The Contribution of Nature-Based to Spiritual Development in Early Childhood: A Conceptual Analysis

Kübra Yıldız

doi:10.53112/tudear.1783330

TR EN

Erken Çocuklukta Doğa-Temelli Öğrenmenin Spiritüel Gelişime Katkısı: Kavramsal Bir İnceleme

Abstract

Bu çalışma, doğa-temelli öğrenmenin çocukların spiritüel gelişimini nasıl desteklediğini inceleyerek bu boşluğu doldurmayı amaçlamaktadır. Yorumlayıcı nitel araştırma yaklaşımıyla yürütülen araştırma, yapılandırılmış bir literatür taramasına dayalı olarak, ampirik ve kuramsal kaynakların sistematik biçimde incelendiği tematik analiz yöntemiyle gerçekleştirilmiştir. Başlıca akademik veri tabanları sistematik olarak taranmış; çocuk-doğa etkileşimlerine ve eğitimdeki spiritüel boyutlara odaklanan çalışmalar analiz edilmiştir. Analiz sonucunda, çocukların doğa ile kurdukları etkileşimlerden ortaya çıkan başlıca spiritüel temalar belirlenmiştir: hayret ve merak, içsel dinginlik, farkındalık, ilişkisel bağlılık, empati ve sorumluluk. Bu temalar, çocukların doğal çevreyle deneyimsel ilişkilerinin, onların anlam kurma süreçlerini ve spiritüel duyarlılıklarını nasıl desteklediğini ortaya koymaktadır. Çalışma, bu boyutları erken çocukluk eğitimi, öğretmen eğitimi ve erken çocukluk müfredatı bağlamında pedagojik etkileriyle birlikte ele almaktadır. Bulgular, doğanın yalnızca fiziksel bir mekân değil, aynı zamanda çocukların bütüncül gelişimini destekleyen ilişkisel ve varoluşsal bir bağlam olarak işlev gördüğünü göstermektedir. Doğal güzellik, döngüsellik ve öngörülemezlik gibi unsurlar, düşünme, empati, aidiyet ve sorumluluk duygularını tetiklemektedir. Özellikle erken çocukluk din eğitimi perspektifinden bakıldığında, çocukların doğayla kurduğu bağ, ahlaki gelişim, yaratılışla uyum, bağlılık ve şükran gibi temel manevi kazanımlarla örtüşmekte; bu da doğa-temelli uygulamaların din eğitimiyle bütünleşebilecek güçlü bir zemin sunduğunu göstermektedir. Sonuç olarak çalışma, doğa-temelli pedagojiyi spiritüel gelişim ve erken çocukluk eğitimi ile ilişkilendiren kuramsal bir çerçeve sunmakta ve çocukların doğa bağlamında hayret, ilişkisellik ve anlam arayışını destekleyen eğitsel uygulamaların gerekliliğine dikkat çekmektedir.

Keywords

Din Eğitimi, Erken Çocukluk, Spiritüel Gelişim, Doğa-Temelli Öğrenme, İlişkisellik

Supporting Institution

Bu araştırmayı desteklemek için dış fon kullanılmamıştır.

Ethical Statement

Bu çalışma, etik kurul izni gerektirmeyen nitelikte olup kullanılan veriler literatür taraması/yayınlanmış kaynaklar üzerinden elde edilmiştir. Çalışmanın hazırlanma sürecinde bilimsel ve etik ilkelere uyulduğu ve yararlanılan tüm çalışmaların kaynakçada belirtildiği beyan olunur.

The Contribution of Nature-Based to Spiritual Development in Early Childhood: A Conceptual Analysis

