The Perceptions of the Children Attending the Preschool Education about Nature and Nature Pollution

Abstract


Introduction
The perceptions of 20 preschool children about nature and nature pollution were investigated.Data were collected through interviews and by studying the children's drawings.The results show that most children perceived nature together with living things.The children expressed that nature was most polluted with garbage and that all living things would be harmed in case of nature pollution.Children emphasized behaviors toward a sustainable environment to protect and not spoil it.Teachers should provide children with opportunities for environmental education through real-life experiences in nature-friendly settings and include their families in these educational activities.
away from the natural environment and continued to harm the environment with unconscious consumption and destruction (Engin & Demiriz, 2022;Karabıçak & Armağan, 2004;Kutgi 2016).As Önder (2016) suggests, "50% of the environmental pollution in the world has occurred in the last 35 years" (as cited in Kete et al., 2017, p.174).The rapid increase in the world population and the rise in welfare-related consumption caused unpredicted environmental challenges.Today, measures during the pandemic, like stay-at-home orders, less road traffic, and decreased economic activity, created positive effects, especially on the air, sea, and beaches.However, an increase in domestic and medical waste has existed.Although the ongoing destruction of nature has partially decreased during the COVID-19 period (Zambrano-Monserrate et al., 2020;Bashir et al., 2020), the destruction of nature and environmental problems continue to progress rapidly with the "normalization" process.
International steps have contributed to the formation of environmental education approaches and principles, and it has become essential to provide children with the necessary attitudes, values, and skills within the scope of environmental education in the countries' education policies (Doğan & Simsar, 2018;Fernández et al., 2019;Tanriverdi, 2009).The Turkish environmental education strategy aims at providing children with awareness, knowledge, attitudes, and skills to protect the environment and create environmental awareness (Kavaz et al., 2021;Soydan et al., 2013).
Preschool years are the most suitable period to inspire environmental education.These are the critical ages when children's language, cognitive, social-emotional, and psycho-motor developments are intense (Erkan et al., 2021).The awareness of creating a sustainable environment can be gained by providing experiences enabling children to see themselves as a part of nature.Providing educational experiences will also allow them to recognize and enjoy the environment and raise awareness about environmental problems while dealing with activities (Öztürk Samur, 2018).According to Aaron and Witt (2011), children's understanding and perceptions of nature affected their behaviors.Early childhood understandings and perceptions of nature substantially affect the lifelong development of positive attitudes and values toward environmental problems.
It is necessary to focus on the perception of nature in the studies on environmental education and in gaining positive attitudes and behaviors toward the environment for children, considering the effect of the human-nature relationship on environmental problems.Understanding children's perspectives on nature and the elements in the system they contain and providing environmental education focusing on real life and emotions in this direction are important to create highly environmental-conscious societies (Bolat, 2020;Karataş & Aslan, 2012;McNichol, Davis, & O'Brien, 2011;Phenice & Griffore, 2003).
When we look at the studies on the nature perceptions of preschool children, they seem limited (Keliher, 1997;Phenice & Griffore, 2003;Tillmann et al., 2019;Mol, 2019;Köşker, 2019).Keliher (1997), in her study on nature perceptions of 6-7-year-old children, stated that children have well-formulated perceptions of nature, and school and out-of-school experiences affect their perceptions of nature.Phenice & Griffore (2003) stated in their research with 32-72-month-old children that children partially understand the human-nature relationship and build new understandings with their educational experiences.In their research investigating how rural Canadian children define, experience, and perceive the benefits of nature, Tillmann et al. (2019) concluded that children conceptualize nature as a "whole community" and know about nature's health benefits.Mol (2019) examined the nature perceptions of preschool children through drawings and found that the children included nature figures, natural events, animals, people, vehicles, objects, planets, cannibals, and giants.Köşker (2019) conducted a study to investigate how preschool children perceive nature.She concluded that children perceive nature as an environment where animals and plants exist outside human life.She also emphasized that children without a sufficient level of perception about the fundamental relations in nature have a more objectoriented understanding of nature.
Based on the studies above, we can say that a need exists for in-depth studies investigating the perceptions of children about nature, components of nature, and nature problems in the preschool period.Our present study can be seen as a crucial contribution in this direction.

