The interactions between humans and nature, the relationship between humans and nature, the negative effects as well as the positive ones, the effects of nature on the health, values, attitudes and behavior of individuals and vice versa are the subject of numerous educational policy debates and efforts to implement these topics in educational practice. In recent decades, the positive and affirmative relationship with nature, often referred to as connectedness to nature, has been the subject of much interdisciplinary research. As many researchers have found, connectedness to nature, is a multidimensional construct and can be measured using various instruments, usually questionnaires or interviews. This article presents a study based on a graphical scale “Inclusion in Nature” originally written by Schultz (2002) and then further expanded by the authors Martin and Czellar (2016).

Future kindergarten teachers in practice play a key role in the upbringing and education of children, their holistic development, but also in their perception and awareness of environmental issues and the promotion of their connectedness to nature. Connectedness to nature includes empathy and self-awareness as well as unity with nature. The development of empathy is of great importance and can be understood as the kindergarten teachers’ openness to new experiences, knowledge about the environment, emotions and willingness to be environmentally aware and competent in the practice and processes of nurturing and educating children. Therefore, teachers relationship with nature is just as important as their training and competence in implementing the curriculum in their educational practice.

The purpose of this research was to measure four dimensions of individuals' relationships with nature and determine how they correlate with the amount of time spent in nature, previous education, and willingness to pursue further education in the context of professional development in education for sustainable development (ESD). This preliminary study was conducted on a sample of 132 participants, including students' future kindergarten teachers (N=90) and in-service kindergarten teachers (N=42). The research was conducted among students in the Early Preschool Education program at the Faculty of Teacher Education at the University of Rijeka, as well as kindergarten teachers from five kindergartens in the City of Rijeka. In addition to collecting sociodemographic data (such as place of residence and work experience), the study also included “Inclusion in Nature” scale and two questions about participants' previous education and professional development in environmental issues and ESD, as well as a question about their time spent in nature. The study utilized a qualitative methodology, with descriptive statistics and correlation analyses conducted on the gathered data.

The results of the conducted research indicated that there is a statistically significant correlation between the time spent in nature and various aspects of the connectedness to nature, including relations, thinking about the natural environment, perception of distance from nature and general relationship with nature. The research confirmed the importance of spending time in nature as an essential way to strengthen the connectedness of future and in-service kindergarten teachers with nature.

Keywords: Connectedness to nature, Education for Sustainable development, students, kindergarten teachers, inclusion in nature.