Development of art activities for primary and secondary school students in forest school education

This master's thesis, titled "Developing Art Activities for Primary and Secondary School Students in Forest School Education," was conducted at the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Management, Faculty of Forestry, Isparta University of Applied Sciences. The study included the Art Attitude Scale and Art Form Scales administered to 32 preschool, 30 primary school, and 30 secondary school students. The study examined the impact of art activities developed based on the forest school approach on the attitudes of preschool, primary school, and secondary school students toward art. The Art Attitude Scale and Art Form Scale were used as pretests and posttests as data collection tools, and qualitative data were supplemented with semi-structured interviews and observation forms. The obtained data were analyzed using SPSS 23.0, and parametric and non-parametric statistical tests were applied. The findings revealed that art activities had a significantly positive impact on students' attitudes toward art across all age groups. It has been observed that activities using natural materials, in particular, capture children's attention, develop their aesthetic perspectives, and help them develop a stronger connection with nature. Consequently, this thesis recommends that learning environments where art education is conducted in close contact with nature be expanded and incorporated into the curriculum.