Children's Drawings About the Environment

Drawings by English and Mexican school children (7 to 9 years old – year three of primary education) were analysed to evaluate their environmental perceptions, and their major expectations and concerns for the future. The analyses considered whether culture and the school ethos with regard to the environment have an effect on the formation of environmental perceptions in young children. A total of 741 drawings were collected from eight schools: three in England and five in Mexico. Results show that children manifest a deep environmental concern in their pictures (37% depicted environmental problems). Children were pessimistic about the future; 54% thought the world will be in worse shape in 50 years time. Mexican children gave significantly greater importance to drawing rural places. Overall, however, children from these two countries, with significant structural and cultural differences, manifested more similarities in their drawings than differences. There was no strong evidence to suggest that children from schools with environmental policies developed a higher concern for environmental issues. Children's drawings are useful tools in providing valuable information for the assessment of children's environmental perceptions.