The Purpose of the Study
This study aims at revealing the perceptions of children attending preschool education about nature and pollution.We will seek to find answers to the following questions: 1. How do children define nature?

Data Collection Tools
Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and by studying the children's drawings.
The first part of the study involved presenting openended questions to the children and obtaining their opinions on nature and pollution.The related literature was reviewed, and seven questions were prepared to investigate the children's perceptions of nature and pollution.The prepared questions were presented to three faculty members for expert opinion.Based on the feedback from the experts, one question was removed from the form, and the final version comprised six questions.Before the main study, the clarity of the questions was checked by conducting a preliminary study with five children.Then, openended questions were updated, and the questions were finalized.
In the second part of the study, the children were asked to explain what kind of nature they wished to live in through the pictures they drew.Children's drawings reflect the content and how they think (Yavuzer, 2009).Drawings are used as a method to help the children express their opinions and experiences (Fargas-Malet et al., 2010).We talked with the children about the drawings they made to avoid problems in the interpretation/analysis of the drawings of children (Leonard, 2006).Therefore, each child was interviewed to interpret the drawings from the children's perspectives, and they were asked to describe their drawings.The interviews with children and their descriptions of their drawings were recorded.

Data Analysis
Content analysis is "a systematic and repeatable technique in which some words of a text are summarized with smaller content categories with coding based on certain rules" (Büyüköztürk et al., 2013, p. 240).The content analysis method, a qualitative data analysis method, was used to analyze the interview data and children's drawings.According to Yıldırım and Şimşek (2018), similar data are compiled in content analysis within the framework of certain concepts and themes, and these are organized and interpreted such that the reader can understand.
The recordings of the interviews with the children were converted into written text (transcript).The written texts were read repeatedly, and categories were determined accordingly.The data were arranged according to codes, categories, and themes.The data were coded, aligning with the information obtained from the children.The themes related to the categories were created.Moreover, tables were created to explain the codes, and the findings were interpreted.The data were analyzed, and research findings were presented.
The emerging themes were noted in this process by examining the children's drawings.Children's sentences were read repeatedly, and the elements in the children's expressions of the drawings were evaluated.
The two researchers coded the data separately, and the percentage of agreement was calculated as 90% using a formula developed by Miles and Huberman (1994).
Abbreviations and coding indicating the number of sequences (C1, C2…) were used for presenting the descriptions and children's drawings.

Findings Regarding Nature Perceptions
This section evaluated children's perceptions of the natural environment (nature).Accordingly, Table 1 presents the findings regarding the themes, categories, and codes of children's perceptions of the natural environment.

Findings Regarding How Nature is Polluted
Children's perceptions of how nature is polluted were evaluated, and the findings show that majority of the sample (n = 16) used the expression "with garbage, by littering."A few (n = 3) expressed that nature is polluted with "mud."Some children's expressions of pollution and how nature is polluted were as follows:

Findings Regarding the Effects of Nature Pollution on Living Things
Children's perceptions of the effects of nature pollution on living things are rather diverse: Some (n= 5) had a perception that life would end.Some children (n=3) believed that living things would be offended in case of nature pollution.Others (n= 6) believed that living things would be harmed, they would get sick, and the plants would wither because of nature pollution.Three expressed that living things would "escape to their houses or the zoo" because of nature pollution.
Another group of three children reported that "they did not know."Some expressions of children about the effects of nature pollution on living things were as follows: C1: "The world would be destroyed; we would die.Considering children's perceptions about the effects of soil pollution on living things, some children (n = 3) believed that animals would be affected.In contrast, some (n = 4) believed that plants would be affected in case of soil pollution.Some (n = 7) believed that soil pollution would affect humans.Five believed that all living things, such as humans, plants, and animals, would be affected.Few (n = 3) expressed that "they do not know."Some expressions of children about the effects of soil pollution on living things were as follows: Findings related to the children's perceptions about the effects of air pollution on living things reveal considerably diverse views: some children (n = 3) believed that animals would be affected.Conversely, one child (n = 1) believed air pollution would affect plants.Four believed that human beings would be affected in case of air pollution.Almost one-third of the group (n = 7) believed that all living things would be affected in case of air pollution.A few (n = 3) reported that "they did not know."Some expressions of the children about the effects of air pollution on living things were as follows:

