Importance of direct experience with forest organisms in early childhood science education

Naravno okolje je za predšolskega otroka prostor, ki mu s svojo raznolikostjo ponuja številne izzive za naravoslovno raziskovanje. Pozitivne izkušnje, ki so jih otroci deležni v naravnem okolju, pa so temelj učinkovite okoljske vzgoje. Namen doktorskega dela je bil empirično preučiti vplive neposrednih in simbolnih izkušenj z gozdnimi organizmi na zgodnje poučevanje naravoslovja. Ugotoviti smo želeli, katero naravoslovno znanje in spretnosti ter kakšen odnos o gozdnih rastlinah in živalih lahko otroci pridobijo ob dejavnostih, ki temeljijo na neposrednih izkušnjah v naravi, ter ali se trajnost naučenega znanja razlikuje od tistega, ki je pridobljeno izključno s simbolnimi izkušnjami o naravi. V raziskavo so bili vključeni predšolski otroci (n = 129), stari štiri in pet let, ter njihovi vzgojitelji (n = 6). V ta namen smo zasnovali pet dejavnosti, pri katerih smo z otroki raziskovali gozdne organizme v gozdu (neposredne izkušnje), in pet dejavnosti, pri katerih so uporabljeni videoposnetki, knjige, revije, sestavljanke za predstavitev gozdnih organizmov v igralnici (simbolna izkušnja). Podatke smo zbrali s polstrukturiranimi intervjuji. Ugotovili smo, da sta oba vzgojno-izobraževalna programa, ki smo ju izvedli z eksperimentalnima skupinama, N (narava) in I (igralnica), omogočila razvoj spretnosti naravoslovnega opazovanja predšolskih otrok. Ugotavljamo, da so neposredne izkušnje v naravnem okolju učinkovitejše od simbolnih izkušenj o naravi, pridobljenih v igralnici. S pravilnim pedagoškim pristopom pa lahko tudi simbolne izkušnje prispevajo k pridobivanju naravoslovnih spretnosti opazovanja. Predšolskim otrokom je nujno ponuditi čim več možnosti za aktivno učenje, saj lahko takrat udejanjijo svojo željo po raziskovanju in doživljanju okolice. Izkazalo se je, da lahko že kratkoročni (enotedenski) programi dejavnosti pomembno vplivajo na spretnosti naravoslovnega opazovanja in naravoslovno znanje. Naša raziskava dokazuje, da lahko neposredno izkušnjo v naravi nadgradimo s kakovostnimi simbolnimi izkušnjami, kot so: dokumentarni filmi, knjige, revije, didaktične igre itn. V nadaljnjih raziskavah bi bilo smiselno raziskati vplive vzgojno-izobraževalnih dejavnosti, pri katerih bi kombinirali neposredne in simbolne izkušnje z naravo. Bolj bi bilo treba poudariti tudi pomen neposrednih izkušenj z naravo, ki jih otroci pridobivajo v družinskem okolju in neformalnih izobraževalnih programih. Znanstveni prispevek doktorskega dela predstavljajo razumevanje pomena neposrednih in simbolnih izkušenj za naravoslovno izobraževanje v predšolskem obdobju ter razvite in evalvirane naravoslovne dejavnosti, ki bodo omogočile dvig kakovosti poučevanja predšolskih otrok na naravoslovnem področju.For preschool children, the natural environment is a diverse place that offers numerous opportunities to explore science. Children’s positive experiences in the natural environment form the basis for effective environmental education. This doctoral dissertation empirically examines the influences of direct and symbolic experiences with forest organisms on early science education. The aim was to find out what science knowledge, skills, and attitudes about forest plants and animals children acquire through activities with direct experiences in nature, and then to evaluate whether this is more efficient than activities where all this was acquired with symbolic experiences about nature. The study included four- and five-year-old preschool children (n = 129) and their teachers (n = 6). To this end, five activities were designed allowing children to explore forest organisms in the forest (direct experiences) and five activities that used videos, books, magazines, and jigsaw puzzles to present forest organisms in the playroom (symbolic experience). Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. The results showed that both educational programs carried out with experiment groups N (nature) and P (playroom) allowed preschool children to develop science observation skills. Direct outdoor experiences proved more effective than symbolic experiences of nature acquired in the playroom. However, with the right teaching approach, symbolic experiences can also contribute to developing science observation skills. It is vital to offer as many active learning opportunities as possible to preschool children because it is only through them that they can fulfill their desire to explore and experience their surroundings. It turned out that even short (one-week) activity programs can significantly influence science observation skills and knowledge. The study shows that direct outdoor experiences can be complemented with quality symbolic experiences, such as documentaries, books, magazines, educational games, and so on. It would make sense for further research to explore the influences of educational activities that combine direct and symbolic experiences of nature. In addition, more attention should be dedicated to the importance of direct outdoor experience that children obtain in their family environment and informal education programs. The doctoral dissertation contributes to a better understanding of the importance of direct and symbolic experiences for preschool science education, and it develops and evaluates science activities that will help improve the quality of preschool science teaching