Showing papers on "Environmental education published in 2001"

Sustainable education : re-visioning learning and change

Abstract: Whilst 'environmental education', and more recently 'education for sustainable development' are important trends, they are not sufficient to reorient and transform education as a whole--and This Briefing critiques the prevailing managerial and mechanistic paradigm in education, and argues that an ecological view of educational theory, practice and policy is necessary to assist the sustainability transition The Briefing then shows how 'a systemic change of educational culture towards the realization of human potential and the interdependence of social, economic and ecological wellbeing--can lead to transformative learning

Learners and Learning in Environmental Education: A Critical Review of the Evidence.

Abstract: Recent analyses of the field of environmental education research have highlighted its rapidly expanding size and increasingly diverse nature (e.g. Hart & Nolan, 1999). This article reports on a review of a particular part of this field - namely, recent empirical studies of learners and learning in primary or secondary school environmental education. The review focuses specifically on the nature and quality of the evidence generated by the work in this area. The concern with evidence is motivated by the tendency of previous reviews to focus on methodological trends more than research findings. Claims have also been made that environmental education theory and research have overlooked 'the children who are the subjects of environmental education' (Payne, 1998a, p. 20). This review contends that efforts to address such shortcomings need to be informed by a thorough and grounded understanding of what studies have, and have not, been undertaken on students and learning, and what is known, and not known, from t...

Program Effectiveness in Facilitating Intergenerational Influence in Environmental Education: Lessons From the Field

Abstract: Educators have invested considerable effort in developing environmental education programs that address students' knowledge, attitudes, and action competence regarding environmental issues. The authors explore the effectiveness of such programs in terms of both student learning outcomes and the intergenerational influence that results when students discuss their learning experiences with their parents and other community members. Six environmental education programs involving 284 students in Queensland schools, from Grades 5-12, were investigated. Students and their parents were surveyed and interviewed regarding their perceptions about the program, the program's influence on their environmental learning, and the extent and nature of discussions that the program stimulated between students and their parents. The authors draw conclusions about key features that should be incorporated into environmental education programs to encourage and empower students to bring about environmental change in thei...

Examining student conceptions of the nature of science

Abstract: The purpose of this research was to examine pre-college students' understandings of the nature of science and track those beliefs over the course of an academic year. Students' conceptions of the nature of science were examined using a model of the nature of science developed for use in this study. The model has eight tenets which address both the nature of the scientific enterprise and the nature of scientific knowledge. Findings indicate participants held fully formed conceptions of the nature of science consistent with approximately one-half of the premises set out in the model. Students held more complete understandings of the nature of scientific knowledge than the nature of the scientific enterprise. Their conceptions remained mostly unchanged over the year despite their participation in the project-based, hands-on science course. Implications for teaching the nature of science are discussed.

The new biophilia: An exploration of visions of nature in Western countries

Abstract: Summary Visions of nature are the subject of much philosophical and policy debate. The present paper focuses, however, on the visions of nature held by people not professionally involved in the issue, namely those of the general public. These visions constitute the democratic basis of environmental conservation and the frame for effective two-way communication between professionals and communities on nature protection and management. It appears that the general public in Europe and the USA has developed a strong general ‘biophilia’ (nature-friendliness). One indicator of this is that in quantitative research, 70‐90% of the population recognize the right of nature to exist even if not useful to humans in any way. In qualitative research settings, lay people reveal a remarkable richness and depth of views and experiences of nature. A quantitative survey on images and values of nature, and a qualitative study consisting of in-depth interviews on the relationship between childhood experiences in nature and adult visions of nature were conducted in the Netherlands. A factor analysis revealed a classification of types of nature, which included ‘wild nature’, ‘arcadian nature’, ‘penetrative nature’ and other such images that, with wild nature in the lead, were ascribed a smoothly decreasing degree of naturalness. Asked to rank the values and functions of nature, the top three were formed by the value for human health, the intrinsic value and the value for future generations. In the qualitative interviews, indications were found that more intense childhood experiences with nature could be associated with later ascription of a high degree of naturalness to wild nature, and less intense experiences with later ascription of a high degree of naturalness to arcadian nature. Many significant experiences took place beyond the reach of parental supervision. Findings such as these are of obvious relevance for environmental education and the design of ‘experiential nature’ in and around protected areas. Social science research concerning nature protection is often triggered by frictions between local people and protected area authorities. Such situations tend to be dominated by the airing of grievances, demands for economic compensation and so on, and these then also tend to dominate the research findings. Taking place away from these specific hot spots of conflict, social science research of the types discussed in this paper shows that many nonconflictual lines of communication are open for nature protection agencies.

