Conducting research over the internet: an interactive, image-based instrument for investigations in environmental education

Abstract

Image-based instruments for investigating student teachers' perceptions of environmental issues have been developed at the University of Reading, United Kingdom. As an extension of this research, a collaborative project has been undertaken with the University of Exeter as part of its Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) New Technologies Initiative. An interactive, image-based instrument has been developed for investigating environmental preferences and understanding of, reactions to and beliefs about environmental issues, particularly among student teachers. The instrument is available, with supporting papers, on the World Wide Web. The development of the instrument is described in the context of a theoretical framework based on personal construct theory. Some technical considerations in developing the Web Site are outlined and the potential of collecting research data from image-based instruments through the Web is considered.