Nature-based education through the lens of symbolic interactionism: a study of preschool teachers in Turkey and Sweden

This study investigates how preschool teachers in Turkey and Sweden construct meaning around nature-based education, focusing on their roles, practices, and symbolic interactions. Grounded in Symbolic Interactionism, the research examines how nature is interpreted not merely as a physical environment, but as a cultural and pedagogical space where identities are shaped and negotiated. Data were gathered through in-depth semi-structured interviews with 24 preschool teachers, including Swedish teachers, Turkish teachers working in Turkey, and teachers of Turkish origin who have taught in both countries. In Sweden, nature is normalized as part of the educational experience, supported by strong cultural norms, infrastructure, and a child-centered approach. Turkish teachers, on the other hand, reported structural constraints and societal pressures, such as parental concerns and visibility demands, that limit their pedagogical autonomy. Teachers with cross-cultural teaching experiences provided unique insights into how educational roles and values are renegotiated across contexts, illustrating the dynamic construction of professional identity. The findings illustrate that teachers’ engagement with nature is influenced not only by educational philosophy, but also by cultural expectations, institutional affordances, and the symbolic roles they adopt in different contexts.These results underline the need to consider cultural and institutional contexts when examining how nature-based education is implemented and experienced by early childhood teachers.