Experience drawn upon by students in post-compulsory education as they explore environmental subject matter through photography

The purpose of this thesis is to consider if and how students in post-compulsory education draw upon their compulsory science education in a particular context whilst thinking about human interactions with their environments. This has been conducted through a case study investigating experiences drawn upon by students as they explore environmental subject matter with potential links to sustainable development and content addressed in National Curriculum science. Data for the case study were collected during and after a practical task in which students aged 16-18 years explored an environmental theme through photography. The photography project presented a practical context in which individuals might potentially draw upon any number of experiences in relation to subjects explored. Qualitative analysis of four individual case studies forms the basis of findings and discussion that detail how these students acted in this particular situation. The outcomes of the study will add to the literature examining the student experience of environmental education where there is an emphasis on compulsory science education. The case study design used a 6-week practical AS level photography coursework assignment as an informal context in which students could explore an environmental theme relating to human interactions with their environments. Data were collected through weekly records of teacherstudent classroom discussion and students’ photography work journals. Students were interviewed on completion of the project via a semi-structured, audio-taped interview. Categories of experiences were drawn from four individual case studies to form individual findings and identify pattern and variation across the sample. Two main observations emerge from the results which indicate opportunities for further research: Firstly, the way students chose to interpret the photography brief either presented, or limited, opportunities to have drawn upon science in this context. This action has been characterised as interpretation and opportunity. Secondly, students have drawn upon experiences from NC science that relate mainly to biology and the study of life processes and living things. As such, they do not appear to recognise the relevance of physics and chemistry to supporting environmental awareness and understanding. Therefore, I propose further research to investigate the linkages that occur between: (i) biology, physics and chemistry; and (ii) scientific and non-scientific content as students explore complex environmental issues. This might perhaps go some way towards facilitating transferrable knowledge and skills to enable interdisciplinary understanding in science that will support environmental literacy.