Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-dnltx Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-20T08:35:18.963Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Imagine a school: Children draw and explain the ideal environmental school

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 June 2021

Adiv Gal  and
Dafna Gan
Adiv Gal*
Affiliation:
The Center of Education for Environmental Sustainability, Kibbutzim College of Education Technology and the Arts, Tel Aviv, Israel
Dafna Gan
Affiliation:
The Center of Education for Environmental Sustainability, Kibbutzim College of Education Technology and the Arts, Tel Aviv, Israel
*
*Corresponding author. E-mail: adiv.gal@smkb.ac.il
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Using drawings and accompanying written and oral explanations by third- and sixth-grade students, this phenomenological study is an examination of the children’s perception of the ideal environmental school. Analysis of the 128 features in the drawing yielded four categories: (1) physical – with natural areas and outdoor learning, (2) cognitive – core subjects and environmental ones, (3) emotional – the students’ feelings and the spaces for releasing stress and energy and (4) educational – environmental education (EE) includes a variety of pedagogies, features of nature and environmental solutions. While the drawings and explanations presented the school as the children know it, without boundary-breaking imagination and creativity, they also showed a desire for a positive school atmosphere, defined as essential to holistic EE and to leading environmental change. The positive atmosphere, nature and the environmental spaces can be the foundation of developing EE that is not fear based, which often generates helplessness and prevents action. The recommendations emphasise the need to enhance positive thinking and not to focus only on fear tactics as a means to enhance holistic EE and protect the environment.

Keywords

holistic environmental educationpositive thinkingchildren’s imaginationchildren’s drawingseducation for sustainabilitystudents’ voice
Type
Research/Practice Articles
Information
Australian Journal of Environmental Education , Volume 37 , Issue 3 , November 2021 , pp. 208 - 223
Check for updates
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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

