Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-8mjnm Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-29T09:41:00.969Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Forest discovery: place relationships on an environmental science, arts and humanities (eSAH) field trip

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 November 2020

Lissy Goralnik*
Affiliation:
Community Sustainability, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
Sarah Minette Kelly
Affiliation:
Community Sustainability, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
Kari O’Connell
Affiliation:
Community Sustainability, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
Michael Paul Nelson
Affiliation:
Community Sustainability, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
Mark Schulze
Affiliation:
Community Sustainability, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
*
*Corresponding author. E-mail: goralnik@msu.edu

Abstract

Sense of place describes both affective and cognitive — emotional and intellectual — connections to place. Affective outcomes, tied to arts and humanities education, can facilitate these connections. But little research explores environmental science, arts and humanities (eSAH) curricula on place relationships. Additionally, most research on the sense of place focuses on repeated visits to a place over time, rather than short-term experiences like a field trip. Finally, digital technology is a growing trend across science education, but little research investigates its use in field-based contexts. Our research begins to address these gaps. This article describes an eSAH field trip for middle and high school learners. Using a conventional content analysis, we present pilot data from two high school field trips. Our findings illuminate a framework for understanding active and passive place relationships in the context of short-term interdisciplinary field learning experiences.

Type
Article
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2020. 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.)

Footnotes

This manuscript is original work. It has not been submitted or published anywhere else.

