Place-Based Education and English Language Arts: Using Local Literature to Foster Relationships With Nature and the Environment

• In Event: Roundtable Session 33
  In Roundtable Session: Research on Literacy Development for Preadolescents

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the ways in which students’ interactions with local, place-based literature can affect their relationships with nature and the local environment. Data were collected from two sources—pre- and post-surveys and photo elicitation—and were analyzed using a content analysis approach. Using a variety of local texts, the study explored both students’ experiences with texts and their experiences with their own local ecology. Findings suggest that students were able to use their experiences with literature to make multiple connections to their local place and their roles within it. Implications include the need to help students move from vicarious experiences and connections to becoming active participants in their own natural environments.

Author

• Michael Patrick Cook, Millikin University