Page 20 The Earth Scientist

© 2019 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Abstract 

A priority for climate change educators is to present evidence-based information while 

promoting students’ positive engagement. A crucial avenue towards achieving these goals 

is to combine classroom activities with opportunities for students’ active engagement with 

sustainable solutions through individual and collaborative action projects. The present 

article describes Science, Camera, Action! (SCA), a fifteen-week after-school program carried 

out with fourth- to seventh-graders. SCA’s Science component used interactive activities 

to demonstrate the interrelationships between Earth’s changing climate, ecosystems, and 

sustainable actions within communities. Photovoice, SCA’s Camera component, involved 

the use of digital photography to explore youths’ climate change perspectives and to identify opportunities for their active engagement. Finally, SCA’s Action component aimed to 

cultivate youth potential as agents of change in their families and communities through 

the development and implementation of youth-led action projects. Action projects 

included local policy advocacy, a tree-planting campaign, a photo gallery opening, development of a website, and the establishment of a Boys and Girls Club community garden. 

Following the program, participants demonstrated increased climate change knowledge, 

improved pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors, and an enhanced sense of agency to 

positively impact the environment. They also gained a deeper appreciation for science (e.g., 

in school, careers, and society) and reported increased interest, confidence, and performance in school science.

Introduction 

In the U.S., there is widespread public support for educating young people about climate change. A 

recent nationally representative study found that a large majority (78%) of U.S. adults believe that 

the causes, consequences, and potential solutions to global warming should be taught to children 

in schools (Leiserowitz, Maibach, Roser-Renouf, Rosenthal, & Cutler, 2017). So far, eighteen states—

representing more than 35% of U.S. students—require climate change to be taught in the classroom 

through adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards for K-12 STEM (science, technology, 

engineering, and mathematics) education (National Science Teachers Association, 2017). Moreover, 

nearly 75% of public school science teachers report devoting classroom time to climate change, 

Photovoice for Children’s 

Climate Change Engagement: 

Using Digital Photography to 

Bridge Knowledge and Action 

Carlie D. Trott, Assistant Professor, 

Social and Community Psychology, 

University of Cincinnati
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© 2019 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

indicating that most students are likely to encounter climate change at some point in their education (Plutzer et al., 2016).

A concern among teachers is the “doom and gloom” nature of the problem, and the need for activities that inspire and empower students (Plutzer et al., 2016). An important avenue for cultivating 

students’ sense of agency is to offer opportunities for their active engagement. Social science 

research has consistently found that knowledge alone does not motivate action (Chawla, 2009), but 

that action is indeed a powerful antidote to negative emotions (Spence & Pidgeon, 2009). In the 

context of climate change, strengthening students’ action competence involves presenting sustainable solutions at both personal and societal levels (Jensen & Schnack, 2006), and ideally, offering 

opportunities for individual and collaborative action. This article describes a novel after-school 

program, conducted as part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) 

Climate Stewards Education Project, that used digital photography to bridge children’s climate 

change knowledge with youth-led action projects for environmental sustainability.

Science, Camera, Action!: Program Components and 

Implementation 

Science, Camera, Action! (SCA) was a fifteen-week after-school program that combined interactive climate change education with digital photography to empower youth to act as agents of 

sustainable change within their families and communities. SCA was carried out with 55 fourth- to 

seventh-graders across three Boys and Girls Clubs in Northern Colorado. Program content was 

framed by the ‘Head, Hands, and Heart’ model for sustainability education (Sipos, Battisti, & 

Grimm, 2008), and its process was guided by photovoice methodology for purposes of science 

learning, placed-based inquiry and connection, and youth-led participatory action (Cook, 2015). 

Science: Making the Invisible Visible through Hands-on Activities 

SCA’s Science component consisted of six, hour-long, hands-on activities to demonstrate the 

interrelationships between Earth’s changing climate, ecosystems, and sustainable actions within 

communities (see Table 1). Educational program content explored the scientific and social dimensions of climate change under the theme “Making the Invisible Visible,” while providing a platform 

