Showing papers on "Environmental education published in 2016"
TL;DR: Wang et al. as mentioned in this paper focused on the state of water conservation behavior and water education in China to assess how education, particularly the 9-year compulsory education program, affects water-conservation behavior.
Abstract: Water conservation is critical under the current state of climate change and population growth; however, water-conservation programs and research in China have generally focused on technological rather than behavioral innovations. This paper focuses on the state of water-conservation behavior and water education in China to assess how education, particularly the 9-year compulsory education program, affects water-conservation behavior. A survey (237 participants) was conducted in Guangzhou, the third largest city in China, to determine the attitudes of citizens towards conserving water. Overall, the following observations were made: (1) although 95 % of the participants were aware of water conservation, only 42 % recognized that it is urgently needed; (2) water-conservation actions lag behind water-conservation awareness, and only 19 % of the participants were willing to perform more than five actions, including daily water reuse and conservation, whereas 48 % of the participants performed less than two actions; (3) additional education will result in improved water-conservation behavior; (4) more than half of the participants who had graduated from primary and secondary schools showed poor water-conservation behavior; and (5) water-conservation education in the 9-year compulsory education program was extremely rare (representing 0.2–1.4 % of the curriculum) and only included in four compulsory courses. From these observations, it was concluded that water education seriously lags behind the economic development of Guangzhou. Water and environmental education should be emphasized in the 9-year compulsory education curriculum because this program has a relatively large number of students in China.
283 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigate the effect of education for sustainable development (ESD) as an explicit guiding approach in teaching in Swedish schools and find that it has a positive effect on the performance of teachers.
Abstract: During the past decade, numerous schools in Sweden have implemented education for sustainable development (ESD) as an explicit guiding approach in teaching. In this paper, we investigate the effect ...
148 citations
TL;DR: It is found that participation in rigorous citizen science was associated with significant increases in participant knowledge and skills; a greater connection to place and, secondarily, to community; and an increasing awareness of the relative impact of anthropogenic activities on local ecosystems specifically through increasing scientific understanding of the ecosystem and factors affecting it.
Abstract: Environmental education strategies have customarily placed substantial focus on enhancing ecological knowledge and literacy with the hope that, upon discovering relevant facts and concepts, participants will be better equipped to process and dissect environmental issues and, therefore, make more informed decisions. The assumption is that informed citizens will become active citizens--enthusiastically lobbying for, and participating in, conservation-oriented action. We surveyed and interviewed and used performance data from 432 participants in the Coastal Observation and Seabird Survey Team (COASST), a scientifically rigorous citizen science program, to explore measurable change in and links between understanding and action. We found that participation in rigorous citizen science was associated with significant increases in participant knowledge and skills; a greater connection to place and, secondarily, to community; and an increasing awareness of the relative impact of anthropogenic activities on local ecosystems specifically through increasing scientific understanding of the ecosystem and factors affecting it. Our results suggest that a place-based, data-rich experience linked explicitly to local, regional, and global issues can lead to measurable change in individual and collective action, expressed in our case study principally through participation in citizen science and community action and communication of program results to personal acquaintances and elected officials. We propose the following tenets of conservation literacy based on emergent themes and the connections between them explicit in our data: place-based learning creates personal meaning making; individual experience nested within collective (i.e., program-wide) experience facilitates an understanding of the ecosystem process and function at local and regional scales; and science-based meaning making creates informed concern (i.e., the ability to discern both natural and anthropogenic forcing), which allows individuals to develop a personalized prioritization schema and engage in conservation action.
123 citations
TL;DR: The development of an international Master's degree program named “Pervasive computing and communications for sustainable development” (PERCCOM) by an international consortium is described, which aimed to combine advanced ICT with environmental, economic, and social awareness.
116 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors provide an overview of 24 selected articles published in peer-reviewed scientific journals from 2006 to 2016, focusing on teaching methods, learning environments, knowledge and thinking skills, psychomotor skills, emotions and attitudes, and evaluation methods.