References

Algona, P.S., & Simon, G.L. (2010). The role of field study in humanistic and interdisciplinary environmental education. Journal of Experiential Education, 32(3), 191206.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ardoin, N. (2006). Toward an interdisciplinary understanding of place. Canadian Journal of Environmental Education, 11, 112126.Google Scholar
Atchinson, C. (2011). The significance of access: Students with mobility impairments constructing geoscience knowledge through field-based learning experiences. Ohio State University, Dissertation. Retrieved from OhioLINK http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1306333072 Google Scholar
Behrendt, M., & Franklin, T. (2014). A review of research on school field trips and their value in education. International Journal of Environmental & Science Education, 9, 235245. doi: 10.12973/ijese.2014.213a Google Scholar
Berman, M.G., Jonides, J., & Kaplan, S. (2008). The cognitive benefits of interacting with nature. Psychological Science, 19(12), 12071212.10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02225.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burns, H.L. (2015). Transformative sustainability pedagogy: Learning from ecological systems and indigenous wisdom. Journal of Transformative Education, 13(3), 259276. doi: 10.1177/1541344615584683 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cooper, N.S. (2000). Listening to nature: Ethics within ecology. Biodiversity.Conservation, 9, 10091027.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Davis, J.H. (2008). Why our schools need the arts. New York, NY: Teachers College Press.Google Scholar
Deasy, R.J. (Ed.) (2002). Critical links: Learning in the arts and student academic and social development. Washington DC: Arts Education Partnership. Retrieved from http://www.aep-arts.org Google Scholar
Dickinson, E. (2011). Displaced in nature: The cultural production of (non)place in place based forest conservation pedagogy. Environmental Communication, 5(3), 300319.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eisner, W.E. (2002). The arts and the creation of the mind. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.Google Scholar
Ellison, A., LeRoy, C., Landesberen, K., Bosanquet, E., Buckly Borden, D., CaraDonna, P., … Wysong, L.M. (2017). Art/science collaborations: New explorations of ecological systems, values, and their feedbacks. The Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America, 99(2), 180191.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Engster, D. (2005). Rethinking care theory: The practice of caring and the obligation to care. Hypatia, 20(3), 5074.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fleischner, T. (2011). Why natural history matters. The Journal of Natural History Education and Experience, 5, 2124.Google Scholar
Goralnik, L., & Nelson, M.P. (2011). Framing a philosophy of environmental action: Aldo Leopold, John Muir, and the importance of community. The Journal of Environmental Education, 42(3), 181192.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goralnik, L., & Nelson, M.P. (2015). Empathy and agency in the Isle Royale field philosophy experience. Journal of Sustainability Education, 10(3), online.Google Scholar
Goralnik, L., Nelson, M.P., Gosnell, H., & Ryan, L. (2015). Arts and humanities efforts in the US LTER network: Understanding perceived values and challenges. In Rozzi, R., F.S. Chapin, J.B. Callicott, S.T.A. Picket, M.E. Power, J.J. Armesto, & R.H. May Jr. (Eds.), Earth stewardship: Linking ecology and ethics in theory and practice (pp. 249269). Berlin, Germany: Springer.Google Scholar
Goralnik, L. and Nelson, M.P. (2017). Field philosophy: Environmental learning and moral development in Isle Royale National Park. Environmental Education Research, 23(5): 687707. doi: 10.1080/13504622.2015.1074661 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goralnik, L., Nelson, M.P., Gosnell, H., & Leigh, M.B. (2017). Arts and humanities inquiry in the long-term ecological research network: Empathy, relationships, and interdisciplinary collaborations. Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, 7(2), 361373.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Graham, M.A. (2007). Art, ecology and art education: Locating art education in a critical place-based pedagogy. Studies in Art Education, 48(4), 375391.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gruenewald, D.A. (2003a). Foundations of place: A multidisciplinary framework for place-conscious education. American Educational Research Journal, 40(3), 619654.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gruenwald, D.A. (2003b). The best of both worlds: A critical pedagogy of place. Educational Researcher, 32(4), 312.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hesse-Biber, S.N., & Leavy, P. (Eds.) (2008). Handbook of emergent methods. New York, NY: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Hill, T.E. Jr. (1994). Respect for humanity. Tanner Lecture. Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University. Retrieved from https://tannerlectures.utah.edu/_documents/a-to-z/h/Hill97.pdf Google Scholar
Israel, A.L. (2012). Putting geography education into place: What geography educators can learn from place-based education, and vice versa. Journal of Geography, 111(2), 7681.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Johnson, B.L., & Frederickson, L.M. (2000). ‘What’s in a good life?’ Searching for ethical wisdom in the wilderness. Journal of Experiential Education, 23(1), 4350.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kacoroski, J., Liddicoat, K.R., & Kerlin, C. (2016). Children’s use of iPads in outdoor environmental education programs. Applied Environmental Education and Communication, 15(4), 301311. doi: 10.1080/1533015X.2016.1237903 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kaplan, S. (1995). The restorative benefits of nature: Toward an integrative framework. Journal of environmental psychology, 15(3), 169182.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kolb, D.A. (1984). Experiential learning. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.Google Scholar