In late 2017 the NOAA 

Climate Stewards Education 

Project changed its title to 

the NOAA Planet Stewards 

Education Project

Table 1. Science, Camera, Action! (SCA) Program Overview

Week Component Topic Activity

1 N/A Introduction Gallery Walk

2 S Ecosystems Weaving the Web 

3 S Climate vs. Weather Climate and Weather with Skittle

4 C Photovoice #1 Photo-printing and Discussion - Topics 1-2

5 S The Greenhouse Effect Greenhouse Gas Tag

6 S Climate Change & Ecosystems Oh Deer! & Glaciers: Then & Now

7 C Photovoice #2 Photo-printing and Discussion - Topics 3-4

8 S Sustainable Solutions #1: Energy & Waste Energy Bingo & Carbon Footprint Contest

9 S Sustainable Solutions #2: Teamwork & Leadership Young Voices for the Planet Videos

10 C Photovoice #3 Photo-printing and Discussion - Topics 5-6

11-15 A Action Projects Various

Note. S = Science: Educational activity; C = Camera: Photovoice process; A = Action: Collaborative action project. Each science activity was paired with a 

photovoice prompt. For example, following “Weaving the Web,” participants were asked to find evidence of ecosystems in their own lives; “This week, we 

thought about how people, plants, and animals depend on one another for survival. In your own life, what examples of this can you find? What does this 

make you think about? How does it make you feel? Take a few photos of these ideas.” Photovoice sessions followed each pair of SCA activities. 
Page 22 The Earth Scientist

© 2019 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Figure 1. Students’ brainstorm their ideas about climate change using 

the Gallery Walk method

for youth to take informed action on learned concepts (see 

Figure 1). Descriptions of each activity are available online (Trott, 

2017).1 In the framework of ‘Head, Hands, and Heart,’ the science 

component of SCA emphasized critical and systems thinking 

(“Head”) through interactive activities to enhance climate change 

knowledge. SCA’s Science component also introduced participants to various STEM disciplines (e.g., ecology, climatology), with 

particular emphasis on how STEM careers can make a difference in 

people’s lives. 

Camera: Bringing it Down to Earth through 

Photovoice Process 

Following each science activity, participants used digital cameras 

in a process called “photovoice” (Hergenrather, Rhodes, Cowan, 

Bardhoshi, & Pula, 2009). Specifically, participants were asked to 

photograph images conveying their thoughts and feelings about 

program topics (see Figure 2). Subsequently, participants engaged in group 

discussions about the content and meaning of their photographs. During each 

of three photovoice sessions, participants were encouraged to narrate their 

photos and reflect on what they learned, while also making connections between 

their own and others’ photographs and experiences. The final step in photovoice 

involved identifying common themes discussed during photovoice sessions and 

translating themes into action plans (Trott, 2017).

The main goals of photovoice methodology are to enable participants to record 

and reflect community strengths and concerns, to promote critical and reflexive 

group dialogue on important issues using photographs, and to promote social 

change (Wang et al., 2004). Although photovoice has traditionally been used 

as a participatory action research method, it has also been developed as a pedagogical technique, connecting students to science and empowering them to 

make improvements to the environmental conditions of their communities 

(e.g., Schell, Ferguson, Hamoline, Shea, & Thomas-Maclean, 2009). According to 

Cook and Quigley (2013):

Applied as a pedagogical tool in science education, photovoice puts cameras 

into the hands of students in order to document and address scientific issues 

from their position and point-of-view. This technique offers students new 

and reflective ways to perceive their own world and the science around them, 

as well as the potential to generate change in their own community. (p. 340)

In the framework of ‘Head, Hands, and Heart,’ the photovoice method encouraged participants to 

experience connection (“Heart”) to their surroundings through greater awareness of the interconnectedness of the natural world. Moreover, photovoice was intended to facilitate youths’ ability 

to make connections between their own lives and SCA’s science content, simultaneously making 

abstract science concepts more concrete as well as personally relevant. 

1 Additional information about program content is available online at sciencecameraaction.com. For additional materials or questions 

about implementation, please contact the author directly.

Figure 2. Participants’ take photographs to connect 

climate change topics to real-world experiences
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© 2019 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Action: Putting Ideas into Motion through Individual and Collaborative 

Action Projects 

In the final phase of SCA, participants contributed to sustainable change in their families and 

communities by: (1) Developing family action plans to promote engagement in small-scale, everyday 

sustainable solutions, and (2) Designing and carrying out a larger collaborative action project

(Trott, 2019). In the latter, youth were supported in realizing their visions for a community-focused 

sustainability initiative. Both action projects were aimed to advance youth potential as agents of 

change. In the framework of ‘Head, Hands, and Heart,’ they each promoted youths’ active 

engagement (“Hands”) with learned concepts through everyday practices and innovative projects. 