Abstract

This study aims to fill a gap in the literature by examining how nature-based learning supports children’s spiritual development. Conducted within an interpretive qualitative research framework, the study is based on a structured literature review and employs thematic analysis to systematically examine both empirical and theoretical sources. Major academic databases were systematically searched, and studies focusing on child–nature interactions and the spiritual dimensions of education were analyzed. As a result of the analysis, key spiritual themes that emerge from children’s interactions with nature were identified: wonder and curiosity, inner peace, awareness, relational connectedness, empathy, and responsibility. These themes reveal how children’s experiential relationship with the natural environment nurtures their processes of meaning-making and spiritual sensitivity. The study also examines these dimensions in terms of their pedagogical implications for early childhood education, teacher training, and early childhood curriculum design. The findings indicate that nature functions not merely as a physical space, but also as a relational and existential context that supports children’s holistic development. Elements such as natural beauty, cyclicality, and unpredictability trigger reflection, empathy, a sense of belonging, and responsibility. Viewed from the perspective of early childhood religious education in particular, the bond that children form with nature aligns with fundamental spiritual outcomes such as moral development, harmony with creation, connectedness, and gratitude. This alignment suggests that nature-based practices provide a strong foundation for integration with religious education. In conclusion, the study offers a theoretical framework that links nature-based pedagogy with spiritual development and early childhood education. It highlights the necessity of educational practices that support children’s sense of wonder, relationality, and search for meaning within the context of nature.

Keywords

Religious Education, Early Childhood, Spiritual Development, Nature-Based Learning, Relationality

Supporting Institution

The author acknowledges that they received no external funding in support of this research.

Ethical Statement

This study does not require ethics committee approval, as the data used were obtained from literature review/published sources. It is declared that scientific and ethical principles have been followed while carrying out and writing this study and that all the sources used have been properly cited.

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Religious Education

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Kübra Yıldız ^*
0000-0002-6828-2214
Türkiye

Publication Date

December 31, 2025

Submission Date

September 13, 2025

Acceptance Date

November 19, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2025 Number: 20

DOI

https://doi.org/10.53112/tudear.1783330

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA67CD94BL

APA

Yıldız, K. (2025). The Contribution of Nature-Based to Spiritual Development in Early Childhood: A Conceptual Analysis. Türkiye Din Eğitimi Araştırmaları Dergisi, 20, 1-25. https://doi.org/10.53112/tudear.1783330

AMA

1.Yıldız K. The Contribution of Nature-Based to Spiritual Development in Early Childhood: A Conceptual Analysis. TUDEAR. 2025;(20):1-25. doi:10.53112/tudear.1783330

Chicago

Yıldız, Kübra. 2025. “The Contribution of Nature-Based to Spiritual Development in Early Childhood: A Conceptual Analysis”. Türkiye Din Eğitimi Araştırmaları Dergisi, nos. 20: 1-25. https://doi.org/10.53112/tudear.1783330.

EndNote

Yıldız K (December 1, 2025) The Contribution of Nature-Based to Spiritual Development in Early Childhood: A Conceptual Analysis. Türkiye Din Eğitimi Araştırmaları Dergisi 20 1–25.

IEEE

[1]K. Yıldız, “The Contribution of Nature-Based to Spiritual Development in Early Childhood: A Conceptual Analysis”, TUDEAR, no. 20, pp. 1–25, Dec. 2025, doi: 10.53112/tudear.1783330.

ISNAD

Yıldız, Kübra. “The Contribution of Nature-Based to Spiritual Development in Early Childhood: A Conceptual Analysis”. Türkiye Din Eğitimi Araştırmaları Dergisi. 20 (December 1, 2025): 1-25. https://doi.org/10.53112/tudear.1783330.

JAMA

1.Yıldız K. The Contribution of Nature-Based to Spiritual Development in Early Childhood: A Conceptual Analysis. TUDEAR. 2025;:1–25.

MLA

Yıldız, Kübra. “The Contribution of Nature-Based to Spiritual Development in Early Childhood: A Conceptual Analysis”. Türkiye Din Eğitimi Araştırmaları Dergisi, no. 20, Dec. 2025, pp. 1-25, doi:10.53112/tudear.1783330.

Vancouver

1.Kübra Yıldız. The Contribution of Nature-Based to Spiritual Development in Early Childhood: A Conceptual Analysis. TUDEAR. 2025 Dec. 1;(20):1-25. doi:10.53112/tudear.1783330

Turkish Journal of Religious Education Studies is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.

Erken Çocuklukta Doğa-Temelli Öğrenmenin Spiritüel Gelişime Katkısı: Kavramsal Bir İnceleme

Abstract

Keywords

Supporting Institution

Ethical Statement

The Contribution of Nature-Based to Spiritual Development in Early Childhood: A Conceptual Analysis

Abstract

Keywords

Supporting Institution

Ethical Statement

References

Details

Primary Language

Subjects

Journal Section

Authors

Publication Date

Submission Date

Acceptance Date

Published in Issue

DOI

IZ

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