The purpose of this study was to identify which effects the forest experience activity has on young children's self-concept. Accordingly, the following research problems were aimed to be identified. Does the forest experience activity have upon improv...
The purpose of this study was to identify which effects the forest experience activity has on young children's self-concept. Accordingly, the following research problems were aimed to be identified. Does the forest experience activity have upon improvement in young children's self-concept(cognitive, emotional, social, physical self) and Will there be difference in the effect of forest experience activity on young children's self-concept depending on young children's age
The subjects of this study included totally 60 people with 30 children aged fully 4 and 5 who are attending A child care center and 30 children aged fully 4 and 5 who are attending B child care center in Geumcheon-gu of Seoul. Through pre-test, young children's self-concept homogeneity was confirmed. After applying experimental tool, the post-test was carried out.
A test tool was used a self-concept test tool for young children that was made by Lee & Goh (2013, inedited). An experimental tool was used the forest experience activity and the Nuri curriculum based on age fully 4, 5.
The collected data were statistically processed by using SPSS Win19.0.
The results of this study are as follows;
First, the experimental group with execution of forest experience activity was indicated to have the higher improvement level in young children's self-concept than young children in the control group with execution of the Nuri curriculum based on age fully 4~5. In other words, the statistically significant difference was shown between experimental group and control group in the results of cognitive self, affective self, social self, physical self, and total self test.
Second, the forest experience activity was confirmed to have positive effect on improvement in self-concept of all children aged fully 4 age 5. However, a differential effect wasn't shown between fully 4 and 5.
As a result of this study, the forest experience activity was identified to have been a program that brings about positive effect on improvement in young children's self-concept. Hence, the operation of curriculum at child care center through forest experience activity will become an effective program for enhancement in young children's self-concept based on each age.