About explaining the reasons
When you pour water constantly, the soil melts and becomes mud.
We will plant the seeds and water them.Then, they will grow.
Not to pollute the water

About behaviors
Mud and soil should not be poured into the waters, should not drop litter, should clean toxic waste, and should not waste water.

About explaining the reasons
If the fish wear a mask, they will not get the virus.Garbage in the water should be collected to protect aquatic animals.

About behaviors
Should not use toxic gases, should be careful when starting a fire, should keep the forests clean, should not drop litter, it should not rain; tornadoes should be prevented.

About explaining the reasons
Tree leaves clean the air.Toxic gases are dangerous.If it does not rain, the air will be polluted.
We should wear a mask to prevent the steam from coming out of our mouths.
If we do not pollute the forests, the air will remain clean.

Findings Regarding Elements in Children's Paintings
This section evaluated the drawings made by children (n= 20) aligning with "What kind of nature would you like to live in?" and the elements in their expressions about their drawings.Table 5 presents the findings regarding children's drawings' themes, categories, and codes.
The items included by children in their paintings were studied under the themes of living things, non-living things, and descriptions.Almost the entire group (n = 19) included drawings of human beings, animals, and plants under the theme of living things.Most (n = 15) included natural and humane elements under the theme of non-living things.However, nearly half (n = 12) had elements of space and emotions in the "description" theme.
The children (n = 9) expressed the elements coded in the "human beings" category under the theme of living things as "my mother, my father, myself, daughter, Atatürk, and human beings."They (n = 7) expressed the elements coded in the "animal" category "fish, butterfly, bird, ladybug, rabbit, pig, and dog."The children (n = 16) stated the elements coded in the "plants" category as "tree, apple tree, grass, flower, daisy, orange, grape, apple, blackberry, and carrot."One child included the "virus" element in their statement.The researchers evaluated this element under the "other" category.Some expressions of the children about the theme of living things were as follows: C1: "I would like to live underwater to see the fishes.
There are viruses and light fish underwater.The light fish scares the small fish at night.The light fish caught the samba virus.There are three samba viruses here." C3: "There are trees, flowers, butterflies, clouds, and sun.I run to get flowers and give them to my mom, dad, and older sister." C8: "There are colorful grasses made of pop-it.I drew Atatürk in the sun.There are beautiful clouds, beautiful weather, colorful rainbows, colorful umbrellas, and a beautiful pop-it house." C11: "There are trees, flowers, and grass in the forest.A girl is wandering in the forest." Considering the "natural" category within the theme of non-living things, the elements coded by children (n = 13) were "sun, cloud, black snow, wind, rainbow, earth, and dry leaf."Regarding the "human" category, the elements coded by children (n = 13) were "house, hut, stairs, balloon mailbox, umbrella, pop-it, colored ball, bird shoes, scarecrow, and police car."Some expressions of the children about the theme of nonliving things were as follows: C4: "I would like to live in a nature where black snow falls, silvery flowers, a house with eyes, and stairs leading to my room." C9: "There are clouds and sun: Grape, orange, blackberry, apple-colored balls, ladybug, and bird.The bird has shoes." C19: "There is a setting sun, clouds, trees, plants, and carrots.The tree has a trunk and dry leaves.There is also an irrigation system.The sun raises the trees.
There is a pink pig on top of the trees.There is no mud because it is not raining." In the category of "place" within the theme of descriptions, the elements coded by children (n = 4) were "zoo, forest, underwater, a colorful world, and endless greenery."Under the category of "emotions," the elements coded by children (n = 5) were "hearth, a loving place, beautiful, colorful, and clean."Some expressions of the children about the theme of descriptions were as follows: C12: "There is a sun and clouds.There are rabbits, scarecrows, and human beings in the zoo.Here, I love the bunnies and feed them with carrots." C19: "There is a sun and clouds.There is a small cottage and an endless amount of greenery."C20: "Everywhere is clean: A place with beautiful, loving hearts and daisies."