Ahmad, J.F. (2018). Children’s drawings in different cultures: An analysis of five-year-old Jordanian children’s drawings. International Journal of Early Years Education, 26(3), 249–258.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Alerby, E. (2000). A Way of visualising children’s and young people’s thoughts about the environment: A study of drawings. Environmental Education Research, 6(3), 205–222. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504620050076713 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Avriel-Avni, N., Spektor-Levy, O., Zion, M., & Levi, N.R. (2010). Children’s sense of place in desert towns: A phenomenographic enquiry. International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education, 19(3), 241–259. https://doi.org/10.1080/10382046.2010.496987 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barraza, L. (1999). Children’s drawings about the environment. Environmental Education Research, 5(1), 49–66. https://doi.org/10.1080/1350462990050103 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barraza, L., & Walford, R.A. (2002). Environmental education: A comparison between English and Mexican school children. Environmental Education Research, 8(2), 171–186. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504620220128239 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bland, D., & Sharma-Brymer, V. (2012). Imagination in school children’s choice of their learning environment: An Australian study. International Journal of Educational Research, 56, 75–88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2012.06.002 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bolden, R., Petrov, G., & Gosling, J. (2008). Tensions in higher education leadership: Towards a multi-level model of leadership practice. Higher Education Quarterly, 62(4), 358–376. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2273.2008.00398.x CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Capra, F. (1996). The web of life: A new synthesis of mind and matter. London, UK: HarperCollins.Google Scholar
Chang, H., Lin, T., Lee, M., Lee, S.W., Tan, A., Tsai, C., Lin, T., Lee, M., & Lee, S.W. (2020). A systematic review of trends and findings in research employing drawing assessment in science education. Studies in Science Education, 56(1), 77–110. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057267.2020.1735822 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chawla, L. (2020). Childhood nature connection and constructive hope: A review of research on connecting with nature and coping with environmental loss. People and Nature, 2(3), 619–642. https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10128 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Derbentseva, N., Safayeni, F., & Can, J. (2007). Concept maps: Experiments on dynamic thinking. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 44(3), 448–465. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Einarsdóttir, J. (2007). Research with children: Methodological and ethical challenges. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 15(2), 197–211. https://doi.org/10.1080/13502930701321477 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eldén, S. (2013). Inviting the messy: Drawing methods and ‘children’s voices. Childhood, 20(1), 66–81. https://doi.org/10.1177/0907568212447243 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Farokhi, M., & Hashemi, M. (2011). The analysis of children’s drawings: Social, emotional, physical, and psychological aspects. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 30, 2219–2224. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.10.433 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gal, A. & Gan, D. (2018). What went well? Long-term environmental education in an Israeli elementary school. Australian Journal of Environmental Education, 34(3), 262–289. https://doi.org/10.1017/aee.2018.33 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harvey, C., Hallam, J., Richardson, M., & Wells, R. (2020). The good things children notice in nature: An extended framework for reconnecting children with nature. Urban Forestry and Urban Greening, 49, 126573. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2019.126573 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hay, D.B. (2007). Using concept maps to measure deep, surface and non-learning outcomes. Studies in Higher Education, 32(1), 39–57. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070601099432 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hendri, Z., Rohidi, T.R., & Sayuti, S.A. (2017). Contextualization of children’s drawings in the perspective of shape and adaptation of creation and the model of implementation on learning art at elementary school. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 8(5), 93–102. https://doi.org/10.1515/mjss-2017-0027 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hicks, D. (2003). Lessons for the future: The missing dimension in education. London, UK: Routledge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Horstman, M., Aldiss, S., Richardson, A., & Gibson, F. (2008). Methodological issues when using the draw and write technique with children aged 6 to 12 years. Advancing Qualitative Methods Methodological, 18(7), 1001–1011.Google ScholarPubMed
Ives, C.D., Giusti, M., Fischer, J., Abson, D.J., Klaniecki, K., Dorninger, C., Laudan, J., Barthel, S., Abernethy, P., Martín-López, B., Raymond, C.M., Kendal, D., & von Wehrden, H. (2017). Human-nature connection: A multidisciplinary review. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 26–27, 106–113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2017.05.005 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
James, J.K., & Williams, T. (2017). School-based experiential outdoor education: A neglected necessity. Journal of Experiential Education, 40(1), 58–71. https://doi.org/10.1177/1053825916676190 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kalvaitis, D., & Monhardt, R.M. (2012). The architecture of children’s relationships with nature: A phenomenographic investigation seen through drawings and written narratives of elementary students. Environmental Education Research, 18(2), 209–227. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2011.598227 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kangas, M. (2010). Finnish children’s views on the ideal school and learning environment. Learning Environments Research, 13(3), 205–223. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10984-010-9075-6 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kaplan, R. (2001). The nature of the view from home: Psychological benefits. Environment and Behavior, 33(4), 507–542. https://doi.org/10.1177/00139160121973115 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kerret, D., Orkibi, H., & Ronen, T. (2016). Testing a model linking environmental hope and self-control with students’ positive emotions and environmental behavior. Journal of Environmental Education, 47(4), 307–317. https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.2016.1182886 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kluger, L.C., Gorris, P., Romagnoni, G., Kochalski, S., & Mueller, M.S. (2020). Studying human-nature relationships through a network lens: A systematic review. People and Nature, 2, 1100–1116. https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10136 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kuo, M. (2015). How might contact with nature promote human health? Promising mechanisms and a possible central pathway. Frontiers in Psychology Frontiers in Psychology, 6(1093), 1–8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01093 Google Scholar
