Exploring educators' outdoor nature-based practices with infants and toddlers: The influence of curiosity, collaboration and collective agency on achieving and sustaining change

Abstract

<p>This 12-month study aimed to explore influences on educators' nature-based practices with children birth-15 months, and encourage critical collective reflection on ideological constraints and pedagogical impediments. The research demonstrates while contextual professional learning is important to successful outcomes (Hadley et al., 2015), critically reflective approaches empower participants' practice changes (Kemmis et al., 2015) and facilitate new understandings (Davidson & Edwards-Groves, 2020). Thus, this study's critical-socioconstructivist frame is based on importance of co-constructed knowledge (Bronfenbrenner, 1979), ethics of social justice and emancipation (Freire, 1996) and, empowerment to critique owned knowledges and practices (Kincheloe, 2012).</p>