Learning with and within City Ecosystems: Studying Children’s Changing Understandings of Socio-ecological System in Richmond, VA

Faculty Mentor

Dr. Kathryn Lanouette

Project Description

W&M students will work with William & Mary School of Education and Blue Sky Fund to explore how young students learn about social and ecological systems in Richmond Virginia. 

Mentored by Assistant Professor Kathryn Lanouette and Joshua Bearman from the Blue Sky Fund, a W&M student will explore how children learn about socioecological systems within Blue Sky’s Explorer’s Program, an outdoor environmental education program that leads 4-5 day trips a year for 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students throughout the city, including Belle Island along the James River Park System, Shalom Farms and other outdoor spaces.   

The W&M student will conduct research for a better understanding of what children are learning about the environment and themselves on outdoor environmental trips. The student will explore two research questions:  

• How do children understand the socioecological systems in which they live, learn and play and their place within it?  
• How do children’s understandings of these systems and themselves change over time, through participating in outdoor environmental education, particularly in city spaces?  

The student will: 

• Conduct a literature review of existing assessment/ protocol methods around children’s conceptualizations of socio-ecological systems 
• Implement select assessments  
• Analyze children’s responses from interviews, drawings and written responses.  
• Collaborate with select elementary teachers and their 3rd-5th grade students, to engage in qualitative data analysis of codesigned work. 

The student will focus on how children’s understandings of socioecological systems are supported by introduced data practices (collecting data, building data visualizations, analyzing patterns together, telling data stories). The student will also have an opportunity to explore topics related to these themes throughout the program. 

Number of Students

1

Prerequisites and Required Skills

Pre-req: Previous coursework in ecology or life sciences. Students should be comfortable working with elementary school students and partners in Richmond. This project would be a good fit for a student with previous coursework in Biology or Ecology, Psychology, Linguistics, Sociology, or Integrative Conservation, but is open to students of all majors.

Travel Required

The student will travel to Richmond throughout the spring and summer to participate in day-long field trips. Over the summer, the student will travel to Richmond several times to meet with partners and to learn about strategies for youth engagement in conservation. Students should be prepared to hike in variable conditions and to engage in field trips in urban areas.

Project ID - Format

25-003-25 - CRP Year