“Otter this World”: Can a Mobile Application Promote Children’s Connectedness to Nature?
Citation
Kawas, S., Kuhn, N. S., Tari, M., Hiniker, A., & Davis, K. (2020). ” Otter this world” can a mobile application promote children’s connectedness to nature?. In Proceedings of the Interaction Design and Children Conference (pp. 444-457). doi.org/10.1145/3392063.3394434
Can a mobile app help children spend more time outside and feel more connected to nature? To explore this question, researchers tested an app called NatureCollections, which lets kids take, organize, and share photos of things they find outdoors. For three weeks, 28 children ages 9–12 and their parents took part in the study. Half of the children used the NatureCollections app, and the others used a simple photo app.
Researchers found that children using NatureCollections spent more time outdoors than those using the basic photo app. All children said they felt happy and excited about spending time in nature, but those using NatureCollections became more curious about the plants, animals, and other natural features they photographed. They also talked with their parents more about what they saw and even searched online to learn more. Children using the basic photo app did not show the same level of curiosity; they tended to take pictures mainly because something looked nice.
Overall, the findings suggest that the NatureCollections app can help deepen children’s interest in and connection to the natural world.
Abstract
Can a mobile application encourage children to spend more time outdoors and promote their connectedness to nature? In this paper, we present results from a three-week experimental deployment study of NatureCollections, a mobile application that allows users to build, curate, and share nature photo collections. Twenty-eight children (aged 9-12) and their parents participated in the study; 15 used the NatureCollections app, and 13 used a basic Photo app. We found that the NatureCollections app significantly increased the time children spent outdoors compared to the Photo app. Children in both groups said they felt happy and excited about spending time in nature. However, children in the NatureCollections group reported that time spent outside with the app increased their curiosity about the types of species and plants they saw and photographed. Children in the NatureCollections group also engaged in nature-based conversations with their parents, and even sought to look up information online about the plants and animals they observed. In contrast, children in the basic Photo app group did not display this level of curiosity about what they saw in nature, and the photos they took were driven largely by the aesthetic qualities of nature elements. Our results suggest that NatureCollections promotes and supports children’s connectedness to nature.