Exploring Rural Alaskan Children’s Spatial Autonomy and Environmental Competency through a Draw-Write-and-Tell Method

Authors

  • Carie J. Green
  • Shayle Lliaban

Keywords:

early childhood education for sustainability, environmental competency, spatial autonomy, environmental identity development, Alaska Native children

Abstract

Early childhood education for sustainability (ECEfS) scholarship has expanded around the globe, recognizing diverse historical, political, economic, ecological, and social-cultural contexts. This participatory research furthers ECEfS research by focusing on rural Alaska Native kindergarten children’s perspectives and experiences of their outdoor environment, expressed through a draw-write-and-tell method. The study collected drawings and descriptions from rural Alaskan children, ages 5-6-years, and analyzed them using a phenomenographic framework. The analysis categorized the children’s activities based on the context in which they took place. Children’s village-based activities included riding bikes, going to the park, and walking, indicating children’s spatial autonomy. Nature-focused activities (e.g., picking berries and wild flowers) and water-based activities (e.g., swimming in natural pools and fishing) revealed how their community’s unique ecology and socio-cultural values shaped the children’s environmental competency and identity, as well as their development of subsistence skills to live sustainably in place. Findings also revealed how these young children experienced their outdoor environment with family members, primarily their mother, as well as siblings and peers.

Published

2022-02-23