Peer-reviewed research2017–2026 update
Environmental Immersion and Mobile Filmmaking for Science Education: a New Zealand Pilot Study
Year 10 students who made climate change films with iPads in Westland National Park showed significantly more positive attitudes to science than a comparison group that stayed in Dunedin.
What's new
Seventeen Year 10 drama students from Queen's High School went to Westland National Park to make climate change videos on iPads. Fourteen students stayed in Dunedin and made similar videos, with equal access to equipment, tutoring, incentives and footage. The immersion group was more likely to finish their videos and produced higher-quality work. The two groups' attitudes to science did not differ beforehand. Afterwards, the immersion group had significantly more positive attitudes to doing science at school and beyond, as well as greater interest in the environment and climate change.
Why it matters in Aotearoa
It suggests that combining time in a New Zealand national park with a creative digital task may lift interest in science and climate change, including among drama students.
Putting it into practice
On a field trip, give students a mobile filmmaking task about an environmental issue they can see on site, such as climate change effects, so that creative work and outdoor immersion are combined.
How strong is the evidence
This is a small comparison-group study with 31 students in total: 17 in the immersion group and 14 in the control group. The results are promising but need replication with larger samples.
What to read
The study design and the results comparing the two groups.