Cultivating the concepts of “preciousness of life”, “protection of nature”, and “feelings of awe” in Japanese moral education

Experiences with nature are an important part of educational programs, and much time is available for such learning activities in school. Phrases such as “rich sensitivity” appear in courses of study for many subjects, and instructional activities that incorporate sensitivity are considered important. The concept of rich sensitivity is emphasized in Japanese moral education, but there are few studies of sensitivity-education content based on experiences with nature. We used the “Symbiotic Values with Nature Scale” and the “Feelings toward Nature Scale” to investigate elements of sensitivity such as “preciousness of life”, “protection of nature”, and “feelings of awe toward nature” in three examples of experience-based nature education for elementary school students. We looked for differences in outcomes resulting from the abilities of the teacher, and between outdoor and indoor experiences. We found that experiencing nature cultivates an appreciation for the preciousness of life, protection of nature, and feelings of awe toward nature, but the effect on sensitivity toward protection of nature might be slightly lower that on the other sensitivity elements. The abilities of the teacher did not cause big differences in the outcomes, but it was not clear whether outdoor and indoor experiences had different effects. Experience-based nature education is promising as an educational method in Japanese moral education, and its continued practice will provide additional results.