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ERIC Number: EJ1350506
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: EISSN-2331-0464
Fostering Empathy for People and Animals: An Evaluation of Lake Superior Zoo's Nature Preschool
Ernst, Julie; Budnik, Leah
International Journal of Early Childhood Environmental Education, v9 n2 p3-16 Spr 2022
In light of the significance of empathy in prosocial and conservation behavioral contexts, and with its relevance to social-emotional learning, which is an emphasis in early childhood education, empathy is a timely and meaningful construct to study within the context of nature preschools. Thus, a program evaluation was conducted to explore the potential of a nature preschool, and specifically a zoo-based nature-preschool, to foster children's empathy. This was a small-scale evaluation, conducted with 10 preschool participants. Yet it suggests the potential for supporting children's empathy through a zoo-based nature preschool, as data indicates children's emotional sharing and empathic concern significantly increased across the three contexts of with humans, non-wildlife animals, and wildlife. Cognitive perspective-taking significantly increased in the context of humans, but not in animal contexts. Implications for further research are discussed.
North American Association for Environmnental Education. 1725 DeSales Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 202-419-0412; Web site: https://naturalstart.org/research
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A