International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education
Editors: A/Prof John Lidstone, Queensland University of Technology and Prof Joseph P. Stoltman, Western Michigan University
Book Review Editor: Dr Sarah Witham Bednarz, Texas A & M University
Editorial Assistant: Donna Bennett, Australia
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Volume: 16 Number: 4 Page: 339–350
doi:10.2167/irgee221.0
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Research article
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Primal Landscapes: Insights for Education From Empirical Research on Ways of Learning About Environments
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Thomas G. Measham
CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, GPO Box 284, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
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This paper discusses the concept of ‘primal landscapes’ as a way of conceptualising the interactions between children and the environments they grow up in. The paper discusses this concept drawing on empirical research conducted in the field of human geography on how people learn about their environments. The research employed a qualitative inductive methodology and involved interviews with 40 participants across two rural case studies in north Queensland, Australia. Based on these case studies, the paper discusses three main findings for environmental education. First, the paper draws attention to the importance of experiential learning during the ‘concrete operations’ phase of childhood development. Second, the paper emphasises the importance of involving elders and family in environmental education. Third, the paper shows that opportunities for adult place-based environmental education include festivals and reflecting on natural hazards, such as floods and fires.
Keywords: experiential learning, sense of place, festivals, natural hazards
Copyright © 2007 T. G. Measham
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