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Engineering habits of mind in preschool children at Scottish forest nurseries and Australian bush kinders.

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Title: Engineering habits of mind in preschool children at Scottish forest nurseries and Australian bush kinders.
Authors: Donnelly, Rebecca (AUTHOR), Speldewinde, Chris (AUTHOR), Bridle, Helen (AUTHOR)
Source: British Educational Research Journal. Oct2025, Vol. 51 Issue 5, p2185-2209. 25p.
Subjects: Early childhood education, Outdoor education, Kindergarten facilities, Teaching methods, Cognitive ability, Ethnology research
Abstract: Nature‐based learning environments for early childhood are expanding, as is research into their affordances and pedagogies. Engineering in these environments is not well studied. Previous work considered engineering experiences through the lens of 'designerly play', finding that natural materials, the space for larger creations and constructions, the altered group dynamics and less gendered environments, promote engineering play. Other engineering frameworks have not been applied. In this study, we have identified ways in which preschool‐aged children engage with Engineering Habits of Mind while at forest nursery and bush kinder. Ethnographic and video data from two Scottish forest nurseries and two Australian bush kinders have been collected and with our vignettes, we have shown that young children readily engage with all six Engineering Habits of Mind in a variety of different play scenarios when in natural learning environments. As well as demonstrating the benefits of forest nursery and bush kinder to young children's engineering learning, our examples can be used to guide educators looking for ways to increase engineering play in other learning contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of British Educational Research Journal is the property of Wiley-Blackwell 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.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
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  Data: Engineering habits of mind in preschool children at Scottish forest nurseries and Australian bush kinders.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Donnelly%2C+Rebecca%22">Donnelly, Rebecca</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Speldewinde%2C+Chris%22">Speldewinde, Chris</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Bridle%2C+Helen%22">Bridle, Helen</searchLink> (AUTHOR)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22British+Educational+Research+Journal%22">British Educational Research Journal</searchLink>. Oct2025, Vol. 51 Issue 5, p2185-2209. 25p.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Early+childhood+education%22">Early childhood education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Outdoor+education%22">Outdoor education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Kindergarten+facilities%22">Kindergarten facilities</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teaching+methods%22">Teaching methods</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cognitive+ability%22">Cognitive ability</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Ethnology+research%22">Ethnology research</searchLink>
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  Data: Nature‐based learning environments for early childhood are expanding, as is research into their affordances and pedagogies. Engineering in these environments is not well studied. Previous work considered engineering experiences through the lens of 'designerly play', finding that natural materials, the space for larger creations and constructions, the altered group dynamics and less gendered environments, promote engineering play. Other engineering frameworks have not been applied. In this study, we have identified ways in which preschool‐aged children engage with Engineering Habits of Mind while at forest nursery and bush kinder. Ethnographic and video data from two Scottish forest nurseries and two Australian bush kinders have been collected and with our vignettes, we have shown that young children readily engage with all six Engineering Habits of Mind in a variety of different play scenarios when in natural learning environments. As well as demonstrating the benefits of forest nursery and bush kinder to young children's engineering learning, our examples can be used to guide educators looking for ways to increase engineering play in other learning contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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  Data: <i>Copyright of British Educational Research Journal is the property of Wiley-Blackwell 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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RecordInfo BibRecord:
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        Value: 10.1002/berj.4164
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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        Type: general
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        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Kindergarten facilities
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      – SubjectFull: Teaching methods
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      – SubjectFull: Cognitive ability
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      – SubjectFull: Ethnology research
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      – TitleFull: Engineering habits of mind in preschool children at Scottish forest nurseries and Australian bush kinders.
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              M: 10
              Text: Oct2025
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              Y: 2025
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