Showing papers on "Environmental education published in 2022"

Carving out a Niche in the Sustainability Confluence for Environmental Education Centers in Cyprus and Greece

Abstract: Given the environmental issues that today’s societies confront, such as climate change, waste management, ecosystem deterioration, etc., environmental education is becoming increasingly important. Adoption of environmental education as an integral part of the educational system is required for the Environmental Education Center (EEC) to be able to provide knowledge, skills, and values so that society can become active and environmentally responsible through awareness-raising. According to the scholarly published research, EECs can positively affect local communities and create an environmentally friendly culture. In addition, given that EECs can even play a significant part in the development of lifelong learning activities at the education and sustainable development nexus, it is considered critical to establishing future potentials and dynamics. Thus, aiming to analyze EECs’ strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT analysis) within our complex and ever-evolving world, educators, students, and other fellow citizens in Cyprus and Greece participated in a survey in which they were asked to fill in a questionnaire, specifically developed for each group category. The findings of this study provide a deeper understanding of the implications arising as a result of effective environmental education absence, as well as the importance of a holistic approach through EECs. Moreover, it offers the research community a solid framework for future innovation in citizen engagement and training.

Environmental Awareness and Air Quality: The Mediating Role of Environmental Protective Behaviors

Abstract: The purpose of this study is twofold: First, it tests the role of students’ environmental awareness and climate change awareness in their environmental protective behavior and environment quality (EQ). Second, it tests the mediating role of environmental protective behaviors in the association between environment behavior, climate change behavior, and environment quality. Moreover, this study utilizes climate-friendly behaviors and pro-environmental behaviors to reflect environmental protective behaviors. The stratified random sampling technique was applied to collect data through a questionnaire from a sample of 403 graduate students enrolled in Higher Education Commission-recognized private and public universities of Pakistan. This study applied partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) to empirically estimate the results. This study found that climate change awareness significantly and positively affects climate-friendly behavior, environmental quality, and pro-environmental behavior. Similarly, environmental awareness significantly and positively affects environmental quality and pro-environmental behavior. Moreover, pro-environmental behavior significantly affects environmental quality. Indirect results indicate that pro-environmental behavior significantly mediates between climate change awareness and environmental quality, and between environmental awareness and environmental quality. The findings of this study suggest the importance of enhancing awareness of climate- and climate change-related issues among students to save the environment. Higher education institutions should design subjects and courses that will raise environmental and climate change awareness, and expose students to climate- and environment-friendly education.

Student’s Knowledge, Attitude, and Perception (KAP) to Solid Waste Management: A Survey towards a More Circular Economy from a Rural-Based Tertiary Institution in South Africa

Abstract: Students of Higher Educational institutions (HEIs) are regarded as major stakeholders of an institution and key agents of transformation in society. Thus, the environmental knowledge of students in academic institutions is instrumental in providing a solution to the solid waste menace and other environmental problems in the community. However, there exists a wide rural–urban gap in transitioning towards sustainable development across HEIs. This informed the current study examining the knowledge, attitude, and perception (KAP) of students at a rural-based educational institution on solid waste management. It also aimed to learn about the institution’s current practices regarding solid waste management and identify steps that can be taken to move the institution closer to a circular economy goal. This study presents the KAP results from a survey of 376 students from nine schools at the University of Venda for the conceptualization of a circular economy (CE) vision for the university. The results show that the knowledge of the students on solid waste management was low and inadequate. However, students are willing to partake in recycling projects to improve the current environmental state of the institution. This study also revealed that some of the students (41%) require motivation to participate in recycling schemes through economic incentives. Increasing awareness of environmental education and initiating participatory environmental programs and strengthening 3 of the key sustainability competencies is recommended as an effective tool to transition to a circular economy in the institution. Further studies are recommended in areas of gamified learning for CE and capital generation from waste for capacity building.

