Exploring young people's visual perceptions of nature on urban school grounds: Insights from a visitor‐employed photography walk for environmental education

1. Urban growth and densification increasingly limit children's and young people's access to natural environments. Since they spend a considerable amount of time within school grounds and their immediate surroundings during their childhood, daily encounters with nature are often closely linked and restricted to these environments. Research shows that exposure to nature on school grounds fosters well-being and resilience, and even a green view from the classroom window supports stress recovery. However, little research has focused on how young people (aged 14–16 years) visually perceive nature in this particular environment and how these perceptions reflect their understanding of nature itself.
2. This study uses a mixed-methods approach, combining visitor-employed photography walks with young people (n = 58) on school grounds and their surroundings in Austria and Germany, with a quantitative survey. A total of 570 photographs and accompanying written log book entries were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Correlational analyses were conducted to identify the relationships between quantitative responses and visual perceptions.
3. Our findings reveal that young people's perceptions of nature are multifaceted, ranging from detailed observations of specific natural elements, such as blossoms and flowers, to landscape scenes that encompass multiple natural components. Participants who rank nature as less important tend to photograph landscape scenes rather than detailed natural elements.
4. Additionally, the results highlight young people's perceptions of anthropogenic influences, for example, littering, recreation and sports grounds (e.g. volleyball courts and football fields). These observations reflect young people's understanding of, on the one hand, the negative impact of humans on nature and, on the other hand, the opportunities school grounds and their surroundings offer for recreation and social interaction.
5. This study demonstrates the potential of school grounds and their immediate surroundings to serve as accessible natural spaces that support daily experiences of nature. By integrating existing natural elements, for example, vegetation, specific plant species and water bodies, into formal education, educators can foster environmental awareness, well-being and social interaction among young people. More broadly, the findings provide evidence to inform urban planners and policymakers in designing multifunctional school grounds that meet the diverse needs of young people.