Abstract: There are very few studies concerning the importance of teaching methods in biology education and environmental education including outdoor education for promoting sustainability at the levels of primary and secondary schools and pre-service teacher education. The material was selected using special keywords from biology and sustainable education in several scientific databases. The article provides an overview of 24 selected articles published in peer-reviewed scientific journals from 2006–2016. The data was analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Altogether, 16 journals were selected and 24 articles were analyzed in detail. The foci of the analyses were teaching methods, learning environments, knowledge and thinking skills, psychomotor skills, emotions and attitudes, and evaluation methods. Additionally, features of good methods were investigated and their implications for teaching were emphasized. In total, 22 different teaching methods were found to improve sustainability education in different ways. The most emphasized teaching methods were those in which students worked in groups and participated actively in learning processes. Research points toward the value of teaching methods that provide a good introduction and supportive guidelines and include active participation and interactivity.
100 citations
TL;DR: In general, participants in the naturalist programs the authors examined increased their content knowledge about ecosystems, had greater confidence in conserving them, and continued to engage as citizen scientists after completing the program.
Abstract: Amateur naturalists have played an important role in the study and conservation of nature since the 17th century. Today, naturalist groups make important contributions to bridge the gap between conservation science and practice around the world. We examined data from 2 regional naturalist programs to understand participant motivations, barriers, and perspectives as well as the actions they take to advance science, stewardship, and community engagement. These programs provide certification-based natural history and conservation science training for adults that is followed by volunteer service in citizen science, education, and stewardship. Studies in California and Virginia include quantitative and qualitative evaluation data collected through pre- and postcourse surveys, interviews, and long-term tracking of volunteer hours. Motivations of participants focused on learning about the local environment and plants and animals, connecting with nature, becoming certified, and spending time with people who have similar interests. Over half the participants surveyed were over 50 years old, two-thirds were women, and a majority reported household incomes of over $50,000 (60% in California, 85% in Virginia), and <20% of those surveyed in both states described themselves as nonwhite. Thus, these programs need to improve participation by a wider spectrum of the public. We interviewed younger and underrepresented adults to examine barriers to participation in citizen science. The primary barrier was lack of time due to the need to work and focus on career advancement. Survey data revealed that participants' ecological knowledge, scientific skills, and belief in their ability to address environmental issues increased after training. Documented conservation actions taken by the participants include invasive plant management, habitat restoration, and cleanups of natural areas and streams. Long-term data from Virginia on volunteer hours dedicated to environmental citizen science show an increase from 14% in 2007 to 32% in 2014. In general, participants in the naturalist programs we examined increased their content knowledge about ecosystems, had greater confidence in conserving them, and continued to engage as citizen scientists after completing the program.
99 citations
TL;DR: The authors examined pedagogical principles within a comparative analytical framework and consider how adopted pedagogies reflect and refract the culture in which they are embedded, using a conceptual model focused on purposes, aims, content, pedagogy, outcomes, and barriers.
Abstract: Using a conceptual model focused on purposes, aims, content, pedagogy, outcomes, and barriers, we review and interpret literature on two forms of outdoor learning: Forest Schools in England and udeskole in Denmark. We examine pedagogical principles within a comparative analytical framework and consider how adopted pedagogies reflect and refract the culture in which they are embedded. Despite different national educational and cultural contexts, English Forest Schools and Danish udeskole share several commonalities within a naturalistic/progressive pedagogical tradition; differences appear in the degree of integration within national educational systems. Global calls for increased connection to nature and recent alignment of results-driven school systems in both countries influence their foundational principles, perhaps leading to greater convergence in the future. We argue that close attention to pedagogical principles are necessary to ensure better alignment of purpose and practice to elicit specific out...
86 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examine the educational proposals in formal contexts that have been published in the two research journals of greatest impact on Environmental Education during the period 2008-2013, and analyse how they contribute to the development of action competence.