Sustainable Consumption and Education for Sustainability in Higher Education

Abstract: Sustainable consumption (SC) is the concept surrounding the use of products and services with minimal impact on environmental safeguarding resources for current and future generations. Since its implementation in 2015, SC is an expanding area of research as the increased occurrence of environmental impacts is observed globally. In this article, a literature review of sustainable consumption and education is presented as an in-depth review of relevant literature over the last 25 years. The review provides an understanding of the relationship, effect, and current concepts of sustainability education and consumption behavior. An analysis of the historical, geographical, and thematic characteristics of the relevant literature provided the scholarly context of the literature. An exploration into consumer behaviors on an individual and contextual level is presented, highlighting key factors for achieving sustainable consumption on the consumer level. A further review on the effect of education in general, and higher education on consumer behavior, is provided, noting the key findings for the support of sustainable education, as well as the anticipated barriers. In the conclusion, the effect of education on consumption is found to be positive and significant for pro-environmental consumption behaviors, and it is the main approach for implementing the ideals of sustainable consumption in the future.

Teachers’ ESD self-efficacy and practices: a longitudinal study on the impact of teacher professional development

Abstract: Abstract This longitudinal quantitative study investigated teachers’ development of self-efficacy and teaching practices relating to education for sustainable development (ESD) in four compulsory schools in a Swedish municipality. The teachers participated in a professional development program over three school years designed to support them in implementing ESD. The program was based on five seminars that supported teachers to discuss and experiment with the principles, complexities and challenges of ESD. Data was collected at five different time points strategically planned at key moments in the program, using a questionnaire including scales measuring teachers’ self-efficacy for ESD and their self-reported ESD practices. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to follow the teachers evolution across a time span of about three years. Results show that the teachers’ self-efficacy was boosted early in the program, but fell back to initial levels after confrontation with practice. Through further experimentation in practice, the teachers’ self-efficacy increased back to the initial level toward the end of the program. Furthermore, teachers started self-reporting ESD practices as the program progressed, and the correlation between self-efficacy for ESD and ESD practices grew. These results highlight the importance of providing teachers with long-term opportunities for bringing ESD into their own educational practice. The results also caution against using self-efficacy as an outcome measure in short-term professionalization initiatives.

Six critical questions for teaching justice-based environmental sustainability (JBES) in higher education

Abstract: ABSTRACT In this short article, we pose six key questions that we argue as essential to critically problem-pose in achieving teaching for justice-based environmental sustainability (JBES) in higher education (HE). We will be critically posing these questions to all the authors of an upcoming Teaching in Higher Education special issue ‘Higher Education Teaching of Environmentally Just Sustainability’ so they can further unpack these questions, coincide or counter our arguments presented here, provide rich contextualization in their responses, and possibly expand upon these six. The questions problematize the following in HE teaching: (1) the (de)legitimized, (de)prioritized framings of ‘sustainability;’ (2) the same question for the terms of ‘development’ and ‘sustainable development’; (3) the politics of (un)sustainability affecting HE pedagogies and curricula; (4) HE’s roles and responsibilities in leading to students’ praxis of sustainability; (5) the incorporation, or not, of Southern, Indigenous, and/or Northern epistemologies grounding (un)sustainability taught; and (6) the (non-)anthropocentric groundings in HE learning.

Environmental education policy of schools and socioeconomic background affect environmental attitudes and pro-environmental behavior of secondary school students

Abstract: Abstract Measuring environmental attitudes and pro-environmental behaviors in schools is crucial in order to assess how pedagogical work in the schools cope with the expectations to move sustainability related attitudes and behaviors of students toward more pro-environmental ones. These changes in students’ attitudes and behaviors are among the main possibilities that may lead societies toward sustainability transition. In this study we surveyed sustainability related attitudes and behaviors of students in 14 Hungarian secondary schools, as well as the efforts of their schools and teachers related to environmental and sustainability education. Factors affecting students’ attitudes and behaviors with the greater effect sizes were related to the socioeconomic background of students, i.e. socio-economical status of their schools, residency (settlement type and country region), and education of parents. Class grade and gender had only a smaller effect. Some measures of schools’ sustainability efforts also affected students’ measures of environmentalism indicating the effectiveness of focused educational policies. Final grade students became more pro-environmental consumers as compared to first grade students in schools with higher level of EE/ESD related infrastructure and facilities, while attitudes were quasi-significantly affected by the level of integration of diverse EE/ESD programs in their schools.

