Att fånga en tanke : en fenomenologisk studie av barns och ungdomars tänkande kring miljö

Sammanfattning: This thesis attempts to clarify the way in which young people think about our envíronment, based on their experiences as the starting point. The aim is to make the thinking of people available and to interpret the meaning of these thoughts, whose content comprises the environment. The theoretical roots of the study are to be found within the phenomenology of the lifeworld. I also use the phenomenological method as a type of analysis method to use as inspiration when analysing the empirical material. The children and young people who are included in the study are between the ages of 7 and 16. The data collection is based on two partial studies. In one partial study, empirical material is analysed consisting of the production of drawings by 105 children and young people with attached oral comments, and in the other partial study interviews which were conducted with 16 children and young people are analysed. These two studies are partially connected and partially dependent on one another. The drawing study is aimed at developing an understanding of the thinking of the children and young people and also forms the basis for the selection of subjects for the interview study. The interview study for its part is aimed at further deepening the understanding of the thinking process and the interviews took place on two occations with each person. In the drawing analysis four themes of thoughts were crystallised which focus on: the good world, the bad world, the dialectics between the good and bad world, and symbols and actions promoting the environment. In the interview analysis eight themes emerged of thoughts which focus on: pragmatic perspectives, emotional perspectives, future and visionary perspectives, philosophical perspectives, aesthetic perspectives and romantic perspectives. It can be stated that the results which emerged in the form of the thinking of the children and young people on the environment reflect their thinking as having many nuances. If these many-faceted thoughts are to be taken seriously it is necessary in the teaching and learning situation to take into account the thinking of young citizens. Teaching and learning situations should therefore create time and room for conversation and thinking. This is to stimulate the growing power which the experiences of young people have, experiences which are in turn requirements for thinking: thinking which is constituted by beeing-in-the-world.