Exploring children´s sense of place and promoting equity in geography education

• This study investigates how cultural factors shape children views of the environment in Sweden. In a geographical context it focuses our attention on children’s sense of place, that is, how people inhabit spaces. This deepens our understanding of society and sustainability to create an inclusive education. Specifically, we ask: what does the environment mean to children and what attachments, if any, do children have with the environment? Drawings and interviews are used to elicit children’s responses to these questions. Study participants consist of 150 children in year 6 drawn from two schools in Stockholm and Sodertalje, each reflecting different communities. After establishing inter-rater reliability, we conduct content and thematic analysis of drawings as well as open coding of interviews to generate interpretive findings. Visual methodology and social constructivism are lenses that frame this study and validate children’s sense of place. Implications for equity in geography and education are discussed.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Utbildningsvetenskap (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Educational Sciences (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

sense of place

children

visual methodology

equity

Geography with Emphasis on Human Geography

geografi med kulturgeografisk inriktning

Publikations- och innehållstyp

vet (ämneskategori)

kon (ämneskategori)