A systematic literature review to identify evidence-based principles to improve online environmental education

Abstract: Abstract Many environmental educators shifted to online programs in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted a systematic literature review to identify program characteristics from digital environmental education experiences that are associated with one or more elements of environmental literacy. After reviewing 153 candidate articles, 32 articles that evaluated 47 diverse programs met our selection criteria. For each of these programs, we systematically coded the articles to identify guiding theories, program types, program characteristics, and outcomes assessed. We also identified the authors’ explanations and empirical evidence for program characteristics that led to positive outcomes. In this paper, we synthesize the results and present 12 guiding principles that show promise in enhancing outcomes related to environmental literacy in online programs for K-12 students. These principles, which are defined and illustrated with examples from the literature, include: social-ecological connections, relevance, social interactions, role models, autonomy, active involvement, challenge, use of multiple modalities, positive framing, preparation, feedback and reflection.

Training in values in environmental education in high school students

Abstract: The objective of the research was to analyze the formation in values in environmental education in high school students of the Enrique López Lascano Educational Unit-Cantón-Santa Lucia. Through a methodology with a mixed qualitative-quantitative approach, with an experimental and descriptive study, where analytical-systemic, inductive-deductive methods were used to collect information that was used in the survey of a population of 150 students and 50 teachers. Justifying the preparation of this scientific article with the need to promote and encourage environmental values in students, parents and teachers of the educational institution and the community in general to achieve behavior with the sustainability of the planet. This objective constitutes one of the main purposes of environmental education within the framework of higher education. The result was that teachers teach classes with environmental values in their classrooms to high school students, but they must devise strategies that help students identify environmental values and transmit them to the educational community.

Students’ Engagement in Education as Sustainability: Implementing an Ethical Dilemma-STEAM Teaching Model in Chemistry Learning

Abstract: This paper reports the results of a study on the implementation of the Ethical Dilemma STEAM Teaching Model in secondary schools in Jakarta, Indonesia. This interdisciplinary curriculum approach employed ‘ethical dilemma story pedagogy’ in a STEAM education project designed to engage students in values-based chemistry learning. Drawing on the arts, specially written ethical dilemma stories posing real-world environmental problems engaged students in exploring their value systems. Students reflected on the pros and cons of ethical dilemmas related to the everyday use of artificial fertilizers, disposal of used cooking oil and detergent waste, and environmental pollution caused by plastic waste. The purpose of the study was to investigate the potential of the Ethical Dilemma STEAM Teaching Model to empower Indonesian secondary school students with both chemistry knowledge and transdisciplinary capabilities for resolving environmental problems. The researchers conducted an interpretive case study of four high-school chemistry classes to understand students’ learning experiences and outcomes. Data were obtained from students’ reflective journals, semi-structured interviews, and classroom observations. The results demonstrate that students engaged in deep chemistry learning while simultaneously developing critical reflective social thinking, collaborative decision-making skills, and increased awareness of the need to protect the environment in order to support sustainable development. The study revealed that chemistry education can play a strategic role through ethical values learning in empowering students to become agents of change for environmental sustainability. Further research is warranted into the efficacy of the Ethical Dilemma STEAM Teaching Model for empowering students in sustainability education across a broad range of science-related topics and sociocultural contexts.

