Affordances of Nearby Forest and Orchard on Children’s Performances

Abstract

This research investigated the performances of children and adolescents with the properties of a nearby forest and orchards in Malaysia. It measured the affordances of the natural setting including the topography, water bodies, vegetation and animals as experienced by them. Their performances were observed through a two-day hiking and camping programme in both the settings. Utilised affordances dominated the actions of the children and adolescents twice more than the combination of perceived and shaped affordances. The results suggested that the nearby forest and orchard were suitable playscapes for the children to express their physical as well as socialisation competences. Keywords: forest park, children’s functioning, plants, affordances © 2017. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.