Description:
Documenting non-human voices in research: A discussion of research methods for multispecies studies with young children in outdoor contexts
Presenter: Dr. Elizabeth Boileau, from University of Minnesota Duluth
In recent years, many researchers have turned to scholarship in posthumanism, ecofeminism, multispecies relations, new materialism, and Indigenous perspectives to examine the intersections between children, sustainability, and education. Yet, research methods that describe how researchers can include the voices and perspectives of non-human forces, beings, and materials are not thoroughly described in the literature. In this presentation, Dr. Boileau describes the documentation process she applied in a multispecies ethnographic study that aimed to capture and represent not only the experiences of the young children participants in a forest school program in Alberta, Canada, but also the dogs, weather, educators, snow, sticks, trees, and park animals that were also part of the experience. A variety of research methods will be presented and offered as discussion topics in this presentation: non-participant observation as a way of decentering the children from the study, sit spots to hone in on experiences of wild animals and other non-human beings, and the use of wearable cameras (increasingly popular in outdoor research with children). This presentation may be useful for students and researchers interested in methodological innovation that disrupts an anthropocentric and dominant science perspective in outdoor/environmental research.
Bio:
Dr. Elizabeth Boileau is an Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota Duluth, in the Center for Environmental Education. Elizabeth teaches courses in Childhood Nature Studies and Environmental Outdoor Education undergraduate programs, as well as a Masters of Environmental Education. Her research is guided by an educational background both in early childhood education and in environmental education and work experience across Canada in a multitude of settings. Elizabeth's current research interests include social justice, sustainability, Indigenous knowledges, nature-based early learning, and community-engaged learning. She grew up in Gatineau, Quebec, and earned her PhD in Educational Studies at Lakehead University.