Nature journaling in the middle school science classroom

Abstract

Nature journaling is a practice of collecting observations and questions on the pages of a notebook by using pictures, words, and numbers. The purpose of this study was to determine how implementing the use of nature journals in a middle school science classroom affects students' attitudes towards science and nature. Participating students were given a survey prior to the treatment period to determine baseline attitudes towards science and nature. Students were then instructed on best practices to complete a nature journal entry. Over the treatment period, students were taken outside on school grounds to complete one of the three repeating prompts. By the end of the treatment period, a total of nine prompts were completed. Students were then given the survey an additional time to determine if attitudes changed regarding science and nature. Open-response questions were included in the post-treatment survey to gauge each student's experience with nature journaling. The results of the study indicate that nature journaling can have a positive effect on students' attitudes towards science and nature.