School Environmental Education Programme Impacts upon Student and Family Learning: A case study analysis

Abstract: This article uses a case study approach to explore the impact of two school environmental education programmes, from the perspective of participating students, their teachers and their parents A total of 152 students (79 from primary schools and 73 from a secondary school), 3 teachers and 62 parents contributed their perceptions regarding the impact of the programmes Each programme is described in detail and students' responses compared across the two programmes and across different class groups participating in each programme It is concluded that both programmes were successful in engaging students in thinking and learning about environmental issues, although some programme features were more likely than others to lead to impacts beyond the bounds of the classroom Recommendations are made regarding those features that need to be included in school environmental education programmes in order to maximise student and family learning outcomes

Dimensions of evidence, the public understanding of science and science education.

Abstract: This paper explores the nature and type of evidence employed by participants in an issue of public concern. By examining documents and interviewing members of the public involved in the debate, the way in which evidence was used in the arguments for and against the issue was determined. Three dimensions of evidence emerged from the data: formal scientific evidence based on the data; informal evidence (e.g. common sense, personal experience) and wider issues which impinge on the evidence (e.g. environmental or legal concerns). In this particular controversy, it was the questioning of the formal evidence by local scientists which became the 'magic bullet' but pertinent questioning by local nonscientists also framed the debate. The authors suggest that school science curricula should include practice in questioning and manipulating different sorts of real data in a variety of ways so that pupils are equipped and empowered to tackle contemporary issues of this kind.

Development of a Metric to Test Group Differences in Ecological Knowledge as One Component of Environmental Literacy

Abstract: Environmental literacy has been defined in numerous ways and attempts have been made to measure how environmentally literate people are. Many attempts to measure literacy have instead measured people's knowledge about pollution and their attitudes toward the environment. According to many environmental education experts, knowledge and attitudes are important components of environmental literacy, especially if the goal of environmental education is to change behavior. However, the experts also indicate that, to change an individual's behavior, knowledge about the environment must be associated with environmental sensitivity, personal beliefs, and decisionmaking and problem-solving skills. The research presented in this article contributes to environmental literacy research by offering a tested, valid survey instrument to measure ecological knowledge—one component of environmental literacy. In this article, we provide an example of how this instrument can be applied by comparing knowledge levels am...

A Survey of Perception, Knowledge, Awareness, and attitude in Regard to Environmental Problems in a Sample of two Different Social Groups in Jakarta, Indonesia

Abstract: A quantitative study was conducted in 1998 to investigate differences in perception, knowledge, awareness, and attitude with regard to environmental problems between educated and community groups and to identify human-dimension factors to improve public perception, knowledge, awareness, and attitude in relation to global environmental conservation concerns in developing countries. Educated and community groups in Jakarta were interviewed, and data obtained from a total of 537 males aged 30-49 years were analyzed. The data were evaluated by the chi-squared test and logistic regression was applied after factor analysis. The results show that: (1) The perception, knowledge, awareness, and attitude of educated subjects in regard to regional and global environmental problems were much better than those of subjects in the community group; (2) The highest 'yes' response in the community group was in regard to perception of AIDS (82.9%). Few subjects in the community group knew the effects and the cause or source of environmental problems, however, they were well informed about AIDS (86.4% for effects and 93.9% for cause or source). The conclusions are: (1) subjects in the educated group had better perception, more detailed knowledge, were more aware, and had better attitudes in regard to regional and global environmental problems than those in the community group; (2) more education is needed to develop environmental actions and ethics in developing countries; (3) non-formal environmental education through popular mass media should be used more widely and frequently, and more detailed information on the environment should be provided to literate people by newspapers and other means.