Discussion and Conclusion
This study evaluated children's perceptions of nature and pollution.Interviews were conducted with 20 children attending preschool education institutions, and they were asked to draw pictures of what kind of nature they would like to live in.
Evaluating how children perceive nature and how they position themselves within the system of nature is essential concerning nature education (Keliher, 1997).According to Çelik (2009), the evaluation of the balances in the ecosystem with an objective point of view contributes to creating sustainable environmental awareness in education about the environment and nature.In line with the interviews to evaluate children's perceptions of nature, we found that many children in our sample (n = 9) perceived nature together with living things.Conversely, some children (n = 4) perceived nature together with nonliving things.Littledyke (2004) and Haktanır (2020) also concluded in their studies that young children described the environment as living things or as a place including both living and non-living things.According to Halmatov (2012), children perceive the environment as a place at an early age, while they assess it as a medium in which living and non-living things interact in later years.In our study, some children (n = 4) similarly defined it as "the place where we live."However, the children did not use expressions for the integrity of the systems in nature.According to Halmatov (2012), children perceive the concrete objects they encounter in their lives and independently consider them.Therefore, children included descriptions of the items they discovered, such as trees, children, flowers, and birds.Our findings show that children similarly expressed nature with objects they could observe.In a study, Phenice and Griffore (2003) concluded that young children could partially describe the place of humans in nature.In another, Shepardson et al. (2007) reported that almost half of the children considered the environment a place where animals and plants lived.Contrarily, the perception of the place where humans, plants, and animals lived together was the least common perception among others.Our findings reveal that children partially perceived the naturehuman relationship (C2: The place where we live.C19: We should not pollute nature.C20: It is the living space of human beings.We should not consume everything in nature).
According to a study by Özkul (2018), the children's primary environmental problem is environmental pollution based on behaviors.Similarly, Taşkın and Şahin (2008) conducted a study.They reported that children's perceptions of nature included objects such as trees, children, flowers, and birds.However, they could not express the relationships between these objects or elements.Concerning their perceptions about how nature is polluted, most children (n = 16) used the expression "with garbage, by littering."Only a few expressed that nature is polluted with mud.
Our study's results were similar to those of Keliher's (1997) et al. (2006) reported that almost all the children participating in their study were respectful to animals and plants, cared about the cleanliness of their environment, attached importance to saving water, saved energy and paper, and helped animals in the winter season.Furthermore, Ertürk Kara et al. (2015) reported that children generally had environmentallycentered attitudes toward paper consumption, environmental protection, recycling, and living habits.
Within the scope of the research, children were asked to paint a picture of what kind of nature they would like to live in.The items they included in their paintings were examined under the themes of "living things, non-living things, and descriptions."Almost all children (n=19) included drawings of humans, animals, and plants under the theme of living things.Similarly, Keliher (1997) conducted a study by asking children to make a drawing of what they considered nature and concluded that 6-7-year-old children perceived nature as flowers, trees, and animals.Phenice and Griffore (2003) reported that children found it relatively easy to identify trees and animals as a part of nature.
In contrast, only a few children perceived humans as a part of nature.In our study, as in the studies conducted by Keliher (1997) and Phenice and Griffore (2003), only a few children (n = 9) included the human element in their paintings.
Teachers in early childhood classrooms must offer environmental education programs supporting a positive view of nature and the environment and allowing children to explore their environment at their own pace.According to Ertürk Kara et al. (2015), children can acquire nature-friendly attitudes and behaviors on sustainability, recycling, respect for living things, and environmental protection with environmental education in early childhood education institutions.Based on the nature awareness that children have already had, the vitality of the programs to be prepared on subjects such as nature, ecosystem, and sustainable environmental education in the preschool period should not be overlooked.Moreover, considering that the family's perception of nature affects the child's perception, families should be included in the environmental education at school and be guided on how to spend time with their children in nature (Erol & Ogelman, 2021;Haktanır, 2020;Kahriman, 2020).According to Bolat (2020), the aim of environmental education is "not to be fully in nature, but to belong to nature" (p.1).

