Data Source

Professional
Literature

Program
Surveys

Data Collection Plan

Timeline/Plan for
Intended Learning/Purpose
Collection
Timeline: Ongoing
Through the literature, I
throughout entire
intend to learn about my
semester
topic, and whats current in
the field. I also plan to
Plan for Collection: I
learn from other
plan to search for and use researchers approaches to
professional literature to
data collection and to see
inform my work. I will
how their findings may be
search for literature
similar to or different than
through West Chester
the findings from my study.
Universitys library data
In addition, I plan to learn
bases, as well as, through about other early
web-based search
childhood education
engines.
programs that provide
nature immersion
opportunities.

Timeline: 10/27-11/11/16
Plan for Collection: A
survey will be sent to
various early childhood
programs that provide
extensive nature
immersion opportunities.
This will be sent by email.

Observations

Timeline: 10/3-11/11/16.
Plan for Collection:

Sub-topics for my literature

include: multi-age learning,
childrens interests or
attitudes of outside
play/learning, and
implementing an outdoor
classroom/learning
environment (nature
preschool or forest
kindergarten).
The goal of this data is to
have additional
comparable data regarding
components of a nature
immersion program such
as duration of time
outside, ages of students
served, number of children
served, etc.
Through my observations, I
intend to observe and tally
on a daily basis the

Child Interviews

During the six-week

period, I will conduct daily
observations of children in
their outdoor
environments.
Observations will be
recorded in written form
and through the use of a
tally/checklist form. In
addition, daily weather will
be recorded including
temperature and types of
precipitation as well as the
time in and out of the
outdoor experience.

experiences each child has

with their outdoor
environments including
what types of objects they
play with, the peers they
interact with, and what
activities they engage in.

Timeline: 10/3-11/11/16.

The intention of conducting

and recording informal
interviews with the
children and recording any
child-initiated interactions
is to gain insight regarding
each childs perceptions
and attitudes toward their
outdoor environment. This
data will be compared at
the end of the data
collection across age
groups and amount of time
spent outside.

Plan for Collection:

During the six-week
period, I will conduct
informal interviews with
each child who can
verbally communicate.
These interviews may be
spontaneous or planned
throughout the time
period. In addition, childinitiated interactions with
the teacher/researcher will
be recorded if it relates to
a childs perceptions and
attitudes relating to their
outdoor environment.
Researcher
Journal

Timeline: 10/3-11/11/16.
Plan for Collection:
During the six-week
period, I will reflect upon
the action research
process, as well as, the
observations I have and
the experiences children
are having. I will also use

The goal is to summarize

this data at the end of the
collection period by age
group (birth-2 and 2 -5
years old) and amount of
time spent outside (0-1, 13, and 3+ hours).

The purpose for the

researcher journal is to
allow time for reflection on
what observations I am
making, as well as, to think
about interventions if
necessary. It will aid in the
action research process by
providing discussion points
to think about and reflect

Family Surveys

The Great Outdoors by

Mary S. Rivkin and Last
Child in the Woods by
Richard Louv to provide
some points of reflection.

on.

Timeline: 10/3-10/7/16
and 11/7-11/11/16

The first survey will gain

insight regarding the
outdoor experiences
children have at home. In
addition, the survey will
examine each parents
perceptions and attitudes
toward outdoor
experiences, play and
learning to see if there is a
correlation with their
childs perceptions and
attitudes.

Plan for Collection: Two

family surveys will be
conducted: one at the
beginning and end of the
data collection period.
This surveys will be paperbased and returned to the
researcher before the end
of the collection period.

The second parent survey

will ask families to
evaluate their experiences,
as well as, their childs
experiences during this
six-week nature immersion
study. Using that
information, parents will
determine to what extent
they would like to see
nature immersion
implemented in their
childs family childcare
setting.
Family
Education
Sessions/Discus
sion

Timeline: 10/3-11/11/16.

The intention of these

parent discussions is to
Plan for Collection:
provide opportunity for
Starting in week 2, each
parent education regarding
main topic of the first
each main topic in the
family survey will be
parent survey. It will
discussed through a
provided families with an
closed, secret Facebook
opportunity to become
page that is exclusively for more knowledgeable

the families of the family

childcare program.

regarding the topic. This

will serve as an
intervention.
In addition, discussion may
clear up any confusion
regarding the wording of
any particular question. In
particular, focus will be on
any question that received
of undecided, disagree or
strongly disagree from any
one parent. Discussion will
serve as a source of data
collection.

Family Logs

Timeline: 10/3-11/11/16

The goal is similar to the

child-initiated interactions
Plan for Collection:
between child/teacher,
Families will be send home which is to capture the
a form daily to record
childrens experiences,
child-initiated comments
perceptions, and attitudes
their child may make
regarding their outdoor
regarding his/her
environments, both at
experiences, perceptions
home and school, and to
and attitudes relating to
see if it changes over the
their outdoor
data collection period with
environments, both at
increased time spent
home and school. It will
outside.
also provide a space to
record nature-related
experiences the child may
have at home with family.

Staff Survey

Timeline: 11/11/16
Plan for Collection: The
teacher/director will take a
Outdoor Classroom Staff
Perception Survey from
Eric M. Nelsons
Cultivating Outdoor
Classrooms.

The purpose of this survey

is to better understand the
teacher/directors
perception of her outdoor
classroom and
experiences.