Weak and Strong Conceptions of Environmental Literacy: Implications for environmental education

Abstract: References to environmental literacy in the environmental education literature tend not to pay specific attention to fundamental debates about literacy, for example concerning the limits of textuality. If it can be argued that we 'read' the environment, then the scope of environmental literacy is even larger than that of environmental education. However, it is hard to justify the relevance of 'literacy' in a narrower sense than this as any more than marginal in environmental education. In this article, we define a weak conception as one which is inconsistent or unclear in these respects in the field of environmental education; a strong conception takes a broad view of literacy and acknowledges its full ramifications with respect to environmental education.

Education and Conservation: Lessons from an Evaluation.

Abstract: This article presents an analysis of the lessons for programme design and management that were distilled from a recent evaluation of the Worldwide Fund for Nature's (WWF) global educational programmes. The aim of the evaluation was to clarify and document the contribution that education is making to the achievement of the conservation goals of the organisation. Aspects of the findings of the evaluation are presented but these are not the focus of the article. Rather, the emphasis is on the generalisations that can be drawn from an analysis of the evaluation process and the lessons to be learnt from the findings. This emphasis affords this article a degree of currency and utility that goes beyond its immediate value to WWF and may provide ideas and, in places, a vocabulary for thinking about planning and evaluating environmental education programmes, especially within conservation groups and resource management agencies.

Education as Sustainability.

Abstract: The relation between education and sustainability cannot be an external, still less an instrumental one. Sustainability means humans, as individuals and societies, consciously trying to go with the grain of nature. Learning to understand the natural world and the human place in it can only be an active process through which our sense of what counts as going with the grain of nature is continuously constituted and recreated. This process cannot have its agenda set to subserve sustainability criteria which it actually makes meaningful. The policy discourse, parameters and indices of operational sustainability are heuristics, and the conditions for deploying them intelligently are at one and the same time the conditions for a genuinely learning and for a deeply sustainable society. This suggests, too, a basis for reclaiming education in general from the instrumentalising approaches that currently beset it.

Challenges for Environmental Education: Issues and Ideas for the 21st Century.

Abstract: As we enter a new century and millennium, environmental educators must come up with new knowledge and techniques that address the demands of a constantly evolving social and technological landscape, while ensuring that environmental education stays relevant to the needs and interests of the community. These challenges to environmental education require that we reexamine the way we do research and train environmental professionals and educators, as well as the way we communicate environmental information to the general public. Great strides have already been made in strengthening environmental education for the general public. This is particularly true in terms of defining environmental education and its objectives (Ruskey and Wilkie 1994). In the past few years, the North American Association for Environmental Educators has spearheaded an effort to develop mechanisms both to strengthen standards for environmental education and to make it possible to achieve them. A solid base for environmental education already exists. In the United States, there are many leaders in the field, and these individuals have had an extraordinary impact on environmental education. There is also a plethora of organizations and material available for all age groups and most learning situations (see the box on p. 287), which can be incorporated in broad-based environmental education efforts to meet diverse needs. As scientists and educators, we have the opportunity and the responsibility to utilize and expand this resource base.

Learners and Learning in EnvironmentalEducation: a critical review of the evidence

Abstract: Recent analyses of the ® eld of environmental education research have highlighted its rapidly expanding size and increasingly diverse nature (e.g. Hart & Nolan, 1999). This article reports on a review of a particular part of this ® eldÐ namely, recent empirical studies of learners and learning in primary or secondary school environmental education. The review focuses speci® cally on the nature and quality of the evidence generated by the work in this area. The concern with evidence is motivated by the tendency of previous reviews to focus on methodological trends more than research ® ndings. Claims have also been made that environmental education theory and research have overlooked `the children who are the subjects of environmental education’ (Payne, 1998a, p. 20). This review contends that efforts to address such shortcomings need to be informed by a thorough and grounded understanding of what studies have, and have not, been undertaken on students and learning, and what is known, and not known, from the evidence that these studies have generated.

High school students' understanding of radiation and the environment: Can museums play a role?

Abstract: In connection with an exhibition on radiation1-related environmental issues at the Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology, teaching units including pre- and post-visit activities were developed for visiting students. The units were centered on “real-life” stories concerning radiation issues that were used by the students as starting points for reflections around these issues. Using the teaching units as an evaluation instrument, students' written responses were analyzed with a dual purpose: 1) to gain insight into the understanding of and attitudes on radiation issues held by students in their final year of compulsory science instruction; and 2) to explore whether the exhibition medium may successfully convey scientific information that students find relevant and helpful in making personal judgments in environmental issues. In the present work, some prominent features of Norwegian 16-year-olds' understanding of radiation issues were identified, and it was noted that these were in many aspects similar to those described for students of other age groups and nationalities. Furthermore, it was found that a visit to the exhibition clearly provided science learning outcome for the majority of the students; however, for students who had strong alternative conceptions about the exhibition's issues, their preconceptions tended to inhibit their correct interpretation of new concepts introduced at the exhibition. We found few examples of students using scientific information from the exhibition in making personal judgments in matters concerning radiation and the environment, and we hypothesize that this may be due to a lack of practice in employing scientific understanding in this way. We believe that the use of museum exhibitions as part of a science education for scientific literacy is worth further exploration and might have increased success if new ways were found of improving the cooperation between museums and schools. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sci Ed85:189–206, 2001.

The Land That Could Be: Environmentalism and Democracy in the Twenty-First Century

Abstract: Review: The Land That Could Be: Environmentalism and Democracy in the Twenty-First Century By William A. Shutkin Reviewed by Pramod K. Nayar University of Hyderabad, India William A. Shutkin. The Land That Could Be: Environmentalism and Democracy in the Twenty-First Century. Cambridge, MA: MIT, 2000. 273 pp. ISBN 0-262-19435-X (hardcover). US$27.95. Acid-free paper. "Smog is democratic," declared Ulrich Beck. Environmental degradation is the most egalitarian of problems. And it is this assumption that informs William Shutkin's The Land That Could Be. Shutkin's work, drawing upon his experience as activist (he is the founder of New Ecology, Inc. of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and co-founder of Alternatives for Community and Environment), envisages a new direction for contemporary environmentalism. Shutkin begins by suggesting that environmentalism thus far has taken two trajectories: the romantic-progressive and the mainstream-professional. The romantic-progressive strain, steeped in nostalgia for a past "golden age," has simply critiqued development without offering viable alternatives. The mainstream-professional was restricted to the educated, affluent classes, and visualized environmentalism strictly in politico-legal terms. In place of these two models Shutkin suggests a civic environmentalism that takes into account racial, cultural, and regional inequalities. Shutkin suggests that a civic environmentalist democracy will be less of a "top-down, professional" (p.19) approach than a local, pluralistic, multicultural one. Shutkin's emphasis is on the role of the local communityincluding residents, businesses, government agencies-in disseminating environmental consciousness and effecting earth-friendly local policy changes. The community, therefore, is the central player here. While Shutkin acknowledges the importance of national policy initiatives like the National Environmental Policy Act and the Clean Air Act (1970), he argues that for environmental justice to become a reality, it will require more than pan-national policies: it requires grassroots understanding and tackling of problems. To this end, Shutkin suggests that the new civic environmentalist model will be participatory and will emphasize community development initiatives where diverse components like the social, economic, political, and environmental mesh together. Using case studies like the Dudley Street Neighbourhood Initiative Realization Plan, the case of Bay Area's "Transit Village," and Colorado's Cattlemen's Land Trust, among others, Shutkin puts forth the case for a localized approach to environmental thinking and activism. "Civic democracy," as Shutkin terms it, is "more than just community participation and conversion; it is rooted in a place, a physical environment conducive to collective action and community building" (p.31). A community feedback system, environmental education about local hazards, alternatives and development, Industrial Ecology (IE) informed by a sense of environmental justice and environmental health is the "real" solution to contemporary environmental problems. …

How Language Limits Our Understanding of Environmental Education

Abstract: The article is used to develop a theory of metaphor that helps explain how, in many instances, environmental education contributes to the double bind of helping to address environmental problems while at the same time reinforcing the use of the language/thought patterns that underlie the digital phase of the Industrial Revolution we are now entering on a global scale. In addition, it is suggested that environmental educators need to help students understand the connections between cultural practices and degraded environments, thus overcoming a widespread tendency to associate the word 'ecology' with natural systems rather than recognizing that the culturally influenced activities of humans are now integral, in largely destructive ways, to the workings of natural systems. The narrow meaning of ecology has led to an ecomanagement approach that has had the effect of limiting the larger public's sense of responsibility to that of recycling. It is further suggested that environmental educators cooperate with t...

Understanding the science of environmental issues : development of a subject knowledge guide for primary teacher education

Abstract: In the light of an increased concern for environmental education (especially in the context of sustainable development) in the UK, this study used questionnaire surveys to explore the understanding of 170 practising primary school teachers, 120 primary trainees and 88 secondary science trainees in four areas: biodiversity, the carbon cycle, ozone and global warming. A methodological innovation in this research was the prior identification of basic scientific explanations of each area for a primary teacher and the use of these as benchmarks for judging understanding. Knowledge of the component parts of these explanations was tested in the questionnaires. Hence the study was able to identify those underpinning science concepts which were well understood, and those which were not so well understood. The frequencies of several misconceptions, uncovered in earlier interviews and also included in the questionnaires, are also reported. It is suggested that both the basic explanations and the difficulties of unde...

Environmental Thought, the Language of Sustainability, and Digital Watches

Abstract: The field of education, and derivatively environmental education, is filled with inherently difficult concepts, yet we have not, I believe, given sufficient attention to understanding these ideas that ground our work For example, the term 'education for sustainability,' has gained rapid acceptance yet little critical attention has been given to the term Before launching into a critique, I do acknowledge the importance of 'sustainability' and the usefulness of this concept in environmental thinking Many ecological processes are not sustained-not kept going continuously Species are going extinct at an alarming rate and whole ecosystems are at risk So, it is important to talk about sustainability However, I argue that this alone is not sufficient In this article I examine limitations associated with the language of sustainability and their implications for environmental thinking Using the idea of digital watches as a metaphor, I explore what sustainability is not Contemporary examples from advertisi

The Attitudinal Influence of Career Orientation in 1st-Year University Students: Environmental Attitudes as a Function of Degree Choice.

Abstract: The authors examined the differences in environmental attitudes and ecological beliefs among 1st-year university students in different disciplines The authors predicted that students studying disciplines traditionally associated with economic rationalism (ie, commerce and business studies) and with social and political conservatism (ie, law) would be less pro-environmental than students in disciplines conventionally considered liberal The findings suggest that, although most university students hold positive attitudes toward the environment, different disciplines attract students of a particular attitudinal orientation

K-12 Education and the Environment: Perspectives, Expectations, and Practice

Abstract: If American schools are to serve the general welfare of a democratic society, they must effectively promote education for responsible citizenship. This article summarizes and evaluates dissimilar perspectives about what this means and how it should be approached in the context of practical approaches to education about or for the environment.

Environmental Concern: a comparative analysis between students in Recreation and Park Management and other departments

Abstract: Dunlap and Van Liere (1978) indicated that a paradigmatic change has evolved in which the general populace has shown a genuine level of concern as they have realized that ecological problems faced by the world today are the results of societal values, attitudes and beliefs. Based on this idea, Dunlap and associates offered the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) scale, which is a general set of beliefs or attitudes towards the environment. To verify this change in thinking, this study employed the NEP scale among a sample of undergraduate students in the United States. The analysis revealed a support and a sympathetic attitude towards the environment, although this support was not overwhelming. Also, students seemed to express the importance towards environmental issues but lacked awareness. Finally, this study showed that Recreation and Park Management students show more favorable attitudes, give more importance to and are more aware of environmental issues than students from Hotel, Restaurant and Institutiona...

Participatory Action Research: A Theoretical and Practical Framework for EE.

Abstract: Four student-led investigations conducted as part of the NSF-funded Explorations from an Aerial Perspective program demonstrate how participatory action research can provide a framework for realizing environmental education goals. Students conducted the investigations–which focused on community land-use issues–in cooperation with teachers, nonformal educators, and community members. On the basis of the results of their research, the students organized activities that engendered positive changes in their local environments.

Content Evaluation of an Environmental Science Field Trip

Abstract: Two important content areas associated with informal environmental science programs are ecology/natural science topics and awareness of environmental problems/issues. This study attempted to evaluate which of these content areas may provide a more optimum learning experience. A quantitative analysis was conducted on two field trips to a science center that represented an ecological oriented program and an environmental issue presentation. Two variables that were chosen as indicators of program success—knowledge retention and attitude change—are outcomes that have been found prevalent in informal, environmental science education. These programs were administered and evaluated during the 1996/1997 school year at the Paul H. Douglas Environmental Science Center at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. The results of this study showed significant gains in science related knowledge following both the ecology and issue oriented treatments. The data indicate that the focus of the program (ecology or issues) did not significantly alter the way students responded to the knowledge section of the evaluation instrument. Results showed little impact on students' affect toward park site or related subject matter following either presentation type. Authors recommend multiple research methods to better evaluate affect changes following an informal environmental science experience.

Identity and Environmental Education

Abstract: In exploring the relevance of 'identity' and its politics to environmental education research, this article describes how issues pertaining to personal identity might be understood, both conceptually and empirically. Second, it emphasizes how the postmodern phenomenon of 'identity-seeking' in a steadfastly consumer culture is relevant to unresolved questions about the critical aspirations of environmental education. It concludes with recommendations for research, curriculum and pedagogical development about how the 'intelligent body' might be utilized in inquiry to clarify the connections of the politics of identity processes and the environmental problematic.

Who Drew the Sky? Conflicting assumptions in environmental education

Abstract: (2001). Who Drew the Sky? Conflicting assumptions in environmental education. Educational Philosophy and Theory: Vol. 33, No. 2, pp. 245-256.

A survey of the environmental education of students in non‐environmental majors at four‐year institutions in the USA

Abstract: Chief academic officers at four‐year institutions in the USA were surveyed electronically to examine the extent to which these institutions provide for the environmental education of students in non‐environmental majors, and to identify various approaches to increasing environmental literacy at the college level. Of the 496 responding institutions (representing a 42.3 percent response rate), 11.6 percent indicated that an “environmental literacy” course was required of all students, and 55.0 percent reported that such a course was available and countable toward the institution’s general education requirements. At least one “environmental” minor (e.g. Environmental Science, Environmental Studies) was offered at 33.7 percent of the institutions; 39 percent reported the existence of an “environmental” academic program that offered a course appropriate for non‐majors. Discusses various approaches to achieving environmental literacy at the college level and statistical differences in survey responses among Carnegie classifications, from Research to Baccalaureate; between public and private institutions; and among geographical regions.

A National Assessment of GIS in American High Schools

Abstract: (2001). A National Assessment of GIS in American High Schools. International Research in Geographical and Environmental Education: Vol. 10, No. 1, pp. 72-84.