Environmental research for empowerment in education
Keywords:
autonomy, early childhood education, holistic development, experiential learning.Abstract
Objective: to analyze environmental exploration as a pedagogical resource linked to the development of autonomy among four-year-old children at a private institution in Loja, Ecuador. Method: the study involved 13 children and included an initial observation, environmental exploration activities, and a subsequent observation. Results: two observation moments and variations in autonomy records were documented; however, the available percentages do not clearly identify their denominator and, when interpreted as participant percentages, are not compatible with integer frequencies for n = 13. The global indicator also contains contradictory values across sections. Conclusions: environmental exploration is a relevant pedagogical strategy for promoting experiences of autonomy, but the available data do not allow the observed change to be quantified reliably or causally attributed to the activities performed.
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