More contact with nature
More and more primary schools are choosing to green their schoolyards. Van Dijk: “This is partly a response to growing concerns about the possible negative consequences of children’s lack of contact with nature in their daily lives. That is why I investigated the extent to which greening schoolyards contributes to children’s well-being and behavior.”
Influence of green schoolyards on children
After greening, schoolyards are found to be more highly valued, and children’s play is more varied. In addition, girls feel more involved in play and engage in more vigorous physical activity. A green schoolyard also appears to improve children’s concentration after the break, and they experience more support from their peers.
Parents less enthusiastic about maintaining the schoolyard
Over the past five years, Van Dijk investigated the effects of green schoolyards on children, parents, and teachers. The results also show that parents of children at schools with both green and non-green schoolyards see more advantages than disadvantages to a green schoolyard, but that their willingness to help with maintenance and other activities is limited.
Using green schoolyards for outdoor education
Together with teachers from five primary schools, she investigated the barriers to and solutions for using green schoolyards for lessons. Teachers find it difficult to start teaching outdoors because of a lack of inspiration and self-confidence, and because it has no formal place in their daily practice. Van Dijk: “Experiencing outdoor teaching seems to be an important key for teachers to also see the schoolyard as a learning environment, as is providing inspiration sessions and working together as a team to implement outdoor teaching.”
About Janke van Dijk
Janke van Dijk is an Impact Consultant at Sinzer. Before that, she was a lecturer and researcher at Leiden University of Applied Sciences from September 2013 to February 2020. She has a background in social psychology and graduated with research into the therapeutic potential of nature. In her work, Janke is driven by the ambition to translate scientific knowledge about the importance of nature for children’s development into practice.
Collaborating partners
The research project was carried out as part of a partnership between Leiden University of Applied Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, IVN, Thomas More University of Applied Sciences, the Sophia Foundation, Fonds 1818, and the University of Groningen. The research was made possible in part by funding from the RAAK-PRO scheme of SIA (Stichting Innovatie Alliantie).
The results of Van Dijk’s doctoral research are important because the greening of schoolyards had taken off, while scientific knowledge about their use had lagged behind. These research findings can contribute to better-substantiated use of green schoolyards in the educational process.
The dissertation contains four scientific articles, two of which have already been published. It also contains two articles that have not yet been published and will be published in international scientific journals. Due to the embargo on these articles, the dissertation will not be available on the university’s website until after December 2021.