Intergenerational learning at a nature center: Families using prior experiences and participation frameworks to understand raptors
Informal learning enhances intergenerational nature-based experiences
This study utilized a nature center for the purpose of studying family interactions and intergenerational learning processes related to ecological knowledge in the context of a “participation framework” and “sociocultural theory.” The study’s focus on families is particularly useful given the prevalence of intergenerational family groups at informal environmental education venues, such as nature centers, zoos, museums, and parks. The focus of the inquiry was on how “family members coordinated their thinking and positioned each other to be valid contributors of ecological information during family conversations, highlighting the role of prior knowledge and of participation frameworks.” A case study approach was used for this research, in which nine families ultimately chose to participate in the study via the completion of survey data, an open-ended interview, and science drawings. Each of these families was also video-recorded with permission during their visit to the nature center, as were over 200 other visitors during the study duration.
A primary finding was that prior knowledge grounded in shared experiences was important for making sense of new ecological information. Each of the families in the study discussed previous shared family experiences in a variety of outdoor settings during their visit to the nature center, interview, and shared task of completing a nature drawing related to what they learned at the nature center. The process of talking about their previous related experiences was found to “be a social learning tool” and demonstrated “that some families used shared experiences to create a common ground.” In other words, shared memories created a common space for the families to successfully engage and work together on a task. Another primary finding was that many families used participation frameworks that helped all family members be able to participate in the process of learning and sharing through idea negotiation and collaborative idea formation. For example, the parents created space for their child(ren)’s contributions and positioned “the children as capable contributors through double-checking intentions and asking consent before moving on.” Family members added to each other’s sentences and ideas, building a collective process for expressing their shared body of knowledge.
This research also provides insight into tacit views of parenting within public informal settings and the role of outdoor experiences in cultivating environmental interests. Parents in this study seemed to emphasize family harmony, offering their children some control of the conversation, freedom with regards to their activity and their participation in the drawing task, and the “opportunity to share, explain, and defend their understandings within a collaborative intergenerational space.” Participating families also had outdoor experience in their local environments prior to the study, which were cited as increasing their curiosity and desire to learn more about nature and being a motivating factor for the families to “organize their resources (i.e., time, money, and community networks) in order to support further investigations within settings designed to represent nature or to foster a human–animal interaction.”
Citation
Zimmerman, H. T., McClain, L. R., (2014). Intergenerational learning at a nature center: Families using prior experiences and participation frameworks to understand raptors. Environmental Education Research, 20(2),
