Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-g7gxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-06T08:23:30.232Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Young Children Learning for the Environment: Researching a Forest Adventure

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 June 2015

Agatha Gambino ,
Julie Davis  and
Noeleen Rowntree
Agatha Gambino
Affiliation:
Education Queensland
Julie Davis*
Affiliation:
Queensland University of Technology
Noeleen Rowntree
Affiliation:
Bunyaville Environmental Education Centre
*
†School of Early Childhood Researcher, Centre for Learning Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Victoria Park Road, Kelvin Grove, Queensland 4059, Australia. Email: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Field experiences for young children are an ideal medium for environmental education/education for sustainability because of opportunities for direct experience in nature, integrated learning, and high community involvement. This research documented the development - in 4-5 year old Prep children - of knowledge, attitudes and actions/advocacy in support of an endangered native Australian animal, the Greater Bilby. Data indicated that children gained new knowledge, changed attitudes and built a repertoire of action/advocacy strategies in native animal conservation as a result of participating in a forest field adventure. The curriculum and pedagogical features that supported these young children's learning include: active engagement in a natural environment, learning through curriculum integration at home and at school, anthropomorphic representations of natural elements, making connections with cultural practices, and intergenerational learning. The paper also highlights research strategies that can be usefully and ethically applied when conducting studies involving young children.

Keywords

Field educationactive citizenshipknowledgeattitudesearly childhoodintergenerational learning
Type
Research Article
Information
Australian Journal of Environmental Education , Volume 25 , 2009 , pp. 83 - 94
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Ballantyne, R., Fien, J., & Packer, J. (2001). Intergenerational influence in environmental education: A quantitative analysis. Australian Journal of Environmental Education, 17, 1–7.Google Scholar
Ballantyne, R., & Packer, J. (2009). Introducing a fifth pedagogy: Experience-based strategies for facilitating learning in natural environments. Environmental Education Research. 15(2), 243–262.Google Scholar
Basile, C. (2000). Environmental education as a catalyst for transfer of learning in young children. The Journal of Environmental Education, 32(1), 21–27.Google Scholar
Bonnett, M., & Williams, J. (1998). Environmental education and primary children's attitudes towards nature and the environment. Cambridge Journal of Education, 28(2), 159–174.Google Scholar
Chawla, L. (1999). Life paths into effective environmental action. Journal of Environmental Education, 31(1), 15–26.Google Scholar
Davis, J., Gibson, M., Rowntree, N., Pratt, R., & Eglington, A. (2005). Creating a culture of sustainability: From project to integrated education for sustainability at Campus Kindergarten. In Fihlo, W. L. (Ed.), Handbook of sustainability research (pp. 563–594). Frankfurt: Peter Lang.Google Scholar
Gebhard, U., Nevers, P., & Billmann-Mahecha, E. (2003). Moralizing trees. In Clayton, S. & Opotow, S. (Eds.), Identity and the environment: The psychological significance of nature. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.Google Scholar
Gilligan, C., & Wiggins, G. (1987). The origins of morality in early childhood relationships. In Kagan, J. & Lamb, S. (Eds.), The emergence of morality in young children. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Harper, D. (2002). Talking about pictures: A case for photo elicitation. Visual Studies, 17(1), 13–26.Google Scholar
Hill, M. (2006). Children's voices on ways of having a voice: Children's and young people's perspectives on methods used in research and consultation. Childhood. 13, 69–89.Google Scholar
Hines, J., Hungerford, H., & Tomera, A. (1986/1987). Analysis and synthesis of research on responsible environmental behavior: A meta-analysis. The Journal of Environmental Education, 18(2), 1–8.Google Scholar
Hungerford, H., & Volk, T. (1990). Changing learner behavior through environmental education. Journal of Environmental Education, 21(3), 8–21.Google Scholar
Jensen, B. B. (2002). Knowledge, action and pro-environmental behavior. Environmental Education Research. 8(3), 325–334.Google Scholar
Kellert, S. (1996). The value of life: Biological diversity and human society. Washington DC: Island Press.Google Scholar
Knapp, D., & Poff, R. (2001). A qualitative analysis of the immediate and short-term impact of an environmental interpretive program. Environmental Education Research, 7(1), 55–65.Google Scholar
Louv, R. (2005). Last Child in the Woods: Saving our children from nature deficit disorder. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: Algonquin Books.Google Scholar
Malone, K. (2007). The bubble-wrap generation: children growing up in walled gardens. Environmental Education Research, 13(4), 513–527.Google Scholar
Palmer, J. (1999). Research matters: A call for the application of empirical evidence to the task of improving the quality and impact of environmental education. Cambridge Journal of Education, 29(3), 379–395.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Payne, P. (2006). Gnome-tracking vs. the sceptics: Experiential education and the early childhood setting. Every Child. Retrieved October 11, 2009, from http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/every_child_magazine/every_child_index/gnome_tracking_vs_the_sceptics_experiential_education_and_the_early_childhood_setting.html Google Scholar
Powell, M., & Smith, A. (2009). Children's participation rights in research. Childhood. 16, 124–142.Google Scholar
Punch, S. (2002). Interviewing strategies with young people. Children and Society. 16(1), 45–56.Google Scholar
Rickinson, M. (2001). Learners and learning in environmental education: A critical review of the evidence. Environmental Education Research 7(3), 207–320.Google Scholar
Seifert, K. (1993). Cognitive development and early childhood education. In Spodek, B. (Ed.), Handbook of research on the education of young children (pp. 9–23). New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.Google Scholar
Sterling, S. (2001). Sustainable education: Re-visioning learning and change. Devon: Green Books Ltd.Google Scholar
United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). (1977). Intergovernmental Conference on Environmental Education: Tbilisi 1977. Retrieved May 3, 2006, from http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0003/000327/032763eo.pdf Google Scholar
United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). (2004). UN Decade for Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014). Retrieved February 22, 2006, from http://portal.unesco.org/education/en/ev.php-URL_ID=23279&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html Google Scholar
United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP). (2007). Global environmental outlook 4: Environment for development. Retrieved November 12, 2007, from http://www.unep.org/geo/geo4/report/GEO-4_Report_Full_en.pdf Google Scholar
Wandersee, J., & Schussler, E. (2001). Towards a theory of plant blindness. Plant Science Bulletin, 47(1). Retrieved August 13, 2007, from http://www.botany.org/plantsciencebulletin/psb-2001-47-1.php#Toward%20a%20Theory%20of%20Plant Google Scholar
Wells, N., & Lekies, K. (2006). Nature and the life course: Pathways from childhood nature experiences to adult environmentalism. Children, Youth and Environments, 16(1), 1–24.Google Scholar
Young, L., & Barrett, H. (2001). Issues of access and identity: Adapting research methods with Kampala street children. Childhood, 8, 383–395.Google Scholar