Developing awareness : exploring the use of interiority work to increase propensity for environmental stewardship

Abstract

This thesis explores whether photovoice can create an emergent ground for a shift in worldviews towards a propensity for environmental stewardship. Research was conducted in an impoverished neighborhood in the Dominican Republic where youth answered questions about the environment using photography. With discussion about the photos they took, using a methodology called photovoice, participants explored their views and relationship to the environment and the effects of environmental degradation on themselves and others. Analyses of initial and end of study interviews revealed that these youth became significantly more knowledgeable and aware of the environment and how and why it is degraded in their community; this, in turn, increased desire among these youth to engage in environmental stewardship. This study provided an opportunity to explore a gap in literature in environmental stewardship and interiority work, and raised questions and possibilities for future research.