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Environmental Education and Interpretation: Developing an Affective Difference

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 June 2015

Jonathon Howard
Jonathon Howard*
Affiliation:
Charles Sturt University Albury
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Abstract

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Rather than create another definition this paper explores the philosophy of interpretation in order to identify its core values. This shows that the main difference between environmental interpretation and environmental education is whether affect is considered to be pre-or post-cognitive. To the interpreter particularly significant experiences create deep emotional responses in participants that need no explanation. While moods, feelings and emotions are known to be important to attitude and behaviour change, how they create behaviour change is largely unknown. Interpretation will only make significant advances and become more challenging when it is informed by articulated theory. The implications for practice are that affective rather than cognitive models of learning need to be both employed and explored in future.

Type
General Section
Information
Australian Journal of Environmental Education , Volume 14 , 1998 , pp. 65 - 70
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1998

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