Development of assessment framework for environmental sustainability in higher education institutions

Abstract: Purpose Unsustainable actions have resulted in the deterioration of the environment. Higher education institutions are social entities responsible for developing future leaders who have the skills and abilities to solve societal challenges. This study aims to develop a conceptual assessment model of environmental sustainability in higher education and apply the model to test the environmental sustainability level of a higher education institution. Design/methodology/approach The fuzzy logic method is used to develop the conceptual model, and a higher education institution in India was selected for evaluating the environmental sustainability level. Findings The fuzzy environmental sustainability index for the higher education institution selected for the study was computed as (3.58, 4.95, 6.33). The computed value identifies the institution as “environmentally sustainable”. The calculation of the fuzzy performance importance index further helped in identifying weak attributes that need improvement. Research limitations/implications The result of this study would help the management understand their current environmental sustainability level and take corrective measures to improve the weak attributes. It would also assist the institution in reworking its processes and practices. Originality/value This study has contributed to the literature of environmental sustainability assessment by creating a conceptual model for evaluating environmental sustainability in higher education. This model can be applied to any higher education institution.

A Qualitative Assessment of Community Learning Initiatives for Environmental Awareness and Behaviour Change: Applying UNESCO Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Framework

Abstract: This study uses qualitative research methods of text mining to elucidate the potential and prospects for community-based learning opportunities for raising environmental awareness and bringing about healthy behaviour change among university students and local residents. In particular, we focus on the importance of community-based learning in raising environmental awareness and inspiring action to support healthy living and harmony with nature. The three groups were triangulated using semi-structured questionnaires to model the ways in which education for sustainable development (ESD) can contribute to the promotion of environmental education in local communities. In order to collect in-depth data, the authors themselves were present at the study sites and collected textual data based on semi-structured questionnaires in a participatory observation framework, where they had a common experience to understand the observations. Analysis was carried out using NVivo12. The two community learning initiatives studied were in Okayama and Tokyo, which are leading ESD policy areas. The two case studies are both university student-led projects that aim to raise environmental awareness in local communities through environmentally conscious behaviour change and the creation of a foundation for healthy living. This study focuses on “youth” and “community” among the five priority areas proposed in the 2015 ESD report and discusses the potential and prospects for community learning initiatives and the triggering of the nudge effect on environmentally conscious behaviour change and health behaviours. The results of the textual analysis with triangulation show that, while policymakers and teachers and leaders driving the initiative acknowledge the importance of ESD in a comprehensive way, their attention is more focused on the design of specific projects and curricula. In contrast, university students engaged in ESD activities rated the social education facilities (local community centres, community learning centres) as “lively” and “motivating”. It was found that there are high expectations for “public living rooms”, which are important as a base for learning to promote healthy and sustainable communities and environmentally conscious behaviour change.

Sustainability in Higher Education Institutions in the Amazon Region: A Case Study in a Federal Public University in Western Pará, Brazil

Abstract: Sustainable development (SD) in higher education has occupied the agenda over recent decades. Higher education institutions make efforts to promote sustainability in education, curriculum, research, outreach, and campus operations. This article aims to analyze the level of implementation of sustainability in higher education in the Amazon. The specific objectives of this paper are to identify the curriculum greening (CG) characteristics in institutional development plans (IDPs) and to analyze the perceptions of students from a higher education institution in the Amazon region about sustainability. It follows a qualitative approach, with documentary research and questionnaires applied to students. Analysis content was used in the data analysis. The main findings are the presence of some CG characteristics in institutional documents that were analyzed as a commitment to the transformation of society–nature relations, contextualization, disciplinary order, democracy, theory and practice, students as knowledge protagonists, cognitive aspects, alternative scenarios, and methodological adequacy. The results show that commitment to sustainability cannot just be a declaration of good intentions. It is essential to discuss the ways of implementing sustainability in the academic environment, as it implies changes in epistemological, political, and social conceptions.

