Browsing by Person "Friedman, Samantha"

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Developing a Connection to Nature: The Role of Pet Ownership in Childhood
(International Association of Human-Animal Interaction Organizations, 2024-07-10) Barrable, Alexia; Friedman, Samantha
Forest School in the early years
(Routledge, 2025-08-08) Friedman, Samantha; Barrable, Alexia
Recent years have seen a rise in the popularity of Forest Schools as both a complement and alternative to traditional schooling and an activity for children as young as several months old. Participation in Forest School has been associated with positive outcomes, including educational, social, and physical development. More recent research suggests that Forest Schools could also be an empowering space for autistic children. Questions persist around how practitioners and researchers define and implement Forest School, the theoretical basis (or lack thereof), and the implications of adopting this practice from another culture. This chapter will critically discuss the various approaches practitioners take to adopting the Forest School ethos, the elements of Forest School which might make it effective for providing pre-school children novel opportunities for autonomy, and the larger questions that remain as Forest School continues to become a more accessible option for young children.
Nature connection and wellbeing in children and adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis
(Psych-Open, 2024) Barrable, Alexia; Friedman, Samantha; Tam, Kim-Pong; Papadatou-Pastou, Marietta
Nature connection (also referred to as nature connectedness, connectedness to nature connection to nature, or nature relatedness) describes a positive relationship between humans and the natural world, with various benefits for both nature and humans. The latter include a small but robust positive correlation of nature connection with various types of wellbeing and flourishing. However, this correlation has been investigated meta-analytically in adults only; no meta-analysis to-date has investigated the relationship between nature connection and wellbeing in children and adolescents. This is the aim of the present study. We undertook searches through four databases (Google Scholar, ERIC, PsycInfo and Scopus). The criteria were (i) the mean age of participants is below 18, with no restrictions on sex or ethnicity and that they were drawn from the general population; (ii) that there were at least one explicit, non-dichotomised measure for nature connection and one for wellbeing and (iii) that there were adequate data reported so that we could record or compute the correlation coefficient between the main variables. Our systematic review identified twelve studies (k = 12) that fulfilled the criteria and could be included in the meta-analysis. The total sample (n = 30,075) included children and adolescents aged four to 18. An overall moderate significant effect was found (r = .31, 95% CI = .22-.41) for the relationship between nature connection and wellbeing in children and adolescents, which is comparable but slightly higher than the effect found in previous meta-analyses focused on adults.
Nature connection in adulthood: The role of childhood nature experiences
(Wiley Open Access, 2024-05-24) Barrable, Alexia; Friedman, Samantha; Beloyianni, Vassiliki
1) Context: Nature connection describes our relationship with the rest of the natural world. Promoting nature connection in children and adults has been identified as a worthwhile focus for education and public health, given the positive associations between nature connection, wellbeing and pro-environmental behaviours. Prior research has looked at activities that promote an individual’s connection to nature, reporting that a variety of interventions can be effective. Particular emphasis has been placed on positive childhood nature experiences due to their effects on adult nature connection. Research from varied places such as New Zealand, Australia, the USA and Brazil suggest that an individual’s childhood nature experiences can play a positive role on their adult connection to nature. 2) Approach: This paper is the first of its kind to explore the associations between childhood nature activities, both their type and frequency, and adult nature connection in a Greek sample (n=401). We gathered the perspectives of Greek-speaking adults using quantitative measures in an online survey. 3) Results: Our results suggest that, in line with previous research, childhood nature experiences were significantly and positively correlated with adult nature connectedness. However, contrary to previous research, analysis suggested that adult nature experiences did not mediate the relationship between childhood nature experience and adult nature connection. Age was positively correlated with less structured childhood nature experiences such that older adults were more likely to have participated in unstructured outdoor activities like flower picking and general alone time outside during childhood. 4) Synthesis and applications: Capturing retrospective self-reports on the frequency and type of childhood nature experiences in this Greek sample helps us understand how these experiences may predict engagement and relationships with nature in adulthood. In turn, these findings inform context-specific recommendations for encouraging nature contact in childhood. For instance, this may have implications for nature-based learning in Greece, as well as the provision of urban green and blue spaces.
‘The world is your oyster’: mothers’ perspectives on the value and purpose of an independent Forest School provision
(Taylor and Francis Group, 2024-02-27) Friedman, Samantha; Allin, Linda; Gray, William
Time in nature, including in organised settings like Forest Schools, is associated with a range of benefits for child development. Parents are typically the facilitators or enablers of these nature-based experiences, particularly for those activities taking place outside of the traditional school environment. In this study, we sought to ascertain the perspectives of one group of parents, all mothers, who chose to send their children to an independent Forest School provision in England. Using semi-structured interviews, analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, we developed findings to reflect why these mothers chose to engage their children with Forest School, the value they believe is associated with their child’s participation in this programme, and the ways that this influenced their parenting approach and family more broadly. Participants were motivated to seek out Forest School for their children based on their own experiences in childhood and their current interests in nature. For many of the mothers, such as several who home educate their children, Forest School embodied values they believed were important for both education and shaping child development. Finally, participants shared that Forest School provided their children, especially those with additional support needs, novel autonomy and compassion they did not find in other children’s groups. Independent Forest School provisions could be an important way of enabling parents to support their children’s development in a manner that aligns with their own values.