Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION RESEARCH, cilt.32, sa.2, ss.432-464, 2026 (SSCI, Scopus)
Forest kindergartens have become increasingly popular worldwide, yet this popularity has brought about its set of challenges, such as a loss of the original forest kindergarten philosophy due to its capitalization/McDonaldization. Thus, there has been a call for maintaining the core principles of forest kindergartens while addressing issues related to cultural adaptation. Therefore, the study aim was twofold: 1) examine practices employed by forest kindergartens in three distinct geographical regions of T & uuml;rkiye, and 2) investigate challenges encountered by teachers in these kindergartens while also exploring strategies they used to address said challenges. Data were collected through non-participant observations, semi-structured interviews, and field notes involving nine forest kindergarten teachers through a qualitative multiple-case study design. The findings revealed that the kindergartens followed similar practices, such as year-round use of schoolyards and 7Rs of sustainability, yet differed in various other practices, such as curriculum development, risk assessment, and daily schedule. Teachers faced common challenges, including parental concerns about safety and academic readiness; therefore, they adopted their strategies to balance risk-taking and safety, school readiness, and free play. The study emphasizes the need to develop culturally responsive adaptations of forest pedagogy and calls for enhanced teacher training in ecological literacy and risk management.