The 2017 Children & Nature International
on advancing the evidence base for children and nature.
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The Research Library and Digest are provided with support from:
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Looking forward to a great year!
In September of last year, we were thrilled to launch this Research Digest to alert you to additions to our new and improved Research Library. In this issue, w
e're excited to share peer-reviewed articles curated in January - and we have a small request of you.
Please take a few moments to complete our short survey about our Research Digest and Library. Input from users has already guided improvements to our tagging and search function; your input today will help us continue to improve this free service and continue to make the case for funding.
(And, everyone who takes the survey will be entered into a drawing to win a $50 REI gift card!)
Thanks in advance,
Cathy Jordan, PhD, LP
Consulting Research Director
Children & Nature Network
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Take our survey for a chance to win a $50 REI gift card.
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Nature imagery promotes creativity
High school students viewing nature imagery performed more creatively than students viewing an urban environment. Creativity scores were the highest for participants exposed to scenery rich in both unpredictability and spaciousness. |
van Rompay & Jol, 2016. Wild and free: Unpredictability and spaciousness as predictors of creative performance
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Students were more interested in nature than in iPads during an outdoor activity
This study indicates that technology can be integrated successfully in outdoor environmental education programs without detracting from engagement with nature. |
Kacoroski, Liddicoat & Kerlin, 2016. Children's use of iPads in outdoor environmental education programs
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[ Environmental Concern ]
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Promoting parents' concern for the environment can promote children's concern as well
Data from over 70,000 children (aged 15) and their parents from 16 different countries indicates that parents' environmental concern predicts children's concern for the environment. |
Casalo & Escario, 2016. Intergenerational association of environmental concern: Evidence of parents' and children's concern
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A new relationship with nature could more effectively address the biodiversity crisis
This essay addresses two interrelated concerns: the "extinction of nature experience" and the ever-increasing loss of biodiversity. The authors call for a re-examination of the way we think about nature and the human experience of nature as a more effective way to promote concern for the environment. |
Clayton et al. 2016. Transformation of experience: Toward a new relationship with nature
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Family, school and peers influence the environmental attitudes of adolescents
Survey responses from over 72,000 students in the European Union indicate that social group interactions influence the environmental attitudes of adolescents. | Duarte, Escario & Sanagustin, 2017. The influence of the family, the school, and the group on the environmental attitudes of European students
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Family camping fosters personal and social development
Parents and children participating in a communal family camping program report stronger family bonds, spirituality, confidence, and connections with nature. | Jirasek, Roberson & Jiraskova, 2017. The impact of families camping together: Opportunities for personal and social development Access Study
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Spirituality is associated with children's and adolescents' well-being
A survey completed by over 1400 children and youth included assessments of happiness, life satisfaction, spirituality, and religiosity. Spirituality, as measured by the nature domain of spirituality, was a strong predictor of children's life satisfaction and a moderate predictor of adolescents' happiness and life satisfaction. | Holder et al. 2016. Well-being's relation to religiosity and spirituality in children and adolescents in Zambia Access Study
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The connectedness to nature aspect of spirituality declines markedly as children age
Over 18,000 adolescents in Canada were asked about the "connectedness" aspect of their spiritual health, including their connectedness to the natural world. Findings indicated that adolescents with high connectedness scores were less likely to suffer negative psychosomatic symptoms and more likely to report high life satisfaction. Findings also indicated that there was a significant decline by age in the percentages of participants who felt that connections to nature were important. | Michaelson et al. 2016. Canadian children and spiritual health: Foundations for spiritual care Access Study
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For preschoolers, greater social play predicts greater mental and emotional involvement
This study examined the relationship between type of social play and involvement on the part of preschool children in the outdoor school environment. Findings support the development of outdoor playspaces offering both access to a natural environment and multiple opportunities for play. |
Miranda et al. 2016. Preschool children's social play and involvement in the outdoor environment
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Wearable cameras engage young children as active researchers
This report describes a participatory research study in which preschool children recorded their own outdoor experiences by using wearable cameras. This research method allowed for deeper and more authentic insights into how children see, interpret, and interact with their environments. |
Green, 2016. Sensory tours as a method for engaging children as active researchers: Exploring the use of wearable cameras in early childhood research Access Study
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Urban planning regulations could counteract some inequalities faced by marginalized groups
Marginalized groups in Shanghai have better access to parks than the general population due, in part, to a green space planning strategy emphasizing an even distribution of urban green space. |
Xiao et al. 2017. An assessment of urban park access in Shanghai - Implications for the social equity in urban China
Access Study
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Spirituality is associated with children's and adolescents' well-being
A survey completed by over 1400 children and youth included assessments of happiness, life satisfaction, spirituality and religiosity. Spirituality, as measured by the nature domain of spirituality, was a strong predictor of children's life satisfaction and a moderate predictor of adolescents' happiness and life satisfaction. |
Holder et al. 2016. Well-being's relation to religiosity and spirituality in children and adolescents in Zambia
Access Study
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The connectedness to nature aspect of spirituality declines markedly as children age
Over 18,000 adolescents in Canada were asked about the "connectedness" aspect of their spiritual health, including their connectedness to the natural world. Findings indicated that adolescents with high connectedness scores were less likely to suffer negative psychosomatic symptoms and more likely to report high life satisfaction. Findings also indicated that there was a significant decline by age in the percentages of participants who felt that connections to nature were important. |
Michaelson et al. 2016. Canadian children and spiritual health: Foundations for spiritual care
Access Study
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People of different age groups prefer different features in their physical environment
This study analyzed "positive places" of five different age groups and found that the configuration of a physical urban environment might not appeal equally to people of different ages. |
Laatikainen, Broberg & Kytta, 2016. The physical environment of positive places: Exploring differences between age groups
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Urban planning regulations could counteract some inequalities faced by marginalized groups
Marginalized groups in Shanghai have better access to parks than the general population due, in part, to a green space planning strategy emphasizing an even distribution of urban green space. |
Xiao et al. 2017. An assessment of urban park access in Shanghai - Implications for the social equity in urban China
Access Study
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