Program on the Environment

Environmental documentaries provide an accessible means of environmental education for adolescents that are experiencing increased screen time and a lack of nature connectedness. The aim of this study was to examine what elements of environmental documentaries boost engagement levels for adolescents.

With the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR), I filmed and edited a series of short environmental documentaries highlighting forest professionals in the Teanaway Community Forest in Eastern Washington. To address my research topic, I screened one of my short documentaries along with another previously made DNR short documentary to four high school classrooms. My video which contained elements such as intimate interview footage and cinematic shots reflected higher engagement levels while the DNR video made prior, shot on an Iphone, had lower engagement levels.

Results indicate that high schoolers show higher engagement levels to environmental documentaries that consist of genuine human connection, visually appealing shots, and higher production value. Across both short environmental documentaries that were screened, high schoolers were most interested in interview footage and cinematic shots. Survey responses also indicated that students were more engaged when the content of the videos aligned with personal goals rather than classroom learning objectives, in turn resulting in more active learning.

This is important as it informs the way environmental documentaries should be designed to boost productivity as a primary source of environmental education. Furthermore, short environmental documentaries benefit learning objectives most when they appeal to student interests and show genuine human connection to nature, which in turn can motivate environmental action.