'My findings show that children engaged in stewardship with joy and a strong sense of agency. Seeing young children choosing to engage in the program and reflect was a fulfilling experience.’ Elena's researchMy PhD research explores how young children experience and make meaning through participation in nature stewardship. Specifically, I worked with children aged four to eight who took part in a stewardship program in Edinburgh, and I was interested in how these experiences shaped their relationships with the greater community of life and promoted their sense of purpose.As part of the research, I designed and implemented environmental stewardship programs in a primary school and an outdoor nursery. Using participatory and child-centered methods, I invited children to share their perspectives through art-based reflection and journaling. This approach allowed me to better understand children’s lived experiences in the program.My findings show that children engaged in stewardship with joy and a strong sense of agency. Through caring for plants, animals and outdoor spaces, they developed meaningful relationships with the more-than-human world and became attuned to nature’s agency. Importantly, stewardship became a purposeful activity for them, a way to feel that their actions mattered and that they were contributing to the well-being of the greater community of life. ‘Seeing young children choosing to engage in the program and reflect was a fulfilling experience’I greatly enjoyed the research process; it was fun and exciting to design and enact the stewardship program, and seeing young children choosing to engage in the program and reflect was a fulfilling experience for me.I also enjoyed the data analysis and writing my dissertation. I am looking forward to continuing to do more research related to children’s contribution and participation in caring for the greater community of life.‘A supportive and intellectually stimulating environment’I was a visiting PhD student from Cornell University, where my principal investigator (advisor) was Dr Marianne Krasny. During my time at Moray House, I had the privilege of being co-supervised by Dr Beth Christie, who was also a member of my PhD committee.Dr Christie created a supportive and intellectually stimulating environment in which I felt very comfortable working. We met weekly or biweekly to discuss my reflections on the fieldwork, and these conversations were instrumental in helping me develop new ideas and deepen my thinking. Her guidance helped me critically reflect on both theory and practice.My time at Moray House and the University of Edinburgh was a very positive experience. I was able to make friends, connect with professors and participate in various academic and social activities.I do wish I had had more time to meet additional faculty, staff and students, and to engage more with different hubs and initiatives. However, because of the nature of my fieldwork, I spent much of my time enacting my research. In general, felt welcomed into the academic community and valued the opportunities the university provided.Words of wisdomTake care of your health holistically, and please do not compromise your sleep.Find significant social connections. This was foundational for me as an international student at Cornell and the University of Edinburgh.Additionally, writing-in periods with other doctoral students were especially helpful for me. They provided accountability and extrinsic motivation that helped me commit to and persevere through the writing process.Further readingDomínguez Contreras, E. (2025). Conceptual Contributions to Early Childhood Environmental Education (Order No. 32284990). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (3291707698). This article was published on 2026-03-05
