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“Making Sense of Nature”
A Creative Exploration of Young People’s Relationship with the Natural Environment
Tracy Ann Hayes
Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy
University of Cumbria Graduate School, Lancaster University.
January 2017
Abstract
Can you imagine a world where no-one goes outside? Our world is under threat from human
activities, from what we do, and the way we do it. This will have a huge impact on our future
lives, and we need to think about how we protect places and the people, animals and plants
found there. Whilst, there is a widely-recognised need to address this threat, there is a specific
focus on how we can involve young people in this process. Within this, there is additional concern
about how little time children and young people spend outside. My research responds to these
concerns by exploring young people’s relationship with nature, and how this may be developed
through the projects we offer them. The participating projects have been spread across England,
from south-east to north-west, including rural, coastal and urban environments. The young
people, aged between 11 and 25, were from diverse backgrounds, with a wide range of individual
needs. This qualitative study has used an innovative blended methodology, combining
hermeneutics, ethnography and action research (HEAR) to explore the topic. I have been creative
in my approach, preferring everyday language and making use of stories. I have listened to and
observed people’s stories, and created new stories based on these experiences. My work
emphasises the importance of communication, how we talk to and with people, and how we talk
about the natural environment. Contributions to practice include the development of a new
toolkit providing guidance for practitioners on how to work effectively outdoors, with young
people identified as having special educational needs and/or disabilities. Contributions to
knowledge include a new conceptualisation of the different forms of story, and a new
methodological approach (HEAR) to explore outdoor learning experiences. These outcomes are
founded in young peoples’ perspectives.
