Abstract
Connectedness to nature, based on the biophilia hypothesis, is a psychologicalfactor that signifies the extent of one’s connection with nature. It is known to have a positivecorrelation with an individual’s mental happiness and self-esteem. The aim of this study is todevelop an ecological education program for the elderly to enhance their connectedness tonature and to verify the effects of the developed program on their mental happiness andself-esteem. We developed a four-week ecological education program that allows for indirectexperiences of ecological phenomena, recognizes the ecological principles of interdependence,energy flow and material cycle, dynamics, and biodiversity, and provides insight into therelationship between nature and humans. The application of the developed ecologicaleducation program to the elderly showed a positive effect in enhancing their connectedness tonature. Although the positive effect on mental happiness and self-esteem was not significant,the positive effect observed in emotional well-being suggests that the ecological educationprogram can contribute to the improvement of the subjective well-being of the elderly. Manyof the elderly who participated in the program evaluated the ecological education programpositively and acknowledged its positive impact on their attitude towards nature and life. These results support the effectiveness of programs indirectly connected to nature andunderscore the need for various ecological education programs to be developed and utilizedfor the well-being of elderly people who have difficulty in participating in nature-basedoutdoor activities.
Published Version
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