Investigation of risk perceptions and experiences of adults in pre-school institutions applying forest school approach in Turkey

In this study, it was aimed to examine the views of the forest school administrators, teachers, and parents whose children participated in the forest school application, about their risk perceptions about the forest school implementation processes. The research was carried out with the 'Case Study' pattern, one of the qualitative research designs. The study group of the research was selected by 'Criterion Sampling' methods among the forest school administrators, teachers and parents whose children participate in the forest school practices from 16 different provinces and 7 different geographical regions Of the schools included in the study, 20 of the 10 teachers working in 2 public kindergartens, 1 in a public kindergarten and 15 in a private kindergarten, and 10 teachers who continue this education at school are ground educators. The data of the research were collected from the semi-structured interview forms; 'Parent Demographic Information Form', 'Administrator and Teacher Demographic Information Form' prepared by the researcher, and the form 'Opinions of Teachers, Administrators and Parents on Risky Situations That May Be Encountered in Forest School Implementation Process' which was developed by the researcher by taking expert opinion. The data of the research were obtained by conducting online and face-to-face interviews with the participants. Themes formed from the data obtained; Definition of risk, Risks encountered in forest school applications, Reasons for risks that may be encountered in forest schools, the effect of the diversity of risk sources, experiences against risks and the effect of these experiences on practices in forest school, examples of frequently experienced risky situations during forest school applications, factors that affect the child's risk taking positively/negatively. The analysis process was completed by using descriptive analysis and thematic analysis together by reflecting the views on the themes with direct quotations. We may mention some of these findings obtained such as; adults often consider risky situations as danger, the reflections of adults trying to shape the value attributed to children and childhood according to their expectations from early childhood education in line with cultural approaches on forest school practices, the positive/negative risk perception of adults affects the risk management skills of the child positively/negatively, the effects of the fact that the basis of the adult's relationship with nature is built on speciesism, on the children's relationship with nature. Upon the finding -among the findings obtained in the research- that risk perception is shaped by cultural norms, it was emphasized that the forest school education approach should be designed according to its own cultural norms in each country. Suggestions have been made that a significant dissemination can be achieved in our country by preserving the philosophy of forest school education, thanks to the adaptation of the education model to these norms. Keywords; Forest school, risk perception, outdoor education, teacher, administrator, parent.