Abstract: The current state of the planet’s environmental deterioration calls for formal educational contexts to implement effective environmental proposals which nurture action competence. The aim of this paper is to examine the educational proposals in formal contexts that have been published in the two research journals of greatest impact on Environmental Education during the period 2008–2013, and to analyse how they contribute to the development of action competence. Special attention is paid to research (i) based on real participation by students; (ii) promotes reflection on the complexity of environmental issues; (iii) facilitates critical thinking; (iv) encourages autonomous and responsible decision-making and (v) involves communities. Our results show that these approaches can help improve the development of action-focused environmental education and bring to light a series of challenges for future research.
82 citations
TL;DR: The authors argue for an environmental citizenship conceived along the civic republican tradition and civic environmentalism tradition, whereby individuals participate in working collectively toward the common good. But it is still unclear what such citizenship actually looks like in practice or by which methods it can be cultivated.
Abstract: Environmental citizenship is a concept that captures one's imagination and adds credibility to the sustainability imperative. While environmental citizenship has been theorized at length, it is still unclear what such citizenship actually looks like in practice or by which methods it can be cultivated. Drawing form the literature in green political theory, this critical essay attempts to identify how we might create environmental education programs and approaches whose goal is to promote environmental citizenship. The essay argues for an environmental citizenship conceived along the civic republican tradition and civic environmentalism tradition, whereby individuals participate in working collectively toward the common good. Place-based education provides a compelling educational approach that provides promise toward cultivating such citizenship.
79 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explored experiences that remained salient in the memories of former participants in three nature-based programs in Colorado, five to forty years after childhood involvement, and analyzed these experiences through social practice theory, which has significant implications for the design and evaluation of environmental education programs.
Abstract: This paper explores experiences that remained salient in the memories of former participants in three nature-based programs in Colorado, five to forty years after childhood involvement. Interviews with program founders and staff, archival research, and observations of current activities provided an understanding of each program’s history, mission and educational approach. In this context, 18 former participants were interviewed about program experiences that they remembered and program impacts on their environmental identities and academic or career choices. Results were analyzed through the lens of social practice theory, which has significant implications for the design and evaluation of environmental education programs. Results showed that social practice theory is a useful framework for interpreting the development of a social environmental identity, but an ecological identity that forms through direct contact with the natural world is an important complementary concept.
75 citations
TL;DR: This paper investigated whether consistent effects on students' environmental attitudes, awareness, and behavioral intentions could be discerned in an initiative that supports environmental education (EE) designed at the classroom level.
Abstract: This study investigates whether consistent effects on students’ environmental attitudes, awareness, and behavioral intentions could be discerned in an initiative that supports environmental education (EE) designed at the classroom level. Students of grades four, five, and seven participated in an assessment at the beginning and end of the school year. Quantitative assessment questions were adapted from the Children’s Environmental Perception Scale. Factor analysis identified three factors related to intentions for environmental learning and behavior, environmental appreciation, and awareness of the potential to impact nature. Qualitative items assessed students’ perception of their EE experience. Over one school year, fourth- and fifth-grade EE students gained awareness of the potential to impact nature, but EE students did not exhibit changes to environmental appreciation or intentions for environmental learning and behavior. With increasing years of EE experience, students demonstrated slight increases ...
TL;DR: The sustainable development (SD) concept is based on the idea that economic and social development should be linked to the environment as mentioned in this paper. But controversies about various associated issues often arise and the SD concept is often overlooked.
Abstract: The sustainable development (SD) concept is based on the idea that economic and social development should be linked to the environment. However, controversies about various associated issues often ...
TL;DR: It is argued that tackling impact mitigation through a whole system approach is likely to be more effective, and an evaluation of a systematic implementation of impact mitigation in Ireland's largest teaching hospital, Cork University Hospital is presented.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors argue that the philosophy of green chemistry in the context of education needs to be extended with socio-critical perspectives to form educated professionals and citizens who are able to understand the complexity of the world, to make value-based decisions, and to become able to engage more thoroughly in democratic decision-making on sustainability issues.
Abstract: The modern world can be described as a globalized risk society. It is characterized by increasing complexity, unpredictable consequences of techno-scientific innovations and production, and its environmental consequences. Therefore, chemistry, just like many other knowledge areas, is in an ongoing process of environmentalization. For example, green chemistry has emerged as a new chemical metadiscipline and movement. The philosophy of green chemistry was originally based on a suggestion of twelve principles for environment-friendly chemistry research and production. The present article problematizes limitations in green chemistry when it comes to education. It argues that the philosophy of green chemistry in the context of education needs to be extended with socio-critical perspectives to form educated professionals and citizens who are able to understand the complexity of the world, to make value-based decisions, and to become able to engage more thoroughly in democratic decision-making on sustainability issues. Different versions of sustainability-oriented science/chemistry education are discussed to sharpen a focus on the most complex type, which is Bildung-oriented, focusing emancipation and leading to eco-reflexive education. The term eco-reflexive is used for a problematizing stance towards the modern risk society, an understanding of the complexity of life and society and their interactions, and a responsibility for individual and collective actions towards socio-ecojustice and global sustainability. The philosophical foundation and characteristics of eco-reflexive science education are sketched on in the article.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors use the 2010 General Social Survey (GSS) to study these associations and expand the scope of earlier studies by including additional measures across social demographic, social psychological and behavioral blocks.
Abstract: The associations between social and psychological influences and environmental attitudes, intentions and behavior have generated considerable interest, both in the fields of environmental behavior and of environmental education. We use the 2010 General Social Survey (GSS) to study these associations and expand the scope of earlier studies by including additional measures across social demographic, social psychological and behavioral blocks. The findings highlight the relationships between social psychological constructs and environmental concern and behavior, as well as the relationships between social demographic characteristics and environmental values and beliefs. The findings from this study will be useful to environmental educators and communicators interested in studying the social psychological and social demographic bases of environmental concern and behavior.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors focus on sustainability and socioscientific issues, dealing with issues related to citizenship is now seen as an important element of science education, however, in order to make the...
Abstract: With increased focus on sustainability and socioscientific issues, dealing with issues related to citizenship is now seen as an important element of science education. However, in order to make the ...
TL;DR: The authors focus on the substance and significance of teachers' conceptions of anthropocentrism and related constructs to curriculum, drawing on a range of theoretically-and empirically-based insights.
Abstract: Analyses of attempts to prevent the worsening of environmental problems on Earth often identify two key lines of critique about contemporary school curriculum: first, its role in entrenching anthropocentrism as the dominant paradigm for people-environment relations, and then, also compounding this, their combined role in furthering a loss of connection with nature. However, those who advance such critiques do not always acknowledge that teachers perceive and enact curriculum in a variety of ways, including resisting these possible outcomes or rejecting such conceptions, be that in relation to schooling in general, or environmental sustainability as a particular focus for curriculum policy and activities. In light of this, our paper focuses on the substance and significance of teachers’ conceptions of anthropocentrism and related constructs to curriculum, drawing on a range of theoretically- and empirically-based insights. First, we consider the literatures of environmental ethics and eco-philosophy to exa...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors provide an overview of landscape educational values and the educational ecosystem service, and the evaluation criteria for the evaluation of the educational values of landscape were acquired from the literature and discussed.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explore the premise that environmental education involves raising environmental consciousness rather than simply knowing about the environment in a technical-rational manner and acting for it in mechanistic prescribed ways.
Abstract: This paper explores the premise that environmental education involves raising environmental consciousness rather than simply knowing about the environment in a technical-rational manner and acting for it in mechanistic prescribed ways. The paper draws on educational theory and data from a phenomenological case study of educators working together at an outdoor education centre in urban Canada, whose practice of environmental education we believe can best be described as environmental consciousness raising. Based on our study’s findings, we suggest that raising environmental consciousness involves connecting people to their environment, fostering care for the environment, and building agency for the environment. Educating for environmental consciousness also requires providing people with deeply engaging experiences that afford authenticity, multidimensionality and serendipity. Our study shows how these features can work to raise environmental consciousness, by creating epiphanies or moments when sudden exp...
TL;DR: In this article, a critical response to the regular flow for ESD also draws inspiration from the currents of "high" theory in Western "thought" that, to a certain extent, are a belated philosophical response to anthropogenic global warming.
Abstract: The streams and currents of a braided river currently meandering through the politics of policy making for ESD are shaped by rocks lying on the marginal edges and other things lying within the river’s subaquatic morphology. Put differently, the “critical reaction” assembled here serves as a “politics of the outside” (Johnson, 2015) that demands further navigation of the “edges” of the discourse presented in this SI. Like the contribution of a river’s fluidity, flows, rapids, eddies, whirlpools, and snags to its morphology, the challenges of “what next?,” “where to?” and “how?” for EE and EER suggest there are many braids of the river to cross and whose rising flood might be due to the supraglacial meltdown of planetary ice-sheets or, closer to home, gas in the coal seam leaking on the urban fringe or, even closer, our digestion of what we regularly eat. Contributors to the SI have partially navigated some of these undercurrents of the dilemmas and challenges for ESD. The outside of this SI’s critical response to the regular flow for ESD also draws inspiration from the currents of “high” theory in Western “thought” that, to a certain extent, are a belated philosophical response to the Anthropocene. “A strange name indeed” declared the speculative realist, Timothy Morton (2013, p. 5), because in this new geologic epoch “non-humans make decisive contact with humans”. This new movement of thought concerns itself with ontology, and the status of the real and, subsequently, the epistemologies flowing from a “new” material vitalism about the way the world is, and how we are in it. In its various guises, this movement may well reveal the historical complicity of “old” Western Cartesian inert “thought” about what it thought truly and rationally mattered, its presumptions, logics, and methods of reason (for example, Barad, 2007; Coole & Frost, 2010; Connolly, 2013; Latour, 2013; Shaviro, 2014). The advent of Anthropocene acts like a storm on thought; it changes what really matters. Again, to metaphorically push the philosophical/theoretical/conceptual thrust of this new morphology, “old” dominant Western thought about modernity and its surfaces of development might well reconstitute in ESD the ”miseducative,” following John Dewey, and, by implication, EE. This high turn of movements in Western speculative theory to “an” outside of thought breathes new life into the intellectual resources now available to the policy-making processes in ESD. Not without concerted critique (for example, Wolfendale, 2014), such speculations raise basic questions about the underlying politics of how policies reflect and create certain assumptions about ontology, epistemology, and their tensions that then implicate more questions about methodology (i.e., how policy like ESD is “made”). This new movement of thought asserts a return to realist ontology(ies) and the interplay of materialist and symbolic epistemology(ies) that combine to create a different morphology of how the modern/industrial development of the Anthropocene and manifestations such as anthropogenic global warming melts the horizons of sustaining certain assumptions and understandings of Nature, Culture, and their now globalized relations. New thought of this materializing type “turn” moves with and against the excesses of the now well-established linguistic/discursive “turn” in (Western) thought. Its textualization of the “world” has greatly influenced much academic enterprise over the past three
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined Taiwanese university students' marine environmental awareness, focusing on environmental attitudes, understanding of marine and coastal issues, and environmental behavior, and a total of 825 valid samples in a questionnaire survey were used for the analysis.
Abstract: University students are regarded as future decision-makers in society and have a high likelihood of becoming opinion-shapers in terms of the environment. Their awareness of the marine environment will therefore have a significant effect upon sustainable marine development. This study examines Taiwanese university students’ marine environmental awareness, focusing on environmental attitudes, understanding of marine and coastal issues, and environmental behavior. A total of 825 valid samples in a questionnaire survey are used for the analysis. Overall, respondents possess a highly positive attitude towards the marine environment and a moderate self-reported level of marine knowledge, but are not actively engaged in environmental protection endeavors, particularly ones involving spending personal income and taking legal or political action. Experience in marine-related activities and marine knowledge are important in fostering marine environmental awareness, particularly in regard to environmental behavior. ...
TL;DR: In this paper, a transdisciplinary approach in education for sustainable development (EDS) has been reflected in research and especially action research as a possible solution, which can open a new perspective for understanding and interpretation of the complex phenomenon of sustainability as well as for developing new open continuing education programs by integrating research and learning activities in the context of open transdisciplinary research.
Abstract: Abstract The need to focus on a transdisciplinary approach in education for sustainable development (EDS) has been reflected in research and especially action research as a possible solution, which can open a new perspective for understanding and interpretation of the complex phenomenon of sustainability as well as for developing new open continuing education programmes by integrating research and learning activities in the context of open transdisciplinary research. The content structure of the article: (1) it describes the experience that has evolved at one faculty and its subordinate scientific institute and has been proposed to be used within the entire institution; (2) it generalises issues arising from the extensive experience, which in action research manifest themselves as issues relating to the appropriate perspective choice in terms of sustainability, approaches that in education make it possible to understand the sustainability phenomenon, as well as features that help identify sustainability at different levels. Well-known cases in the history of science, philosophy of science, and systems development research have been used to highlight the relationship among the dynamic interaction of complex problems that can systematically appear as sustainable or unsustainable. Therefore, the article provides insight into a specific relationship among science development, integration and Anthropocene phenomena with sustainability / non-sustainability phenomena and their interaction; (3) it offers the experience necessary for the creation of participatory action research ideas and research base to expand the cooperation of university and its graduates using a stakeholder approach and connecting it with a transdisciplinary research framework, which envisages an activity around the sustainability phenomenon and its deep relationship to the openness for the evolution of sustainability consciousness as concerns individuals and societies; (4) it describes the first three activities of the first phase of the undertaken action research, which allowed determining the participants’ motivation to take part in the action research, identifying participants’ attitude and understanding sustainability and Anthropocene phenomena, as well as establishing a strategic vision of open transdisciplinary framework benefits and opportunities through participatory action research to develop open evolutionary study programs for continuing education, which would extend and deepen the cooperation of university and its graduates for social innovation creation and achieving quality education for sustainable development by reorienting the society and education towards sustainability and sustainable development. The present article aims at establishing an open transdisciplinary research framework, which is necessary for undertaking action research, and outlining a strategic vision for developing continuing education programs in the participatory action research that will help reorient continuing education to sustainable development.
TL;DR: In this paper, the interconnectedness of sustainability, well-being and popular-culture in early childhood education is examined. But, these are usually seen as discrete content areas and educators are challenged with responding to children's interests in popular culture inspired food products given these influence their consumption of energy-dense, nutrient-poor and highly packaged food in the early childhood setting.
Abstract: Early childhood educators currently provide content focused learning opportunities for children in the areas of well-being and environmental education. However, these are usually seen as discrete content areas and educators are challenged with responding to children’s interests in popular-culture inspired food products given these influence their consumption of energy-dense, nutrient-poor and highly packaged food in the early childhood setting. This paper reports preliminary findings from a pilot randomised trial examining the interconnectedness of sustainability, well-being and popular-culture in early childhood education. Planning, assessment documentation and summaries from twenty-four learning experiences implemented by six educators over a six-week period were analysed using a deductive approach. Twenty well-being and environmental education topics were identified and shown to be generated by the educators when considering the children’s ‘funds of knowledge’ on popular-culture inspired food products. We argue that topics derived from children’s engagement with popular-culture may help educators to create an integrated approach to curriculum provision. This may impact child weight and facilitate obesity prevention and environmental sustainability as children create stronger connections between these content areas and their everyday choices and practices.
TL;DR: The authors studied seven programs that engage youth from 10 to 18 years old in wildfire risk reduction in their communities in the United States through in-depth interviews to examine the nature and role of community-school partnerships in resource-focused environmental education.
Abstract: We studied seven programs that engage youth from 10 to 18 years old in wildfire risk reduction in their communities in the United States through in-depth interviews to examine the nature and role of community-school partnerships in resource-focused environmental education. While the programs use a variety of strategies, from Scout badge to summer school, they exhibit several common dimensions: they all engage youth in community projects; they all arise from partnerships between resource agencies, community organizations, and educators; they all began when people familiar with both wildfire and youth education saw an opportunity to improve the community and educate youth through action; and all partners are able to contribute to the common program yet retain their individual identity as they meet their own mission-based goals. We use themes and quotes to illustrate these common dimensions for establishing community-school partnerships that could build action competence through environment-based education p...
TL;DR: In this article, ten of us with extensive experience in environmental education and its research in different parts of the world are "assembled" in this Special Issue (SI) in this special issue.
Abstract: Ten of us with extensive experience in environmental education (EE) and its research (EER) in different parts of the world are “assembled” (Law, 2004) in this Special Issue (SI). We individually an...
TL;DR: In this paper, a critical analysis of Stefan Bengtsson's research about policy making leads to different interpretations of some key observations and assertions about sustainable development and education for sustainable development.
Abstract: It is from historical perspectives on more than 40 years of environment related education theories, practices, and policies that we revisit what might otherwise become a tired conversation about environmental education and sustainable development. Our contemporary critical analysis of Stefan Bengtsson's research about policy making leads us to different interpretations of some key observations and assertions about sustainable development (SD) and education for sustainable development (ESD). To counter the persistent weight of the underpinning resourcist and economic view of the relationship between people and the environment, we examine other perspectives about economy, about people and society, and about the environment. These divergences insist upon diversity in education and in environmental education.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors provided a detailed description of the environmental education of elementary school students in Da Nang city, Vietnam and found that 96% of the students were interested in solid waste management activities, and there were changes in the students' knowledge before and after environmental education activities.
TL;DR: This paper used systemic functional analysis to study the language of the chapters related to climate change in four sixth grade science textbooks adopted in the state of California and found that these textbooks framed climate change as uncertain in the scientific community, both about whether it is occurring as well as about its human-causation.
Abstract: Middle school students are learning about climate change in large part through textbooks used in their classes. Therefore, it is crucial to understand how the language employed in these materials frames this topic. To this end, we used systemic functional analysis to study the language of the chapters related to climate change in four sixth grade science textbooks adopted in the state of California. The linguistic variables investigated were: types of nominal groups; processes; circumstances; and the modality system. Our findings showed that these textbooks framed climate change as uncertain in the scientific community – both about whether it is occurring as well as about its human-causation. The implications for science education are discussed in relation to how the current political and public discourses of climate change, rather than the scientific discourse, is influencing how textbooks discuss this topic.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present an environmental identity development model, which considers the progression of young children's self-cognitions in relation to the natural world, and argue that cognitions of comfort in the environment vs. discomfort, provide the foundation for healthy environmental identity.
Abstract: This article presents an Environmental Identity Development model, which considers the progression of young children’s self-cognitions in relation to the natural world. We recontextualize four of Erikson’s psychosocial stages, in order to consider children’s identity development in learning in, about, and for the environment. Beginning with Trust in Nature vs. Mistrust in Nature, we argue that cognitions of comfort in the natural world vs. discomfort, provide the foundation for healthy environmental identity development. This trusting bond/relationship with nature allows children to gain Spatial Autonomy through collectively or independently creating their own sense of place in nature vs. feelings of doubt or Environmental Shame. As children progress, they gain Environmental Competencies, creative innovations to use the environment for both personal and social purposes vs. separation from nature or Environmental Disdain. Such competencies promote children’s agency in exercising Environmental Action, appli...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors describe a study concerning the implementation of the EU's climate change education reform, and explore students' reactions to the epistemological issues raised by climate change in science education research.
Abstract: The scientific community has been debating climate change for over two decades. In the light of certain arguments put forward by the aforesaid community, the EU has recommended a set of innovative reforms to science teaching such as incorporating environmental issues into the scientific curriculum, thereby helping to make schools a place of civic education. However, despite these European recommendations, relatively little emphasis is still given to climate change within science curricula. Climate change, although potentially engaging for students, is a complex topic that poses conceptual difficulties and emotional barriers, as well as epistemological challenges. Whilst the conceptual and emotional barriers have already been the object of several studies, students’ reactions to the epistemological issues raised by climate changes have so far been rarely explored in science education research and thus are the main focus of this paper. This paper describes a study concerning the implementation of te...