The relationship between biophilia levels of preschoolers and social-emotional well-being and psychological resilience in the context of age and gender

Abstract

ABSTRACT This research was carried out with the aim of revealing the relationship between preschool children’s biophilia (BF: innate tendency to connect with nature) levels and psychological resilience (PR) in the context of age and gender variables. The sample of the study consists of 202 children aged between 48–72 months selected from preschool education institutions in the central districts of İstanbul through easy sampling. Of the children, 121 (59.9%) are boys and 81 (40.1%) are girls; 108 (53.5%) are between 48–60 months and 94 (46.5%) are between 60–72 months. A personal information form, a Social-Emotional Well-Being and Psychological Resilience Scale (PERIK), and a biophilia scale for children were used to collect data in the study. While testing the hypothesis, Bayesian analyses were used, benefiting from the JASP 0.16 programme. The results of the study revealed that the BF and PERIK scores of 48–72-month-old children do not differ significantly according to gender and age. When evaluated in the context of age and gender, no significant relationship was found between BF and PERIK scores, except for the relationship between self-control (SC) sub-dimensions of BF and PERIK. On the other hand, a significant relationship was found between BF and SC scores in girls in the 48–60-month group. The results of the study suggest that there is a need for new research with different methods investigating the relationship between BF and psychological consequences for the child.