Only green time, and not screen time, predicts connectedness to nature among urban middle school students

To build a more sustainable society, one key objective of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is the promotion of pro-environmental behavior. Prior research has shown that a connection to nature is positively related to pro-environmental behavior and that time spent in nature is crucial to developing this connection. However, recent findings reveal that students increasingly spend less time outside and more time online. This study examined the longitudinal directional effects of connectedness with nature, self-reported green time, and screen time. The relationships were tested with cross-lagged analysis based on three testing points over ten months. Urban middle school students (N = 163, T1 – MAge: 12.23, SD: .81, 46.6% female) in Grades 7 and 8 completed a paper-and-pencil questionnaire, which included the nature connection scale “Inclusion of Nature in Self” (INS) and two questions about self-reported green and screen time. Results showed that self-reported green time, but not screen time, predicted connectedness with nature. However, self-reported green time predicted screen time. We found strong correlations with previous time points for all variables (INS, green time, and screen time). Overall, the results highlight that a decrease in experience in nature and the resulting reduced connection to nature is not driven by screens but rather by other accompanying factors, such as less time spent in nature. Therefore, targeted actions are needed to promote green time, which is why educators should focus on fostering nature experiences.