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The Effect of Growing Up WILD™ Training on Early Childhood Professionals' Beliefs, Attitudes, and Intentions Toward Outdoor Education.

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Title: The Effect of Growing Up WILD™ Training on Early Childhood Professionals' Beliefs, Attitudes, and Intentions Toward Outdoor Education.
Authors: Sekula, Morgan Kunde1,2 (AUTHOR) morganlkunde@gmail.com, Bryan, Amy1 (AUTHOR), Corry, Kiki3 (AUTHOR), Kassymova, Assem4 (AUTHOR), Byrd-Williams, Courtney E.4 (AUTHOR)
Source: Early Childhood Education Journal. Dec2025, Vol. 53 Issue 8, p2991-2999. 9p.
Subject Terms: *Outdoor education, *Early childhood educators, *Cognition, *Attitude (Psychology), *Attitude change (Psychology), *Nature study, *Teacher training
Abstract: In this study, we measured attitudes, beliefs, and intentions about implementing outdoor learning experiences among 56 early childhood professionals before and after attending Growing Up WILD™ (GUW) training. Online pre- and post-surveys were distributed to participants measuring a range of attitudes (i.e., comfort and confidence), beliefs, and intentions (i.e., planning). Overall, after attending GUW training, participants reported feeling more confident facilitating conversations with children about nature and science and more comfortable about planning teacher directed activities, allowing children to take risks, and offering free play. They also expressed fewer concerns about potential barriers to going outside such as family concerns, materials, and curriculum. It also demonstrated participants had greater intentions to engage children in outdoor learning experiences (e.g., outdoor field trips and nature walks). Our findings highlight the impact that GUW training, a brief intervention, can have on early childhood professionals' attitudes, beliefs, and intentions toward implementing outdoor education. We hope that these attitudinal shifts will encourage early childhood professionals to take young children outside so they can enjoy the benefits of outdoor education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Early Childhood Education Journal is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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  Data: The Effect of Growing Up WILD™ Training on Early Childhood Professionals' Beliefs, Attitudes, and Intentions Toward Outdoor Education.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Early+Childhood+Education+Journal%22">Early Childhood Education Journal</searchLink>. Dec2025, Vol. 53 Issue 8, p2991-2999. 9p.
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  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Outdoor+education%22">Outdoor education</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Early+childhood+educators%22">Early childhood educators</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cognition%22">Cognition</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Attitude+%28Psychology%29%22">Attitude (Psychology)</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Attitude+change+%28Psychology%29%22">Attitude change (Psychology)</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Nature+study%22">Nature study</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teacher+training%22">Teacher training</searchLink>
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  Data: In this study, we measured attitudes, beliefs, and intentions about implementing outdoor learning experiences among 56 early childhood professionals before and after attending Growing Up WILD™ (GUW) training. Online pre- and post-surveys were distributed to participants measuring a range of attitudes (i.e., comfort and confidence), beliefs, and intentions (i.e., planning). Overall, after attending GUW training, participants reported feeling more confident facilitating conversations with children about nature and science and more comfortable about planning teacher directed activities, allowing children to take risks, and offering free play. They also expressed fewer concerns about potential barriers to going outside such as family concerns, materials, and curriculum. It also demonstrated participants had greater intentions to engage children in outdoor learning experiences (e.g., outdoor field trips and nature walks). Our findings highlight the impact that GUW training, a brief intervention, can have on early childhood professionals' attitudes, beliefs, and intentions toward implementing outdoor education. We hope that these attitudinal shifts will encourage early childhood professionals to take young children outside so they can enjoy the benefits of outdoor education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of Early Childhood Education Journal is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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              Text: Dec2025
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