How does learning about the future of the ocean impact children's emotional wellbeing? Insights from ocean literacy educators in Aotearoa New Zealand
Loading...
Date
2023-09-04
Open Access Location
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Ecological Society
Rights
(c) 2023 The Author/s
CC BY 4.0
CC BY 4.0
Abstract
1. Four decades of research on the health effects of ‘connection to nature’ identifiesmany wellbeing advantages for young people. Yet this literature has developedlargely without reference to biophysical evidence about mass biodiversity loss,the degradation of marine environments and climate change.
2. As these interlocking planetary crises progress, children will be more likely to witnessthe marine environments they learn about degrade or disappear as they grow up.
3. Improving ocean literacy is important to protect marine environments into thefuture. However little is known about how learning about ocean degradation af-fects young people's emotional wellbeing.
4. We undertook qualitative research to investigate how ocean literacy educators inAotearoa New Zealand view the content they deliver in relation to the emotionalwellbeing of young people.
5. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 key informants from non-government organisations (NGOs), Ministry of Education funded programmes,university-community partnerships, youth-led initiatives and local and nationalmuseums and aquariums. Transcripts were analysed using the six steps of Braunand Clarke's (2022) reflexive thematic analysis.
6. Ocean literacy education was described as positively affecting young people'semotional wellbeing through interactive experiences in coastal environments.These provided opportunities for experiencing wonder, curiosity and a sharedsense of connection and belonging.
7. Educators reported witnessing distress and overwhelm in young people whensome information was delivered. This resulted in educators ‘not focusing on thenegative’ and moving straight to solutions young people could take part in.
8. Our findings provide opportunities for re-imagining ocean literacy education asa space for promoting mental wellbeing, especially when young people have theopportunity to be part of collective experiences that promote joy and wonder.
9. Intergenerational solutions where young people can be supported to take actionwith adults who work in solidarity with them are also recommended.
10. Further research into how educators can be resourced to acknowledge and fa-cilitate support around young people's negative emotional responses (such asgrief, overwhelm and anxiety) is required.
Description
Keywords
child, climate change, environmental education, marine, mental health, ocean, youth
Citation
Murray L, Breheny M, Cumming R, Erueti B, Mooney M, Nash KL, Severinsen C, Shanly J. (2023). How does learning about the future of the ocean impact children's emotional wellbeing? Insights from ocean literacy educators in Aotearoa New Zealand. People and Nature. 5. 5. (pp. 1622-1635).