A Study on the Development and Feasibility of Natural Ecological Play Scale for Early Childhood Education Institutions

Objectives The purpose of this study is to develop a scale that can evaluate nature-based play activities in early childhood education institutions based on actual practices. Methods To find out the characteristics of the subjects of this study, descriptive statistical analysis was conducted, and descriptive statistical analysis, reliability analysis, and exploratory factor analysis were performed using the SPSS 29 statistical program on 70 questions, and confirmatory factor analysis was performed using the AMOS 29 program. Results For the 70 items extracted, exploratory factor analysis was conducted using the SPSS statistical program to derive four factors based on theoretical grounds, and confirmatory factor analysis was conducted using AMOS to validate the theory. As a result, a natural ecological play scale consisting of 16 items was developed, and the item composition, validity, and reliability of the natural ecological play scale for early childhood education institutions were verified. Conclusions It has been confirmed that teachers with experience in operating classes engage their students in play more frequently than teachers without such experience. This shows the impact of teachers' expertise in natural ecology play on the play environment and observational activities for infants. This can serve as valuable material when designing teacher training and support programs. Additionally, it is believed that this will be used as foundational data to support various play environments and activities indoors and outdoors even during winter, and to enhance additional training and operational methods in institutions where play frequency is low.