Children’s climate change meaning-making through photovoice

Abstract

Most studies of children and climate change focus on instilling literacy (a ‘top-down’ process), positioning children as passive recipients of climate change knowledge rather than active agents in shaping their lived realities. Photovoice, a form of participatory action research, can help explore how children make sense of climate change, while inviting their critical reflection, arts-based expression, and action (a ‘bottom-up’ process). By qualitatively examining children’s photovoice discussions from a fifteen-week after-school program, the present study explores how children made connections between their own lives and climate change through photovoice. Participants were 55 children (ages 10 to 12) who participated in Science, Camera, Action!, a program consisting of hands-on educational activities, photovoice process, and youth-led action across three neighboring cities in the U.S. Data consisted of nine audio-recorded photovoice discussions analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings suggest that photovoice helped children to learn about, care about, and take action on climate change. Moreover, these processes were interdependent and fueled by children’s enjoyment of the program and children’s engagement in collective meaning-making during group-based photovoice discussions. As climate change intensifies, photovoice can be an important pedagogical approach and enjoyable experience for children that simultaneously facilitates their learning, affective engagement, and agentic action. Recebido: 3/2/2022 Aceite: 2/7/2022