Recommendations
In line with the results of this study: • Teachers are recommended to provide children with opportunities for environmental education through real-life experiences in nature-friendly environments, including nature, ecosystem, and sustainability issues in science and nature studies aligning with the development, interests, and needs of children and involving families in these educational processes.

•
School administrators should be innovative about environments where children can engage with nature, such as nature trips and school gardens, and support an environmental education program in their schools.
• Researchers wishing to work on children's nature perceptions and environmental education can conduct studies aiming at investigating the effects of demographic characteristics of children and families on nature perception.Furthermore, longitudinal studies can be conducted on the childhood nature perception levels' effects on future attitudes and behaviors.

Table 1
Themes, Categories, and Codes for Children's Descriptions of NatureThe findings suggest that most children (n = 9) perceived nature together with living elements, considering the children's definitions of "nature."Those children perceiving nature and living things included words such as "trees, flowers, greenery, leaves, and animals" in their definitions.Some children (n = 4) perceived nature with inanimate elements such as "soil, mountain, forest, fresh air, snow, seasons, and outside, where we live."Interestingly, none of the children perceived nature as a place where humans, animals, and plants lived together.Per the definitions of nature, only one child (C17) used expressions about nature and relationships.Some children (n = 4) reported that "they did not know."Some of the expressions of children about nature were as follows: C17: "Animals and nature are important to all of us because we cannot breathe without nature.Trees are part of nature.We would die if it were not for the trees."C20: "It is the living space of human beings.We should not consume everything in nature."C8: "A friend's name.Greenery is just like nature."C12: "Outside, where the animals are."

Table 2
Themes, Categories, and Codes for How Soil, Water,  and Air are Polluted As depicted in the table, only a few expressed that the soil is polluted by natural objects such as "mud" and "water."Somethink the soil is polluted with "garbage, batteries, glass bottles, plastics, harmful substances, masks, paper, explosive materials, bombs, robot wheels, dirty glasses, dirty things, and toxic seeds."Some of the children's expressions were as follows:C5: "When we do evil."C11: "If there is no grass, the soil becomes polluted when someone litters."C20: "The soil becomes polluted if we dispose of a toxic seed."C17: "When it is out of breath, it gets polluted.Breath comes with the wind and clouds.If we do not breathe with the clouds, we will be out of breath and die."C19: "It gets polluted with the bad odors.The air will be polluted if people are not clean." Findings Regarding the Effects of Soil, Water, and Air Pollution on Living ThingsTable3presents the findings regarding the perceptions of the children participating in the study on the effects of soil, water, and air pollution on living things.
C12: "They would run away to another nature, to a clean zoo."C19: "There would not be trees.Animals would die."

Table 3
Themes, Categories, and Codes for the Effects of Soil, Water, and Air Pollution on Living Things

Table 5
Themes, Categories, and Codes for What Kind of Nature Children Want to Live in EmotionHearth, a loving place, beautiful, colorful, and clean 5 , in which children believe garbage causes pollution.Only a few children included fog or oil spills in their pollution definition.Considering children's perceptions of what pollutes nature, they listed human factors as the most expressed factors.In line with children's perceptions, the primary things polluting nature are the problems related to human behavior.