Families, community and cultural values shape and influence the way that children develop their environmental identity with the natural world. This study aims to understand these influences, particularly how such influences may vary from family to family and in non-rural and rural Alaskan settings.
Additionally, the type of environment, or geographical setting, in which children are exposed informs their emotional and behavioral responses to natural stimuli. Exposure to new environments will provoke an initial response that may not be present after further exposure and learned skills. This longitudinal project will examine how children’s emotional responses to certain settings evolve over time, and how education can be used to strengthen children's empathetic care for the more-than-human world.
Click on the links below to explore sociocultural and geographical information about the two cohorts of children.
Cohort 1: Non-Rural Alaska
Study Site
The regional population of the Non-rural (urban) Alaska site is approximately 100,605 (U.S. Census, 2015). The region is hub to the subarctic northern interior of Alaska; it is located on the road system and has a vast array of consumer shopping conveniences. It sits on the confluence of two major rivers, surrounded by varied marshland and boreal forest. The region draws much of its population from U.S. military installations and the local University.
Participants
Twenty preschool children (ages 4-5), 12 males and eight females, participated in year one of the project. Children represented varied ethnic and cultural backgrounds.
Cohort 2: Rural Alaska
Study Site
The remote Northwestern Alaska village has a population of 710 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2015). The village is “off the road system” and only accessible by dog sled, boat, or plane. The village rests on the Norton Sound of the Bering Sea at the mouth of several fresh water rivers. It has one small village store, carrying a limited supply of consumer goods. Thus, many residents engage in subsistence (berry picking, moose hunting, salmon fishing).
Participants
Fifteen preschool children (ages 4-5) participated in year two of the project.
Ethnicity
According to the survey 40% of children in cohort 1 are White/Caucasian while 15% are reported as Hispanic/Latino. 10% of children are White/Caucasian and Alaska Native, 5% are Hispanic/Latino and Asian, 5% are White/Caucasian and Black/African American, 5% are White/Caucasian, Hispanic/Latino and Alaska Native and 5% are White/Caucasian, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and Native American. The final 15% of data was reported as not available.
Of the children in cohort 1, 82% were reported to be Non-native Alaskan. 6% of the class are Iñupiaq, 6% are Tlingit-Haida, Unangan (Aleut) and 6% are Athabascan.
47% of children who took the survey in cohort 2 are Alaska Native. 13% of children are White/Caucasian and the remaining 40% of data was reported as not available.
13% of children in cohort 2 are Non-Alaska Native, according to a survey. 27% are Inupiat, 7% are Inupiat/White, 7% are Athabascan/Inupiat/Yup’ik/White and 6% are Alaska Native (General). The final 40% of the data was reported as not available
Years lived in Alaska, Children's Place of Birth
Five of the families indicated that they were from Alaska or have lived there for 30+ years. Eight families have lived in Alaska for 5-30 years and four families have lived in Alaska for less than five years. Of the families that have lived in Alaska for less than five years, most are military and stationed in Alaska for a three-year term.
Seventy percent of the children in cohort 1 were born in Alaska; most were born in the city where they currently live but two were born in another Alaskan location. Fifteen percent of the families who participated in the survey were born somewhere in the lower 48.
Four of the families in cohort 2 said that they have lived in Alaska for 30+ years. Three families indicated that they have lived in Alaska for 21-30 years while two families have lived in Alaska for 10 years or less.
Sixty percent of the children were born in Alaska and zero percent in the lower 48 states of the United States, which are all states excluding Hawaii and Alaska. However, forty percent of the population did not have the place of birth information available
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Parent Feelings about Place
An interesting quality about living in Alaska is that one either loves it or hates it! The extreme weather conditions and isolation from the lower 48 make it difficult for many families to adjust. Findings from the family survey, however, show that parents generally felt happy about their place. On a scale from 1-10, with ten being extremely happy, six rated their feeling as an 8, two as a 9, and seven as a 10. Only one parent rated their feeling as slightly unhappy (4).
Findings from the survey of families in cohort 2 show that parents generally all felt happy about living in Alaska. On a scale from 1-10, with ten representing extremely happy, one rated the feelings as a 7, two as an 8, two as a 9, two as a 10 and even 1 as an 11. Only one parent gave a rating of 5 for their feeling.
Family Nature Tours
Family's self-selected Nature Tours which occurred in a variety of locations and included a number of different activities. The chart below reveals the participants and settings of the Family Nature Tours that occurred in Fall 2018. Cohort 1
