Exploring teachers’ perceptions of fostering creativity in Finnish nature schools

Abstract

There is a growing interest in promoting creativity in schools. This study aimed to look into teachers' perceptions on how nature schools support children's creativity. Although there have been studies about nature schools in the Finnish context, no study explores how creative skills are fostered in nature schools from teachers’ perspectives. The researcher conducted qualitative semi-structured interviews with three nature school teachers and three regular school teachers who had experience attending a nature school session. Transcriptions were coded and examined. A thematic analysis was performed to discover common themes in the data.

The study suggests that teachers perceive creativity as creating something new as self-expression, and as thinking outside the box. The study explores teachers' viewpoints regarding cultivating creative skills within nature schools, revealing the emergence of different thematic elements. First, teachers’ perceptions of creativity imply that the following themes support creative thinking: sensory engagement, imaginative play, free play, and thought-provoking and reflective teaching methods. Second, teachers’ perceptions of creativity illustrate that the following themes support creative behavior: outdoors promote positive emotions, and open, flexible, risk-taker teachers. Lastly, teachers’ perceptions of creativity suggest that the following themes support creative action: the presence of nature's loose parts and the observant teacher who plans open-ended play. The results of the study can inspire teachers to support children’s creativity in nature school. It can also encourage policymakers and environmental planners to further support and collaborate with Finnish nature schools.