Family Action Plans. Halfway through the program, participants estimated their carbon footprints 

by filling out a 20-item survey (Trott, 2017; 2019). Items focused on youths’ environmentallysignificant behaviors and were summed into a total number of pounds of carbon dioxide 

emissions per year associated with their daily routines. Carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO2e) 

“scores” were then handed back, providing participants with individual-level recommendations 

for lowering their carbon footprint. Participants then developed and 

implemented family action plans to reduce their 

environmental impact. In the process, they were 

encouraged to take on a leadership role within 

their families, sharing knowledge and promoting 

sustainable actions in the areas of household 

energy use and waste. 

Collaborative Action Projects. In the final five weeks 

of SCA, participants translated their knowledge 

into collaborative action projects. After reflecting 

on themes derived from all photovoice sessions, 

participants engaged in a brainstorming and 

consensus process to formulate plans that were 

specific to their shared interests and goals (see 

Figure 3). The process of 

deciding on youth-led projects 

was open-ended, but bounded 

in terms of focus (i.e., climate 

change), time (i.e., five weeks), 

and funds (i.e., $500 or less). 

Action projects included 

local policy advocacy (i.e., a 

City Council presentation), 

a tree-planting campaign 

(see Figure 4), a “photovoice” 

gallery opening and program 

website to generate community 

interest and engagement with 

climate change solutions, and a 

community garden to provide 

local food to the Boys and Girls 

Club community (see Figure 5).

Figure 5. After clearing an overgrown lot on the property of their Boys 

and Girls Club, these participants planted more than one hundred fruit 

and vegetable plants and formed a “Garden Club” for summertime 

garden maintenance

Figure 4. Following their speech to City 

Council emphasizing the importance 

of local leadership to address climate 

change, these participants were granted 

permission to plant trees in public parks

Figure 3. Participants’ reflect on digital photography to generate plans for action
Page 24 The Earth Scientist

© 2019 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

Summary of 

Program Impacts 

The SCA program was evaluated using a mix 

of pre-post survey and post-program focus 

group methods. Selected program impacts 

are presented below. 

Climate Change Knowledge, Attitudes, and 

Behavior. Following the program, participants demonstrated increased knowledge of 

the scientific and social dimensions of the 

causes and consequences of climate change, 

as well as its solutions through human 

action. They also felt more informed on the 

issue, estimating their own knowledge to be 

greater following the program (see Figure 

6). Participants left the program with an 

increased sense of respect for nature, an 

enhanced sense of environmental responsibility, and a greater sense of urgency towards 

the need for climate change action. Finally, 

participants reported increased engagement 

in personal pro-environmental behaviors.

Sense of Agency. As participants reflected 

on the impact of SCA during focus groups, 

it was clear that the program strengthened 

their self-confidence in their abilities. Many 

left the program feeling informed, capable, 

and inspired to continue making a difference for the environment. Participants 

commonly described undergoing a perspective-shift that allowed them to view themselves, and young people in general, as 

competent and effective change agents in their families and communities. 

Science Engagement. Through SCA, participants gained a deeper appreciation for science (e.g., in school, careers, and society) and 

reported increased interest, participation, confidence, and performance in school science. Although most participants were already 

performing well in science class, many reported improved class grades (see Figure 7), Several participants said that learning about 

climate change made science more interesting. As one eleven-year-old described, “I didn’t really like [science] before, and I wasn’t 

interested in it. But now I know that you really need to know about it and you can’t just ignore the changes happening in 

the world.”

Figure 6. Pre-post program differences in self-estimated climate change knowledge

Figure 7. Pre-post program differences in self-reported science grades

Conclusion 

The immensity of the challenges to social systems and lifestyles that climate change presents is palpable in urgent calls for global 

transformation towards sustainability. Climate change educa-tion in both formal and informal contexts is a promising avenue 

for strengthening children’s role as knowledge-bearers and change agents for a sustainable future. Through SCA, youth 

participants role in the sustainable transformation of their families and communities.
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© 2019 National Earth Science Teachers Association. All Rights Reserved.

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About the Author

Dr. Carlie Trott is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of 

Cincinnati. Her research focuses on university-community partnerships for collaborative research and

action to advance social justice and environmental sustainability. She received her M.S. and Ph.D

Applied Social Psychology from Colorado State University (CSU). Previously, Carlie held a postdoctoral

research fellowship with CSU’s STEM Center. Carlie can be reached at carlie.trott@uc.ed

Trott, C. D. (2019). Reshaping our world: Collaboarting with children for community-based climate change 

action. Action Research 17(1), 42-62. doi:10.1177/1476750319829209