Using art to assess environmental education outcomes

Authors

Ami G. Flowers, University of GeorgiaFollow
John P. Carroll, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Gary T. Green, University of GeorgiaFollow
Lincoln R. Larson, Clemson UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2014

Citation

Flowers, A., G. Green, and J.P. Carroll. 2014. Using art to assess environmental education outcomes. Environmental Education Research. 21: 846-864.

Comments

RS-2925

Abstract

Construction of developmentally appropriate tools for assessing the environmental attitudes and awareness of young learners has proven to be challenging. Art-based assessments that encourage creativity and accommodate different modes of expression may be a particularly useful complement to conventional tools (e.g. surveys), but their efficacy and feasibility across diverse contexts has not been adequately explored. To examine the potential utility of integrating art into evaluations of environmental education outcomes, we adapted an existing drawing prompt and corresponding grading rubric to assess the environmental attitudes and awareness of children (ages 6–12) at summer camps in Athens, GA, USA (n = 285). We then compared children’s drawings with scores on a more typical survey instrument that measured similar outcomes, the Children Environmental Perception’s Scale. Results showed that a drawing prompt was a practical and unique learner-centered tool for measuring distinct components of environmental attitudes and awareness. Findings also revealed different response patterns across the two instruments, highlighting the value of using multiple approaches (e.g. art-based and survey-based) to assess cognitive and affective aspects of children’s environmental orientations.