Use of the Biophilia Interview to measure connectedness to nature in young children: A tool for nature kindergartens

This research aimed to explore the use of the Biophilia Interview (BI), a connectedness to nature measurement, in a Nordic early childhood educational context (ECE). Extensive previous research has explored the use of measures of nature connectedness with children and has inspired this work in a Nordic setting (Beery et al., 2024; Beery & Fridberg, 2022; Beery & Jørgensen, 2018). Numerous theories, such as biophilia, inclusion, and relatedness (Mayer &Frantz, 2004; Nisbet et al., 2009; Schultz, 2002; Wilson, 1984), express the concept of nature connectedness. These theories reference a state of perceiving oneself as a part of nature and highlight the affective, cognitive, and physical benefits of nature experience. Further, these theories indicate a pathway toward pro-environmental behavior (Chawla, 2021). Guided by a pragmatic paradigm, the BI scale with children in an ECE context was coupled with
practitioner interviews using an embedded mixed-method design (Creswell & Clark, 2007). Ethical Considerations include awareness of child wellbeing in the BI process and parental consent. GDPR guidelines for the ethical conduct of research were followed. The scale results indicated that the children had high biophilia scores. Moreover, the measurement experience engages children in rich conversation, with the potential for qualitative results. The results are compared with other scale outcomes, and a broader question of when, why, and how connectedness to nature
measures should be used with young children is presented. This discussion opens the door for carefully considering applications in the nature kindergarten context and opportunities provided by the unique setting.