Through the eyes of a child: exploring and engaging elementary students’ climate conceptions through photovoice

ABSTRACT Objective The largest Global Climate Strike in history was led and organized by youth, demonstrating students consider climate change a key issue impacting their futures. However, researchers know little about the climate change knowledge and experiences elementary students bring to the classroom. We aimed to engage and explore elementary students’ ideas about how they see climate change in their everyday lives using a combination of science and arts-based pedagogies. Method We conducted a photovoice and transformative experience informed study with 22 fifth-graders. Data collected includes student generated photographs, student reflections, a post-survey targeting transformative experience, and transcripts of activities throughout the unit. We analysed the photographs, interviews, activities, and survey using qualitative and quantitative techniques. Results Students’ photographs represent a diverse range of local depictions and scientific explanations of climate change. In addition, we saw that photovoice helped students to construct hope about their futures in relation to the changing climate and fostered a transformative experience. Conclusions We recommend expanding the use of photovoice as a teaching and research method to understand how students’ think about the world, and what mechanisms motivate and support them in making meaningful connections between their in- and out-of-school experiences. KEY POINTS What is already known about this topic: (1) Learning about climate change can promote feelings of fear and hopelessness for students when the issues lack appropriate context. (2) Transformative experiences support students in developing interest and positive emotions while learning about science. (3) Teachers need more flexible practices that draw on students’ prior knowledge and support cultivating constructive hope about climate change. What this topic adds: (1) Photovoice was an effective flexible practice for supporting elementary students in sharing their prior knowledge about climate change. (2) The combination of photovoice and scaffolding re-seeing fostered a transformative experience. (3) Sharing localized experiences with climate change led students to construct hope and build agency around climate issues.