Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Doctor of Education

Major

Educational Practice

Date of Defense

5-30-2025

Graduate Advisor

Theresa Coble, PhD

Committee

Timothy Makubuya, PhD

Laura Westhoff, PhD

Abstract

The climate crisis threatens our global communities, cultures, and futures. Communication that brings climate change into everyday conversations and galvanizes the public to respond to it collectively is needed. However, political divides in the United States make climate change a contested heritage topic that is challenging to address. The purpose of this applied, basic qualitative research study was to use the Four Truth Framework, developed by the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, to investigate climate change communication at Joshua Tree National Park in California and Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska. Climate change affects national parks more than other environments, accelerating shifts in precipitation and temperature that harm park flora, fauna, and natural systems. Through observations, document and artifact analysis, and semi-structured interviews with 48 participants (16 NPS staff, five stakeholders, nine subject matter experts, and 18 park visitors), a four-person research team investigated how climate change was communicated in each park and how interviewees responded to these communication efforts. The team conducted interviews onsite in July 2023 and online through December 2023 and used reflexive thematic analysis to develop our research findings. Our findings suggest that heritage interpreters can shift the dynamics of climate change communication to cultivate the kind of constructive hope the leads to collective action by sharing stories grounded in place, encouraging critical curiosity, promoting personal experiences, and facilitating crucial conversations across social divides. However, not all heritage interpreters may feel confident incorporating climate change into their programs, even if they have training on how to do so. Therefore, it is important to analyze how we train and support heritage interpreters to communicate climate change and evaluate the impacts of those communications on visitors. Conducting future research in line with this study in more geographic areas, with Indigenous and other knowledge holders, and on other facets of communication could inform more site-specific approaches to interpretive practice as well as professional development.

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