Preschool children’s agency in education for sustainability: the case of Sweden

Abstract: Although children’s participation and agency are highly prioritized in early childhood education for sustainability, both researchers and educators have paid little attention to this topic. This paper explores how the revised preschool curriculum Lpfö2018 in Sweden addresses education for sustainability (EfS) with regards to children’s participation and agency. A sociocultural perspective on agency combined with a holistic view of sustainability was used, while a critical content analysis was conducted to investigate major changes in the curriculum in relation to both EfS and children’s participation and agency. Findings show that the curriculum Lpfö2018 has explicitly introduced the concept of sustainability from a holistic perspective, integrating environmental, social, and economic dimensions. Children are recognized as competent beings who can actively participate in and influence their learning. Moreover, the notion of transformative learning has been observed in the curriculum, which emphasizes changes in the ways children think, act, and learn in relation to sustainability.

Environmental Education in Initial Training: Effects of a Physical Activities and Sports in the Natural Environment Program for Sustainable Development

Abstract: Training for sustainable development is an educational challenge of prime importance. Physical activity and sports in natural environments provide training committed to sustainability and environmental education. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of an undergraduate training program in Physical Activities and Sports in Natural Environments concerned with sustainable development. A total of 113 students from the Autonomous University of Madrid (Spain) who are studying a Bachelor’s Degree in Physical Activity and Sports Sciences and a Master’s Degree in Teacher Training for Secondary Education and High School (specializing in Physical Education) were involved. Specifically, we aimed to assess the impact of this training program on three dimensions related to Environmental Education (knowledge, behaviors, and attitudes). Its effect was also examined bearing in mind students’ sex, age and educational profile (sportive and educational). Mixed-methods were used: for the quantitative approach, data were collected with the Environmental Attitude in Physical Activities in Natural Environments validated scale; for the qualitative approach individual reflective diaries completed by students that attended the program were analyzed. The results show positive effects on the students regarding the three dimensions of Environmental Education, for both the sportive and educational training profiles. The quantitative results do not present significant differences concerning the gender variable, although the qualitative information shows that female students perceived a greater environmental sensitivity during their practices. Regarding the age variable, significant differences are found in the youngest students with an educational profile. To conclude, the study ratifies that the program carried out generated improvements in terms of knowledge, behaviors and attitudes toward the environment and sustainable development. Future research should use larger samples and consider other variables related to education for sustainability.

Integration of indigenous and local knowledge into sustainability education: a systematic literature review

Abstract: Abstract Grounded in the relationship between sustainability and epistemological justice, this paper presents a systematic review of literature regarding the incorporation of Indigenous and local knowledge into sustainability and environmental education. The search includes articles published in English and Spanish between 2016 and 2020, with SCOPUS and WoS indexation. Based on methodological and thematic criteria, the original corpus of 182 unique articles was reduced to 20 and analysed using a qualitative thematic framework. The results show: i) pathways of integration that differ in how legitimacy is distributed and actors’ agency recognized; ii) challenges associated with actors moving across frames of reference and lack of resources and support; and iii) specific features of Indigenous and local knowledge better suited for integration and the positive outcomes of this integration for students identity and learning outcomes. These findings are useful to orientate future research and educative experiences aiming to articulate indigenous and western knowledge in sustainability education.

“When I act consciously, I can see a brighter world around me”: preservice teacher readiness to support transformative sustainability learning

Abstract: Abstract Teacher education is pivotal to advancing pedagogies, practices, and content knowledge that promote sustainability literacy in formal education settings. To explore preservice teachers’ (PST) readiness to implement transformative sustainability learning with elementary (i.e. kindergarten to 6th grade) students, we analyzed unit plans created by PSTs in a sustainability teacher education course. Within these units, we looked for evidence of content and pedagogy which (i) embraces the complexity of human-environmental interactions, (ii) advances sustainability literacy by enlisting both knowledge and engagement, and (iii) mobilizes action in local and global contexts to advance social and environmental justice aims. We describe the range of topics and analyze the rationales and learning activities through the ‘Head, Hands and Heart’ framework for transformative sustainability learning. We found that, though most PSTs integrated learning objectives and activities intended to engage students’ heads, hearts, and hands into their units, they struggled to embrace the complexity of sustainability issues and to engage students in justice-focused action. We provide three recommendations for preservice teacher education to increase PSTs’ readiness to implement transformative sustainability learning.

