Exploring the relationship between early childhood educators' biophilic tendencies and tolerance for risky play in preschool environments

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between preschool teachers' biophilic tendencies and their risk tolerance in the game. The study was conducted with 181 preschool teachers working in Tokat province in the 2023-2024 academic year and selected by convenience sampling method. This study, which is a quantitative research, was designed with the relational survey model and data were collected through online questionnaire forms. The Scale for Determining Levels of Biophilia and the Scale for Tolerance of Risk-Taking in Play were used as data collection tools. The validity and reliability studies of the scales were conducted previously and the analyses based on these criteria were carried out in the study. According to the findings of the study, it was found that there was a moderate, positive and significant relationship between preschool teachers' biophilic tendencies and their tolerance for risk-taking in play. In addition, the Tolerance for Risk-Taking in Play Scale can predict teachers' biophilic tendency levels at a significant level. However, no significant difference was found between teachers' biophilic tendency scores and demographic variables. Similarly, risk-taking tolerance scores in play did not show a significant difference according to these demographic variables. The results obtained show that teachers' ties with nature can encourage risk-taking behaviors that can contribute to children's development through play. In this context, it is recommended that teacher training programs should include practices to develop biophilic awareness.