The influence of culture on children's relationships with nature

Abstract

This mixed-method study compared 5 to 8 years old children from Canada and Slovakia and their relationship with nature. A total of 52 children participated in this study; more specifically, 26 children from Toronto, Canada and 26 children from Bratislava, Slovakia. The children’s relationship with nature was examined through understanding their definition of nature, experiences in and feelings towards nature. Children illustrated a picture of nature and their activities in it. They then participated in semi-structured interview and lastly participated in a dialogue about photographs of nature. The ‘new sociology of childhood’ and ‘universalism in cross-cultural psychology’ theoretical frameworks were used to frame this study. The results revealed that there were no cultural differences in the children’s relationship with nature; however, cultural differences were apparent in the way children constructed their relationship. Children from both countries exhibited positive feelings towards nature, but the way they engaged with it was culturally different. Therefore, culture plays a role when establishing a connection with nature. Recognizing that children from various cultural backgrounds enjoy being in nature and acknowledging nature’s positive effects on their overall well-being can help guide parents, caregivers, educators and policy makers to work together to ensure children can reap the benefits of nature for their healthy development. Keywords: Children, nature, culture, relationship, connection, natural environment

The influence of the natural environment on learning in primary school students

“…Children from both countries showed positive feelings towards na-ture, but the way they were related was culturally different. 12 (p.83).…”

The New Sociology of Childhood: Animal Representations in Leslie Marmon Silko’s Garden in the Dunes, Amazon’s Oh My Dog and Netflix’s Mughizh: A Cross-Cultural Analysis

“…Research emphasizes the qualitative approach to how children acquire culture but the cross-cultural connection between films and novels has been less explored, specifically human-animal relationships. Donnell and Rinkoff (2015) conducted a quantitative study on 52 children aged five to eight that "compared Canadian and Slovakian children's relationship with nature" (62) through the drawing drawn by the children. Likewise, animals play important roles in different cultures and social contexts.…”

“…Most researchers argue that a child's emotional and psychological development is formed by the social contexts and environment (Miller, 2011;Piaget, 1977;Kohlberg, 1969 ), thus the development of the psyche of the child varies from one place to another and it is not universal. (Penn, 2008;Donnell and Rinkoff , 2015). Social psychologist and cultural researchers understand children's emotional development is varied across cultures and examine whether cognitive development is culture-bound or remain the same.…”

“…Different cultures have different approaches toward nature and animals. Donnell and Rinkoff (2015) point out "it is the culture that shapes how children 'define, organize, and label emotions'" (Flavell, Miller, and Miller, 2002, p. 212). This is the premise of this paper and will examine children's relationships with animals in different cultures.…”