A Methodology for the Study of Children\u27s Environmental Knowledge in Other Cultures

Abstract

This paper presents a methodology which I used to study the content and acquisition of children\u27s environmental knowledge as central to the social reproduction of a rural agricultural economy in the Sudan. My approach was forged drawing on methods of geography, linguistics and anthropology to provide information on (1) how children learn to interact productively with their environment, (2) the nature of their interactions and (3) their knowledge of environmental processes and resources. In this paper I will describe first the methodology adopted including participant observation, ethnosemantic interviews, child-led walks, environmental modeling and geo-dramas . I will then discuss its use amongst Sudanese children with reference to general questions raised by studies of environmental cognition in other cultures