environmental psychology and education are discussed.

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