과학 기술 발달이 가져다 준 문명의 편리함과 환경파괴의 양면성은 과학 만능주의적 사고에서 벗어나 인간의 환경에 대한 전체론적(Holism) 사고와 행동을 필요로 하였다. 따라서 환경에 대한 전체론적 인식의 실천을 위해 책임 있는 환경행동(Responsible Environmental Behavior : REB)1)을 하는 시민을 양성하기 위한 교육적 실천이 나타났다. 황폐해진 감수성을 미술을 통해 함양시키고자 하는 환경미술교육(Environmental Art Education)은 이러한 교육적 접근의 일환이라고 할 수 있다.
Current Environmental Art Education has been focused on art forms using eco-friendly materials and enhancing Environmental Sensitivity (ES) such as 'Aesthetic Sensitivity', while failing to focus on the rest of ES such as 'Artificial Environment', 'Activities in Natural Environment', and 'Environmental Destruction'. This study explored the meaning and effectiveness of Place-Based Art Education (P-BAE) as a means of developing diverse ES, which correlates and predicts Responsible Environmental Behavior (REB). The research created three P-BAE programs and applied them to 27 5th grade students during anrt week period (2 hours per week) to enhance ES regarding the 'Artificial Environment', 'Activities in Natural Environment', and 'Environmental Destruction'. The Place-Based Art Class used local places, sending a message of diverse social meaning in the learners' lives. The results of this research, which were analyzed from the data collected from students' metaphorical artwork, writing, interviews, and ES survey statements, are as follows: First, ES forms individually. Second, Sense of Place (SoP) among students has increased. SoP is anremotional attachment to certain places and lead to anrincrease in attachment to the whole environment. Third, the students’ ES has improved. Fourth, the possibilities of students' REB have improved. However, fewer improvements were made in ES regarding the 'Artificial Environment', 'Activities in Natural Environment', and 'Environmental Destruction'. These were not the focus of this class, which was to show the intimate relationship between the intention of forming P-BAE and the formation of the learners' ES. This research, which focused mainly on reducing the limitations of aesthetic skills by using local place and metaphoric artwork, concluded that Place-Based Art Class has a positive effect on the interaction between SoP and the improvement of ES and leads to REB among students.