Larsson, J., & Holmström, I. (2007). Phenomenographic or phenomenological analysis: Does it matter? Examples from a study on anaesthesiologists work. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-Being, 2(1), 55–64. https://doi.org/10.1080/17482620601068105 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Laverty, S.M. (2003). Hermeneutic phenomenology and phenomenology: A comparison of historical and methodological considerations. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 2(3), 21–35. https://doi.org/10.1177/160940690300200303 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leshem, S., Zion, N., & Friedman, A. (2015). A dream of a school: Student teachers envision their ideal school. SAGE Open, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244015621351 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Liefländer, A.K., Fröhlich, G., Bogner, F.X., & Schultz, P.W. (2013). Promoting connectedness with nature through environmental education. Environmental Education Research, 19(3), 370–384. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2012.697545 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ligorio, M.B., Schwartz, N.H., D’Aprile, G., & Philhour, D. (2017). Children’s representations of learning through drawings. Learning, Culture and Social Interaction, 12, 133–148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lcsi.2016.12.004 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Malone, K., & Tranter, P.J. (2003). School grounds as sites for learning: Making the most of environmental opportunities. Environmental Education Research, 9(3), 283–303. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504620303459 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meadows, D. (2014). Creating a sustainable and desirable future insights from 45 global thought leaders. World Scientific, 9–214. https://doi.org/10.1142/9789814546898 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Merriman, B., & Guerin, S. (2006). Using children’s drawings as data in child-centred research. Irish Journal of Psychology, 27(1–2), 48–57. https://doi.org/10.1080/03033910.2006.10446227 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Michalopoulou, A. (2014). Creativity expressed through drawings in early childhood education. International Journal of Education, 6(2), 69–81. https://doi.org/10.5296/ije.v6i2.5328 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Muhr, M.M. (2020). Beyond words- the potential of arts-based research on human-nature connectedness. Ecosystems and People, 16(1), 249–257. https://doi.org/10.1080/26395916.2020.1811379 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Musitu-Ferrer, D., Esteban-Ibañez, M., León-Moreno, C., & García, O.F. (2019). Is school adjustment related to environmental empathy and connectedness to nature? Psychosocial Intervention, 28(2), 101–110. https://doi.org/10.5093/pi2019a8 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ojala, M. (2012). Regulating worry, promoting hope: How do children, adolescents, and young adults cope with climate change? International Journal of Environmental & Science Educati, 7(4), 537–561.Google Scholar
Orr, D. (2004). Earth in mind: On education, environment, and the human prospect: Island Press.Google Scholar
Parker, J., & Simpson, G.D. (2020). A theoretical framework for bolstering human-nature connections and urban resilience via green infrastructure. Land, 9(8). https://doi.org/10.3390/LAND9080252 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pellier, A.S., Wells, J.A., Abram, N.K., Gaveau, D., & Meijaard, E. (2014). Through the eyes of children :Perceptions of environmental change in tropical forests. PLoS ONE, 9(8), e103005. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0103005 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Punch, S. (2002). Research with children: The same or different from research with adults? Childhood, 9(3), 321–341. https://doi.org/10.1177/0907568202009003005 Google Scholar
Ramanan, S. (2019). Qing Li: Forest bathing – how trees can help you find health and happiness. Agriculture and Human Values, 36(2), 367–368. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10460-018-09900-3 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sauvé, L. (2005). Currents in environmental education: Mapping a complex and evolving pedagogical field. Canadian Journal of Environmental Education, 10, 11–37. https://doi.org/ISSN-1205-5352 Google Scholar
Sobel, D. (2004). Place-based education: Connecting classroom and community. Great Barrington, MA: The Orion Society, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1093/isle/13.1.238 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sterling, S. (2009). The ecological and environmental dimensions of the holistic curriculum. Oxford, UK: Eolss Publishers.Google Scholar
Stevenson, R.B. (2006). Tensions and transitions in policy discourse: Recontextualizing a decontextualized EE/ESD debate. Environmental Education Research, 12 ( 3–4), 227–290. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504620600799026 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thompson, C.J., Boddy, K., Stein, K., Whear, R., Barton, J., & Depledge, M.H. (2011). Does participating in physical activity in outdoor natural environments have a greater effect on physical and mental wellbeing than physical activity indoors? A systematic review. Environmental Science & Technology, 45(5), 1761–1772.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Manen, M. (2016). Researching lived experience: Human science for an action sensitive pedagogy. New York, NY: Routledge.Google Scholar
Verdugo, V. (2012). The positive psychology of sustainability. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 14(5), 651–666. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-012-9346-8 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ward, K. (2018). What’s in a dream? Natural elements, risk and loose parts in children’s dream playspace drawings. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 43(1), 34–42. https://doi.org/10.23965/AJEC.43.1.04 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Watt, S., & Wakefield, C. (2017). Teaching visual methods in the social sciences. London, UK: Routledge.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wu, C., Mcneely, E., Ceden, J.G., Dominici, F., Lung, S.C., Su, H., & Spengler, J.D. (2014). Linking student performance in Massachusetts elementary schools with the “Greenness” of school surroundings using remote sensing. PLoS ONE, 9(10), e108548. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0108548 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Yilmaz, Z., Kubiatko, M., & Topal, H. (2012). Czech children’s drawing of nature. Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice, 3111–3119.Google Scholar
Zimmerman, E. (2009). Reconceptualizing the role of creativity in art education theory and practice. Studies in Art Education, 50(4), 382–399. https://doi.org/10.1080/00393541.2009.11518783 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zur, A., & Eisikovits, R. (2011). “My ideal school”: Using a spatial perspective to examine students’ school experience. Studies in Education, 4, 144–170.Google Scholar