Causal Effects of Childhood Nature Experiences on Motivation for Science Learning

Abstract

Although many previous studies have pointed to an association between childhood nature experiences and future academic variables, most of the studies have been observational, which raises important inherent issues in examining causal effects. The ideal study design for examining causal effects is a randomized controlled trial, but studies in which participants are randomly assigned to experience or not experience nature are difficult to conduct. As a next-best solution, this study focused on a causal inference technique using propensity scores to estimate the causal effects of childhood nature experiences based on data from observational studies. We examined the causal effects of nature experiences in the first year of elementary school on the students’ motivation for science learning in the fourth year of elementary school, using publicly available data from a longitudinal survey conducted by the Institute of Social Science at the University of Tokyo and the Benesse Institute for Educational Research. The results of the propensity score analysis indicated that, while there was no clearly discernible effect from one-time nature experiences in childhood, students who routinely experienced nature in childhood were confirmed to have improved motivation for science learning in the fourth year of elementary school.