誰偷走了自然？食農教育體驗對農村兒童自然缺失的影響——以深溝國小為例

Abstract

本研究聚焦於「食農教育體驗對農村兒童自然缺失的影響」，以宜蘭縣深溝國小的插秧課程作為田野場域，探討在農村快速變遷與數位媒介滲透的背景下，自然經驗如何自兒童日常中退場。「自然缺失」現象並非城市所獨有，亦滲透至看似貼近土地的農村社會，研究透過視覺內容分析與半結構式訪談，捕捉兒童在課程前後對自然的感知變化，並探討其所承載的社會脈絡與教育意涵。有別於以學習指標為評量的教育研究，本研究嘗試以兒童在食農教育中作為「思考者」的視角，理解其對食農教育的感知與思維歷程。透過「行動距離」 與「現實感知」雙軸評分與語意詮釋，分析兒童圖像、語言與身體經驗中自然觀的轉變。研究結果顯示，兒童的繪畫呈現由「旁觀—幻想」走向「投入—寫實」的遞進軌跡。課程後，「旁觀」類作品比例由59％降至18％；「高度幻想」的圖像由41％ 減至5％；而實際下田並呈現高度寫實的作品，則由原先的18％顯著提升至55％以上。 若欲有效回應自然缺失現象，提升兒童與自然環境的接觸頻率，可望是有效解方。結合能引導感官經驗表達的教學設計，使其與土地的關係由外部觀看轉化為主體參與。此過程中，藝術表達扮演關鍵橋樑，使農事操作不僅成為一種身體的記憶行動，更得以內化為情感經驗與價值信念，進而奠定兒童自然識讀的初步基礎。

This study examines the impact of food and agricultural education experiences on rural children’s nature-deficit conditions, using a rice transplanting program at Shengou Elementary School in Yilan County as the field site. Against the backdrop of rapid rural transformation and the pervasive influence of digital media, the research explores how direct experiences of nature are gradually receding from children's everyday lives. Nature-deficit is no longer exclusive to urban settings but has also permeated rural societies that seemingly remain close to the land. Using visual content analysis and interviews, this study captures shifts in children’s sensory perceptions of nature before and after the program, while also examining the surrounding social context and educational implications. Departing from educational research that focuses on performance indicators, this study adopts the perspective of children as thinkers, aiming to understand their perception and reflective processes within food and agricultural education. Through a dual-axis framework—Self-Positioning and Reality Perception—the research analyzes how children's views of nature are expressed and transformed through imagery, language, and embodied experience. The findings reveal a clear trajectory in children’s drawings, shifting from "detached–imaginary" to "immersed–realistic" modes of representation. After participating in the program, the proportion of “detached” drawings decreased from 59％ to 18％, and “highly imaginative” illustrations dropped from 41％ to 5％, while realistic depictions based on direct field experience increased significantly from 18％ to over 55％.

To effectively respond to nature-deficit conditions, simply increasing outdoor exposure is insufficient. It is necessary to implement pedagogical designs that facilitate sensory expression and reflection, transforming children’s relationships with the land from external observation to embodied engagement. In this process, artistic expression serves as a vital bridge, enabling agricultural tasks to become not only bodily memories but also internalized emotional experiences and value-based practices. These lay the foundation for children’s ecological literacy and their capacity to read, feel, and respond to nature in a sustained way.