«Chanter des comptines aux escargots»: la sensibilité écologique d’enfants âgés de 2 à 5 ans en centre de la petite enfance œuvrant en éducation par la nature
DOI :
https://doi.org/10.62920/y2kq9g25Mots-clés :
Sensibilité écologique, petite enfance, éducation par la natureRésumé
L’objectif de cette étude mixte vise à brosser un portrait de la sensibilité écologique de 223 enfants (102 filles et 121 garçons) âgés de 2 à 5 ans fréquentant un centre de la petite enfance qui œuvre en éducation par la nature, au Québec. Plus spécifiquement, leur plaisir en nature, leur conscience de la nature, leur empathie et leur responsabilité envers la nature sont étudiés. Pour ce faire, le questionnaire Connectedness to Nature Index — Parents of Preschool Children (CNI-PPC ; Sobko et al., 2018 ; échelle Likert à 5 points, min = 1, max = 5), auquel leurs parents ont répondu, est utilisé. Des entretiens individuels menés auprès de 10 éducatrices œuvrant en éducation par la nature complètent le portrait de la sensibilité écologique des enfants en nature. Les analyses descriptives montrent que le plaisir en nature est la dimension ayant le score le plus élevé (M = 4.8; ET = 0.4), suivie de la conscience de la nature (M = 4,6 ; ET = 0.5), de la responsabilité envers la nature (M= 4,3 ; ET = 0.8), et finalement de l’empathie envers la nature (M = 3,9 ; ET = 0.9). Une analyse thématique d’entretiens individuels menés auprès de 10 éducatrices complète le portrait de la sensibilité écologique des enfants. Ces résultats sont discutés sous l’angle de l’apport de l’éducation par la nature pour favoriser la sensibilité écologique chez les jeunes enfants.
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