Kollmus, A., & Agyeman, J. (2002). Mind the gap: Why do people act environmentally and what are the barriers to pro-environmental behavior? Environmental Education Research, 8(3), 239260.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kudryavtsev, A., Stedman, R.C., & Krasny, M.E. (2012). Sense of place in environmental education. Environmental Education Research 18(2), 229250.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Land, M.H. (2013). Full STEAM ahead: The benefits of integrating the arts into STEM. Procedia Computer Science, 20, 547552.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McClain, L.R., & Zimmerman, H.T. (2016). Technology-mediated engagement with nature: sensory and social engagement with the outdoors supported through an e-Trailguide. International Journal of Science Education, Part B, 6(4), 385399.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McInerney, P., Smyth, J., & Down, B. (2011). ‘Coming to a place near you?’ The politics and possibilities of a critical pedagogy of place-based education. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 39(1), 316. doi: 10.1080/1359866X.2010.540894 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mohammad, S. (2019). Is technology good or bad for learning? Brookings Institute. Retrieved from https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brown-center-chalkboard/2019/05/08/is-technology-good-or-bad-for-learning/ Google Scholar
Moore, K.D. (2004). Pine island paradox. Minneapolis, MN: Milkweed Editions.Google Scholar
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NAS). (2018). The Integration of humanities and arts with sciences, engineering, and medicine in higher education: Branches from the same tree. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/24988 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
National Research Council (NRC). (2011). A framework for K-12 science education: Practices, crosscutting concepts, and core ideas. Washington, DC: The National Academy Press.Google Scholar
Newman, T.P., & Fernandes, R. (2016). A re-assessment of factors associated with environmental concern and behavior using the 2010 General Social Survey. Environmental Education Research, 22(2), 153175. doi: 10.1080/13504622.2014.999227 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pierce, G. (2017). Sense of place: Sense of place in outdoor and environmental education. Thesis, Alaska Pacific University.Google Scholar
Preston, L. (2015). The place of place-based education in the Australian primary geography curriculum. Geographical Education, 28, 4149.Google Scholar
Ramkissoon, H, Weiler, B., & Smith, L.D.G. (2012). Place attachment and pro-environmental behaviour in national parks: The development of a conceptual framework. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 20(2), 257276. doi: 10.1080/09669582.2011.602194 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rebar, B.M. (2009). Evidence, explanations, and recommendations for teachers’ field trip strategies, Dissertation. Oregon State University. Retrieved from: https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/graduate_thesis_or_dissertations/bg257h16d Google Scholar
Reilly, J.M., Ring, J., & Duke, L. (2005). Visual thinking strategies: A new role for art in medical education. Family Medicine, 37(4), 250252.Google ScholarPubMed
Relph, E. (1976). Place and placelessness. London, UK: Pion.Google Scholar
Semken, S., & Freeman, C.B. (2008). Sense of place in the practice and assessment of place-based science teaching. Science Education, 92(6), 10421057. doi: 10.1002/sce.20279 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Semken, S., Freeman, C.B., Watts, N.B., Neakrase, J.J., Dial, R.E., & Baker, D.R. (2009). Factors that influence sense of place as a learning outcome and assessment measure of place-based geoscience teaching. Electronic Journal of Science, 13(2), online. Retrieved from http://ejse.southwestern.edu Google Scholar
Sobel, D. (2008) Childhood and nature: Design principles for educators. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers.Google Scholar
Staples, A.F., Larson, L.R., Worsley, T., Green, G.T., & Carroll, J.P. (2019). Effects of an art-based environmental education camp program on the environmental attitudes and awareness of diverse youth. Journal of Environmental Education, 50(3), 208222, doi: 10.1080/00958964.2019.1629382 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Subbiondo, J.L. (2011). Spirituality on campus: The emergence of a postsecular age in American Higher Education. About Campus, 16(5), 3032.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Treanor, B. (2014). Narrative and nature: Appreciating and understanding the nonhuman world. In F. Clingerman, B. Treanor, M. Drenthen, & D. Utsler (Eds.), Interpreting nature: The emerging field of environmental hermeneutics (pp. 181200). New York, NY: Fordham University Press.Google Scholar
UNESCO. (1978). Final report - Intergovernmental conference on environmental education. Organized by UNESCO in Cooperation with UNEP, Tbilisi, USSR, 14–26 October 1997, Paris: UNESCO ED/MD/49.Google Scholar
Walker, G.J., & Chapman, R. (2003). Thinking like a park: The effects of sense of place, perspective-taking, and empathy on pro-environmental intentions. Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, 21(4), 7186.Google Scholar
Walsh, B.P. (2013). Whole nature: Integrating science and eco-phenomenology, Dissertation. University of Montana. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.umt.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=5188&context=etd Google Scholar
Wattchow, B., & Brown, M. (2011). A pedagogy of place: Outdoor education for a changing world. Victoria, Australia: Monash University Press.Google Scholar
York, R.A. (2014). Re-connecting with nature: Transformative environmental education through the arts, Dissertation. University of Toronto. Retrieved from: https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/handle/1807/68404 Google Scholar
Zealand, C.T.W. (2007). Decolonizing experiences: an ecophenomenological investigation of the lived-experience of Appalachian Trail thru-hikers, Dissertation. University of Waterloo. Retrieved from http://www.dissertation.com/abstracts/1809149 Google Scholar