Child-to-Parent Transfer of Environmental Ideology in Costa Rican Families: An Ethnographic Case Study

In this study, the authors examined the transfer of environmental information and ideologies from Costa Rican children to their parents. Ethnographic data were collected in two school districts in Costa Rica's Central Valley through (1) interviews with teachers, sixth grade children, and parents; (2) a field pretest-post-test of parents for specific environmental knowledge, which their children were taught in school; and (3) participant observation of families, schools, and communities. The data revealed that although environmental information may be transferred in some families and conditions, this transfer is generally rare and situation-specific, and environmental educators should not assume that adults are routinely reached by information presented to children. The authors recommend that more emphasis be placed on nonformal environmental education programs that target adults. They also suggest ways to increase the likelihood that adults are exposed to environmental information presented to children.