Understanding Middle School Students’ Connectedness with Nature: Facing Educational Challenges

Fostering pro-environmental behavior to achieve a sustainable society is one of the goals of Education for Sustainable Development worldwide. Connectedness with nature is known to positively correlate with pro-environmental behavior and therefore needs to be studied in more detail. In this mixed-method study, applying the “Inclusion of Nature in Self” (INS) scale, we investigated 1) how closely preadolescents from urban middle schools (n = 651, 6th grade) are connected with nature, 2) how they describe the reasons for their level of connectedness, 3) how reasons and level interconnect, and 4) whether type of school or personal habits influence students’ connectedness with nature. Data show that students’ reported nature connectedness differs significantly with school type and that the reasons for feeling connected to nature are diverse. Positive attitudes and emotions towards nature and time spent outdoors seem to be predictors for high connectedness with nature, indicating the importance of nature experiences.