E-Co-Flourishing Nature Walk Study Pilot #3
On Sunday, December 1st 2024, I had the absolute pleasure of taking part for the third time as a co-researcher in the E-Co-Flourishing pilot study walk. The overall aim of the research is to develop programs in green spaces that enhance human well-being while supporting Earth’s ecosystems. In this phase of the pilot study, we co-researchers focused on testing activities that real-life participants would engage in, providing critical feedback to help researchers improve these activities for future participants.
Around noon I arrived at the School of Geography at Oxford, one of the two main sites for the day. It was chilly outside, but I was greeted with a warm welcome indoors which set the tone for an engaging day ahead, as researchers and co-researchers came together to enjoy a diverse array of delicious food, such as scrumptious sandwiches.
Once everyone settled in, my fellow co-researchers and I upon being prompted about the questionnaire we had to fill out before the pilot walk, gave constructive feedback on what could be changed to make the questionnaire more efficient for real participants. I appreciated that each of us had unique insights that I had not considered while working on the questionnaire and I liked how our ideas merged to enhance the questions and survey design.
Afterwards, the researchers committed to explaining the purpose of our presence as co-researchers and the project’s overall aims. They reaffirmed the motivations behind the research and emphasised the importance of our honest constructive criticism and feedback.
One of the activities involved sharing our experiences in nature. I shared a childhood memory of chasing cute rabbits in a park while living in South Africa. Others spoke about their own experiences and listening to everyone’s stories was one of my favourite parts of the day, as I love hearing stories.
It was interesting to see how nature affected us differently. For instance, one co-researcher described walking during autumn, surrounded by leaves with vibrant orange and yellow hues, and how that moment felt idyllic, like an episode from Gilmore Girls while another researcher described a scary encounter with nature.
After our discussions, we downloaded an app called m-Path to complete questionnaires about our current feelings and general attitudes toward nature. We then headed outside with microscopes for a 3-kilometer walk through the woods. Observing our surroundings through the lenses was fascinating as I was amazed by the intricate details, I would not have been able to see with a naked eye, especially the moss-covered tree bark. I discovered an entire ecosystem within an ecosystem as I saw microorganisms interact with each other in the moss, which was quite cool. My fellow co-researchers also made interesting discoveries, including one who found a small spider. Once our observation time was up, we gathered to discuss our thoughts on the activity and completed another questionnaire.
While many of us appreciated the walk, we noted that there was much more to explore at the previous location where the 2nd pilot study was conducted. I was pleased to see how once again the researchers valued our opinions-both positive and negative.
We took part in another activity where we envisioned ourselves as animals. Having been on earlier Eco-Flourishing walks and had encountered sheep, I at once thought of a sheep. This imaginative exercise was quite enlightening as we were able to express our chosen animals’ habits and roles within nature.
Later, we went to the riverbank for an activity that I vividly remember as one of the most awkward yet entertaining experiences I have had in a while. We had to close our eyes and listen to the sound we could hear in nature, then at the researcher’s instructions, we had to mimic the exact sounds we had heard. It turned into quite a cacophony as we all started making different noises at various times. Surprisingly, the shared feeling of awkwardness and embarrassment brought us closer together, creating something we could laugh about and enjoy.
Back at the School of Geography, we ranked the activities we took part in, and it was interesting to see how everyone had different preferences. While discussing our rankings, insightful conversations were sparked as to why we ranked certain activities higher than others. Furthermore, I noticed how once again how seriously the researchers took our feedback throughout this process, and it felt rewarding to see how our input would influence the planning of future walks.
Additionally, I saw that some activities on the ranking sheet did not need to be revisited during the pilot study walk. The researchers had already refined these activities based on our input from past pilot study walks. It was encouraging to see how the research was progressing in real-time!