Trends of Nature Education Research in China: A Scholarly Review

Abstract

Nature education, regarded in China as activities in nature that connect humans with nature, is gaining increasing interest. Research studies in this area are growing too. However, little has been synthesized to understand the overarching patterns. This review explored the current status and trends of nature education studies in China. We adopted the traditional narrative literature review approach to examine 87 articles relevant to nature education in China, published in both English and Chinese from 2014 to April 2024. Our findings showcase three types of articles that represent the trends of studies in nature education: philosophical, empirical, and practical articles. Philosophical articles mainly addressed North American and European theories, with a relatively few Chinese philosophies. Empirical articles focused on exploring the current status of people's perception of nature and nature education, relationships among different variables, nature education outcomes, and setting or curriculum analysis. Practical articles described theoretical and practical applications as well as regional development efforts. The study sheds light on future research directions: (1) exploring Chinese theories and traditional cultures to deepen and ground nature education in local contexts, (2) developing innovative interventions and measuring nature education outcomes, and (3) connecting research to practice to enhance the field of nature education in China.

Keywords

China / narrative review / nature education / research

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2025 The Author(s). Integrative Conservation published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG).