How to Measure “Connectedness to Nature”? Assessing the Validity and Reliability of the Connectedness to Nature Scale on the Samples of Pupils, Parents and Teachers

Abstract

Previous research has confirmed the importance of measuring the level of connectedness to nature and its relationship to the development of positive emotions, pro-environmental attitudes, and behaviors towards nature. Research also suggests that connectedness to nature declines in adolescence and that family, teachers, and educational practice may be important factors in promoting significant development of connectedness to nature in school children. This paper presents research whose first objective was to examine the measurement indicators of validity and reliability of Mayer and Frantz’s (2004) “Connectedness to Nature Scale” in samples of Croatian and Slovenian schoolchildren, parents, and teachers, as well as the “Attitudes Toward the Environment Scale” in samples of schoolchildren. The second objective of the research was to examine the relationship between the level of connectedness to nature of pupils, teachers, and parents, pupils’ attitudes towards the environment, and their socio-demographic variables. The research sample consisted of a total of 1345 participants, pupils (N=762), their parents (N=568), and teachers (N=115) in primary schools in Croatia and Slovenia. The measurement indicators were determined for both scales in all three participant samples. Bivariate correlation analysis, non-parametric tests to determine differences between groups of participants, and multiple regression analysis were performed. Both scales yielded satisfactory measures of content validity and reliability. High arithmetic estimates for the degree of connectedness to nature were determined for all three samples.