INVESTIGATION OF THE EFFECTS OF SEA AND FOREST SCHOOL PRACTICES ON PRESCHOOL STUDENTS: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL ANALYSIS
Abstract. This research aims to examine the effects of activities in the sea and forest school, which is an alternative approach in preschool education, on the cognitive, emotional, social and physical-psychomotor development of preschool students in terms of different variables. In our time, the tendency towards alternative education approaches is increasing, which is learner-centered, motivates children’s natural curiosity, is based on personal skills, emphasizes experiences, is interested in how the child learns, and takes into account creativity, prediction, analysis and decision-making skills. In this respect, it is of great importance to determine and evaluate the benefits of these educational approaches to education. The universe of the research included 12 preschool teachers working in Erdemli District of Mersin Province in the 2019-2020 academic year and bringing their students to the sea and forest school. Phenomenological design, one of the qualitative research methods, was used in this study. It has been frequently emphasized that these practices affect children’s cognitive, affective, social and physical-psychomotor development positively and contribute positively to children’s exploration, self-confidence, self-esteem, sharing, cooperation and decision-making skills, most importantly, their sensitivity and awareness towards nature has increased.
Keywords: Sea and Forest School, preschool education, out-of-class education, creativity, prediction, self-confidence, cooperation.