Narrative-Based Environmental Education Improves Environmental Awareness and Environmental Attitudes in Children Aged 6–8

Abstract: Environmental education can effectively raise people’s awareness of environmental protection and encourage appropriate behaviors. This study explored the effect of narrative-based environmental education on children’s environmental awareness. To this end, we recruited first- and second-grade students from two elementary schools to participate in an experiment in which differences between the group receiving narrative-based environmental video education and the control group were compared. It was found that narrative-based environmental education can effectively promote children’s environmental awareness, which was mainly reflected in their environmental knowledge and environmental attitudes, however, not significant in their pro-environmental behavior intention. These findings support the implementation of environmental education for students in lower grades in the future.

Inuit youth and environmental research: exploring engagement barriers, strategies, and impacts

Abstract: Community leadership in Arctic environmental research is increasingly recognized as one of many pathways to Indigenous self-determination in Nunavut, Canada. While experienced Inuit hunters, trappers, and other recognized environmental knowledge experts are commonly included in research, similar opportunities for Inuit youth to meaningfully engage in environmental research remain limited. Finding ways to increase scientific literacy, particularly among Inuit youth, has been identified as an important step in the continuation of high-quality Arctic environmental research. This paper examines community perspectives on the roles and contributions of Inuit youth in environmental research in Nunavut, barriers that Inuit youth face in becoming meaningfully engaged in field-based environmental research, and strategies for enhancing Inuit youth engagement. Our study was conducted in Pond Inlet, Nunavut, and used interviews, workshops, and observation to gather stories and knowledge from community members about field- and land-based experiential learning pathways. This study found that a complex set of barriers, including a lack of credentials and support systems, among others, may inhibit meaningful Inuit youth engagement in environmental research. Key findings from the study support the view that collaborative land-based research activities can be an effective and meaningful method of enhancing scientific literacy among Inuit youth.

Environmental literacy of lower secondary school pupils in the Czech Republic

Abstract: Environmental literacy is represented by levels of environmental knowledge, attitudes, sensitivity and environmentally responsible behaviour. In this study, the relationship between these components of environmental literacy and their relationship with possible determinants (gender, outdoor activities) were tested. An analytical tool developed by the author was applied and the data were analysed by Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The results of the study provide evidence of a relatively close relationship between environmental attitudes, sensitivity and responsible environmental behaviour. Similarly, a significant link between environmental literacy and outdoor activities was also demonstrated. In the case of gender, differences in Attitudes, Sensitivity, Behaviour and Outdoor Activities were identified, with girls achieving higher values.

A-G-I-L scheme as social system to build characters caring for the environment through the Adiwiyata program

Abstract: Environmental issues are a shared responsibility, concern for ecosystem stability, and environmental productivity. For this reason, government policies also lead to education which must also build a caring character for the environment. In a non-formal way, the education applies environmental care by synergizing all character-building aspects that care for the environment. This study aims to analyze the A-G-I-L Scheme as an effective social system in building the character of caring for the environment through the Adiwiyata program. The method in this research is descriptive qualitative with data collection techniques of observation and documentation. The results show that obtained ecological intelligence through education. Therefore, in environmental awareness, competence is needed in environmental awareness as an indicator of the student’s awareness of a healthy environment. Students developed their sensitivity, awareness, understanding, critical thinking, solving environmental issues, and forming environmentally sound ethics. The Adiwiyata program can help students develop a single “core competence” to practice the principles of sustainable development in society as responsible citizenship. The Adiwiyata program only can achieve the goal if all school components from the school leader, teachers, staff, students, and the students’ parents support the program.

