Teaching children to believe in their abilities (self-efficacy) through nature education can help achieve long-term conservation goals, such as encouraging people to protect nature. However, few studies have tested how nature education affects children's confidence or how course design supports this.

In a study published in Integrative Conservation, researchers identified self-efficacy as a critical outcome of nature education, highlighting its potential to support long-term conservation goals, such as fostering conservation support or engagement.

The researchers used a nature education program called “The Wildlife Course in the Classroom: My Wildlife Friends” (hereafter referred to as the Wildlife Course), developed and implemented by the One Planet Foundation. Aimed at primary school students aged 8–10, the core objectives of the Wildlife Course are to stimulate students' curiosity and interest in nature, deepen their concern for wildlife, build an understanding of natural ecosystems, and encourage proactive engagement in pro-nature behaviors.

The researchers evaluated the effect of nature education on children's course-developed self-efficacy using a mixed-methods design involving a wildlife-based education program implemented in 10 rural elementary schools across six provinces in China.

The results show a significant increase in course-developed self-efficacy among students of the course group, whereas the control group experienced a decline. This suggests that the program effectively boosted students' confidence in understanding biodiversity and life concepts. Notably, this increase in self-efficacy pertains not only to students' confidence in performing pro-nature behaviors but also extends to their overall personal development across diverse course-related tasks.

 Additionally, they found that self-efficacy developed through the course also contributed to pro-nature intentions and behaviors, with self-efficacy being a more important predictor for the latter.

Furthermore, they identified seven key pathways through which the course enhanced students' self-efficacy: positive reinforcement, teamwork, skill development, self-expression, role modeling, knowledge expansion, and a supportive atmosphere.

The researchers recommend designing courses by integrating teaching strategies into innovative educational tools, such as video-based courses and practical kits similar to those used in the Wildlife Course.

Contact

HU Sifan  Ph.D

School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, People's Republic of China

E-mail: husf@mail2.sysu.edu.cn