ASSESSING CHILDREN’S CONNECTEDNESS TO NATURE THROUGH THEIR INTEREST IN NATURAL ELEMENTS

This study aims to assess children’s connectedness to nature (CTN) through drawing based on their preferences and interest in natural elements in spaces. A sequential explanatory mixed-method research design was employed to achieve the aim. For the quantitative part, questionnaires were distributed to 760 children in 20 schools located in Kedah and Penang, Malaysia. For the qualitative part, 72 children were grouped into draw and focus groups. The children in the qualitative part were chosen from low-, moderate- and high-level CTN groups. The results confirm that children’s CTN can be assessed through their drawing based on their interest in natural elements in spaces. The findings indicated that children from the high-level CTN group had more interest in natural elements in spaces compared to the children in the moderate- and low-level of CTN groups.