Engaging Inuit youth in environmental research: Braiding Western science and Indigenous knowledge through school workshops

Abstract: Abstract Since the 1990s, scientists and Indigenous peoples have worked together across Inuit Nunangat (Inuit homeland in Canada) to conduct research on contaminants in ringed seals (Pusa hispida; natsiq, natchiq or ᓇᑦᓯᖅ in Inuktut), a species of high cultural, economic and nutritional importance among Inuit. Developing innovative ways of engaging Indigenous communities in research has become essential. Here we examine a science outreach and knowledge mobilization project that was developed as part of a long-term contaminant monitoring program on ringed seals in the Canadian Arctic. This project engaged Inuit school students, youth and communities through workshops on ringed seal ecology and contaminants. We present our approach to workshop planning and delivery, discuss results from a workshop assessment, and reflect on lessons learned and best practices. We also assess the potential of school workshops that braid Western science and Inuit knowledge to support the meaningful engagement of Inuit youth in environmental research.

The implementation of the SDGs in universities: a systematic review

Abstract: Abstract Currently, in the field of Sustainable Development (SD), one of the most significant debates is the necessary incorporation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in education and, specifically, in higher education institutions (HEIs). In the process of truly integrating the SDGs in HEIs, it is necessary to know and identify what is already being done and evaluate the efficacy or deficiency with which universities are carrying out studies and actions to integrate the SDGs. This systematic review aims to respond to this claim by analysing the most recent scientific evidence published in the period of 2015-2020 regarding SDGs in the university context at the international level. The results of this study identify: (1) a general approach on the SDGs from a global dimension in the reviewed studies, with SDG 4 (Education) being the most frequently referenced SDG; (2) the university area from which SDGs are addressed is research, followed by education; (3) the most frequent action gathered in the reviewed studies is the integration of the SDGs in the curricular schedule, in the area of education and learning; (4) with respect to the geographic and university context in which the SDGs are developed, the review showed studies in four geographic areas (Asia and the Pacific, America, Africa and Europe), with most studies being published from European and Latin American universities.

Teacher and youth priorities for education for environmental sustainability: A co‐created manifesto

Abstract: What would it mean to put environmental sustainability at the heart of education? This article describes a process of inclusive, participatory manifesto-making to identify young people's (aged 16–18 years) and teachers' priorities for education for environmental sustainability across the UK. Drawing on analysis of qualitative data from over 200 teachers and young people who participated in futures and visualisation workshops, we identify key educational priorities at the levels of classroom, school, community and policy, based on consensus between teacher and youth perspectives. Whilst consensus-seeking comes with a risk of favouring ‘soft’ actions which reinforce unsustainable practices and systems, the process of identifying more desirable futures and immediate barriers that must be negotiated to reach them has the potential to create spaces for more critical pedagogies and practices. There is a need for policy makers and school leaders to recognise the interests of teachers and young people to enable greater participation in decision making at different scales, and to ensure that those with the greatest capacity bear their burden of responsibility for education for environmental sustainability.

Creating a sense of community and space for subjectification in an online course on sustainability education during times of physical distancing

Abstract: Purpose This study aims to demonstrate which course elements were responsible for community building, fostering subjectification and learning for being in an online course on environmental and sustainability education (ESE) during the COVID-19 pandemic and physical distancing. Design/methodology/approach The study investigates a graduate-level course on Environmental Education for Sustainable Living that due to COVID-19 had to be taught mainly online. A retrospective analysis was conducted when the facilitators reflected on why the course, against expectations, appeared to have affected so many students in such a meaningful and profound way as shown by their personal reflections and the course evaluation. Methodologically, this study can be described as explorative and interpretative, although it was complemented by a standardised empirical analytical end-of course evaluation. Findings Within the context of this study, sense of community is linked to and facilitated by the online learning environment and the educators’ and students’ roles throughout the course. This study found that interaction and inclusion can be augmented by a hybrid educational design and supported by the mutual efforts of educators and students. Reflective tasks and discussions most prominently evoked subjectification. The encouragement of students to see themselves as central subjects and the inclusion of creative tasks supported both personal exploration and sense of community. Originality/value This study provides educational institutions teaching online with valuable information regarding course elements that foster subjectification and create a sense of community. This is particularly of interest for the design of online ESE emphasising learning for being and more relational approaches towards teaching and learning.