Coding Manual for: Modeling Child-Nature Interaction in a Forest Preschool

Abstract

There is increasing evidence that interaction with nature provides substantial benefits to the mental and physical development of children. While children’s time spent outdoors has declined substantially in recent decades, nature-based education programs like Fiddleheads Forest preschool in Seattle allow children to engage with nature in a supportive learning environment. The goal of this research was to begin to develop a model of child-nature interaction in a specific outdoor nature learning environment. To accomplish this, we systematically analyzed child-nature interaction through characterizing its essential features in the form of interaction patterns: the functional units of human interaction with the relevant physical characteristics that nature affords. Using a randomized time-sampling methodology, we collected video recordings of child-nature interaction and coded this data by means of an interaction pattern analysis framework. This technical report provides the coding manual used to systematically code each participant’s behavioral interactions. By a coding manual, we mean a document that systematically explains the process used to formally code the video data. Our goal is to present this manual such that, as part of an ongoing iterative scientific process, it can be used and modified by others interested in investigating the development and significance of children’s interactions with the natural environment.