From Adventure to Experience: On the Importance of Reflection in Nature Experiences
摘要
This article deals with the significance of reflection in the context of nature experience processes. Against the backdrop of John Dewey’s theory of experience and the approach of experiential learning, the understanding of reflection underlying this article is first unfolded. In addition, with reference to a qualitative study in the style of Grounded Theory, the importance of reflection as a verbalized act in the nature experience processes of teenagers is discussed. The results show, on the one hand, that reflection in the nature experiences of teenagers occurs automatically when they can experience the natural space in a self-determined mode. On the other hand, guided reflection opens up numerous and very different topics that hold opportunities for experiences for the teenagers. They succeed in reflecting on their experiences to varying degrees. Especially in light of this finding, some practical implications can be formulated, which can be interpreted as conditions for nature experience processes of teenagers. In this context, it is also shown how reflected nature immersion can become an experience touching the person and thus can be understood as educational moments.