Connection to Nature Index

Background

The original tool was tested with 9- to 10-year-olds in Florida, USA (Cheng & Monroe, 2012) and has been used by organizations in the United Kingdom and New Zealand to obtain

The average level of a variable before a measure of the effect of the educational experience is taken (Vogt, 2005).

about childrens’

The way people identify with predominantly natural landscapes and the relationships they form with the elements in those environments (Restall & Conrad, 2015).

. The revised version, featured here, was tested with third to fifth graders in Taiwan. We recommend the revised version, which features a number of improvements over the original

A set of numbers or symbols used to represent characteristics of a variable in measurement (Vogt, 2005).

. 

Format

This survey consists of 14 statements to which children respond on a five-point scale, in which 1 = Do not like at all and 5 = Like very much. 

Audience

Children ages 8 to 12 years old. 

When and how to use the tool

This tool could be used before and after a program to measure change in a child’s connection to nature or could be used as a one time measure of connection to nature at any time. Before using this tool to evaluate your program, think critically about whether your program is likely to change connection to nature in a measurable way. A short nature walk or one-hour program is unlikely to change a child’s feelings about the natural world or their emotional connection to nature. This tool may be appropriate for programs that have a longer duration or that are specifically designed to influence emotional relationships to nature.

How to analyze

We recommend entering survey responses into a spreadsheet using a program such as Microsoft Excel. Create a spreadsheet with 14 columns for the 14 statements and a row for each participant. Assign each child’s survey a

Unique number assigned to survey participants to allow for confidentiality and ease of data analysis. Similar to Medical Record Number used by doctors (Law Insider Inc., 2021).

, and enter their responses across the corresponding row. Using a 1–5 point scale, enter the equivalent value (1 for do not like at all to 5 for like very much). Enter a dot if the response was skipped.

You can create an average Connection to Nature Index (CNI) score for each individual by adding all of their responses and dividing by the number of questions answered. Do not include skipped questions for which you entered a dot. The average will be between 1 and 5. CNI scores of 1–2 indicate a lower connection to nature; a score of 3 indicates neither a low nor a high connection; and scores of 4–5 indicate a higher level of connection to nature.

When administering the pre-experience survey and post-experience

A standardized method of collecting data that consists of questions and responses. Questions can be "open-ended", but often take the form of being "close-ended" where respondents choose from predetermined answers (Frechtling, 2010).

, you can conduct higher-level statistics on your data to understand if participants had significant changes in the outcome areas after their participation in the program. 

What to do next

Once you’ve administered your survey and analyzed the data, consider the following suggestions about what to do next: 

• If a baseline measurement suggests that your audience has low CNI scores, you might want to design a program that can help increase connection to nature. 
• You could compare populations to determine if members have different connection to nature scores than the general

  A group of persons (or other subjects of study) that one wants to describe in the evaluation process (Vogt, 2005).

  , or if one geographic area of your

  Can be geographically based (neighborhoods, towns, cities, etc.) or based on interest, identity, culture, belief, profession, etc. In environmental education community is often thought of as a system of systems including both natural, social, and economic systems (NAAEE, 2017).

  is different from another. This could also provide justification for program development, marketing, or funding proposals.
• If you used the CNI to evaluate your program by administering it to participants before and after programming, do you see a change in scores between the

  A test or measurement administered before the program or activities begin. The results of a pretest can later be compared with the results of a posttest to show evidence of the effects of the program being evaluated (Zint, n.d.).

  and

  In program evaluation, a posttest is a test or measurement administered after services or activities have ended. Posttest results are often compared with pretest results to examine the effects of the program being evaluated (Zint, n.d.).

  ? Keep in mind that you may not see a change, particularly if your program is short in duration or is not designed to influence children’s emotional connection to nature.
• Invite program staff or other partners to look over the data. Together you might also consider:
  • What do these results tell us about our programming? Why do we think we got these results?
  • What did we think we would see with respect to connection with nature? And did these data support our goals?
  • If our results did not support our goals, can we brainstorm on areas within the programming or delivery to influence connection to nature? What changes should be made to programming, or how should new programs be designed?
  • Who in our community should we reach out to for collaboratively discussing program design?
  • Who or what organizations can we share our learning with?

How to see if this tool would work with your program

Before using this tool with a large group of children, you may want to

An initial trial of a program, instrument, or other activity intended to test out procedures and discover and correct potential problems before proceeding to full scale implementation. Pilot tests can be conducted either for a program (i.e., testing out the program with a small group of participants) or for an evaluation (i.e., testing out instruments and data collection procedures with a small group of people similar to program participants). When possible, a pilot test, or trial run, is conducted with a sample group that is representative of the target population. Based on the results of the pilot test, revisions and improvements can be made before wider implementation of the program, instrument, or activity (Zint, n.d.).

the tool. To make sure that children understand the tool, you can conduct think-aloud

A method of data collection that values interpersonal contact and assumes participant perspectives are meaningful, knowable, and can be made explicit (Frechtling, 2010).

where children talk you through their understanding of the different statements. This can help you identify words or instructions that they may find confusing. This may be particularly important if you translate the tool into a different language or if you are using the tool in a culture other than the one in which it was originally developed. 

Tool Tips

• This tool is best used in its entirety, but nouns in the

  A type of question or statement used as part of a survey or interview to understand a respondents' reactions or feelings. Each item measures a particular idea (Salazar et al., 2020).

  , such as rocks or shells, can be changed to a more appropriate example. 
• Allow for ample programming time for children to complete this survey.