Shaping space and practice to support autonomy: lessons from natural settings in Scotland

Abstract

In the present paper, I explore some of the concrete manifestation of autonomy support in natural childcare and early childhood education settings, under the organising framework of self-determination theory. More specifically, I present the ways in which early childhood educators shape the space of natural settings and use the affordances of the natural environment to promote autonomy in children aged 3-8 years. The practices presented are a result of direct observation in several Scotland-based outdoor settings, observations and organic conversations with educators in outdoor and forest kindergartens. Hopefully the practices and spaces presented in this paper can be of use by educators and setting managers who aim to support autonomous learning and intrinsic motivation in their pupils in outdoor natural early years' settings.

Nature kindergartens: a space for children’s participation

“…These places are important for creating a sense of safety and belonging which are important preconditions for participation (Hultgren & Johansson, 2019). Our study resonates with findings in research that reveal a combination of structures and manufactured components on one hand, and natural components and free play on the other (Barrable, 2019;Brussoni et al, 2015;Harper, 2017;Zamani, 2016).…”

“…In this study, the staff generally associated a higher level of risk with greater opportunities for learning, mastering, independence, and responsibility. As such our findings supplement other studies that have documented the positive benefits of risky and free play (Barrable, 2019;Harper, 2017;Skar et al, 2016;Zamani, 2016). We interpret the affordance of risky play in nature as one spatial aspect that inspires children and, as such, is a condition for participation.…”

“…Simultaneously, Zamani (2016) finds that a combination of natural and manufactured components can be fruitful for stimulating more engagement, teamwork, creativity, and imagination. Barrable (2019) discusses how educators can use resources in natural spaces to promote autonomy in early childhood education, concluding that there needs to be a structure enabling children to feel safe and to enact in a self-directed way. Also, children should manage their own risk and educators should refrain from controlling behaviour.…”

“…Findings in our study are supported by findings in Sandseter (2009), which indicate a higher level of risktaking in nature kindergartens. Following Barrable (2019), staff that utilise the affordance of the natural environment and refrain from controlling behaviour promote autonomy in children. In this study, the staff generally associated a higher level of risk with greater opportunities for learning, mastering, independence, and responsibility.…”

Examining positive emotions, autonomy support and learning strategies: Self-directed versus teacher-directed learning environments

“…For example, teachers can provide individualized feedback on learning strategies (Hattie, 2009), provide multiple options for learning tasks (Kulakow, 2020), empower students to participate in learning (Baeten et al, 2010), account for students' interests and preferences (Lazarides et al, 2019), tolerate mistakes, and set individualized reference standards for measuring performance (Hornstra et al, 2015;Jang et al, 2010;Mouratidis et al, 2017;Nett & Götz, 2019;Usher & Schunk, 2018;Vansteenkiste et al, 2012). Empirical findings have identified positive links between autonomy support and positive emotions during lessons (Barrable, 2020;Reeve et al, 2004), persistence (Isen & Reeve, 2005;Reeve et al, 2004), elaboration (Nijhuis et al, 2008;Reeve & Jang, 2006) and control strategies (Reeve, Ryan, Deci & Jang, 2009). Therefore, the existing body of research confirms the assumption that autonomy support acts as a mediating factor between positive emotions and learning strategies.…”