Environmental And Sustainability Education Research Articles

First as waste, then as feral: The garbological imaginary of Korean stories for decolonizing a wasted world

Overwhelming waste is one of the most compelling issues that contemporary environmental and sustainability education (ESE) should address. Understanding waste as an embodiment and offspring of ongoing colonial relations in the Capitalocene, I explore how ESE could perform a string figure with a wasted world by decolonizing more-than-human relationships. The intersections and tensions between colonialism, waste, and ESE are investigated, with a focus on the de/colonization of waste and child. Then, I integrate them with Korean stories in which wasted beings unsettle dumping colonialism and renew their entanglements with a more-than-human world. From their interpretation emerges a polysemous metaphor of waste-child as ambivalent figures and relations of a ruined world. The metamorphosis of waste-child suggests an imaginary praxis of becoming waste and feral, affirming ambiguity and liminality. I propose the futurity of ESE joining in the intertwinement of planetary legacy and colonial debris by multispecies critters for their un/common decolonization.

The praxis and imaginary of Environmental and Sustainability Education in the Capitalocene

This introduction to the special edition on the praxis and imaginary of Environmental and Sustainability Education (ESE) in the Capitalocene focuses on developing an argument about the underpinnings of the Capitalocene to shape our educational response to it. The statement that this article rests upon is that the Capitalocene is the driver of environmental damage on Earth today. Hence, if ESE is to have any impact it must address the Capitalocene as a matter of urgency. The Capitalocene is defined as a recent offshoot of the Anthropocene, wherein the processes of capital have captured the human population and led to the consequent capitalist human society as being primarily responsible for detrimentally altering the environment. To enable change in the Capitalocene, this article investigates the unconscious drives that have created the Anthropocene (and hence the Capitalocene) and invents a novel approach to ESE based on dark theory.

Population growth as the elephant in the room: teachers’ perspectives and willingness to incorporate a controversial environmental sustainability issue in their teaching

Although population growth (PG) is acknowledged as a major factor that drives the global environmental crisis, this issue is rarely included in environmental and sustainability education (ESE) because of its controversiality. This mixed-methods study explores the perspectives of Israeli ESE and non-ESE teachers regarding PG as an environmental risk, their willingness to include PG in their teaching, the frequency and foci of including it, the reasons for including or disregarding it, and the factors that predict their inclusion of it. The findings reveal that the deep-rooted pronatalist culture in Israel and a national pronatalist agenda impact the education system. It was found that an academic background in ESE had limited impact on teachers’ perceptions concerning PG or on their willingness to discuss its controversiality in class. Teachers’ attitudes related to PG demonstrated socially, culturally, and politically oriented disavowal justification regarding the negative impacts of rapid PG. The absence of PG from school curricula and the Israeli public discourse have been reported as major reasons for disregarding it in schools. To encourage teachers to incorporate this controversial issue in their teaching, and successfully confront dominant pronatalist cultures, they need ongoing support. Stakeholders in the education system must bring the population debate into schools as part of human efforts to mitigate environmental degradation and as an opportunity to strengthen tolerance among students towards diverse opinions.

Learning to spend time in unusual times: An inquiry into the potential for sustainability learning during COVID-19-induced school closures

AbstractWhile current research on school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic is predominantly concerned with learning deficits, the exploratory study presented here focuses on the previously neglected question of young people’s concrete learning experiences during this disruptive period, with a focus on how they used their time and how this relates to their individual needs. The authors interviewed German secondary school students via Zoom and used a grounded theory approach and a transformative learning theory framework to derive recommendations for environmental and sustainability education (ESE). Their findings highlight two important insights: first, that the predominant focus on academic learning loss obscures a more comprehensive understanding of students’ learning experiences; and second, that real-world experiments such as the involuntary school closures during the pandemic may hold the potential to start meaningful, transformative learning processes and experimentation with new strategies for needs satisfaction.

The Impact of Meetings on the Network Governance and Mobility of UN Policy Programs on Environment and Education

Purpose This paper adds to the understandings of how face-to-face meetings contribute to the network governance and global mobility of United Nations (UN) policy programs on environmental and sustainability education (ESE). Design/Approach/Methods Data from interviews with 13 international ESE policy leaders were transcribed, coded, and analyzed for key themes related to the research purpose. Findings The findings indicate that meetings provide an arena for collaboration and influence on UN ESE policy programs, as well as facilitating the impact of the policy programs on UN member country policy. In addition, attending meetings enables the production of network relations that bind ESE policy communities together across distant locations. They are also a venue for the networking labor involved in forging new relationships and facilitating the social learning that supports global policy mobility. Originality/Value This pilot study enriches understanding of face-to-face meetings as a key vector of policy mobility and a significant factor in the overall network governance of UN organizations and their policy programs. We hope the study contributes to the fields of critical policy studies and ESE, as well as to informing policy actors on how important their participation in meetings can be for the network governance and mobility of UN policy programs.

Primary school students’ awareness of and attitudes toward local threatened animals

ABSTRACT Human actions threaten animal species with extinction at an accelerating rate. Environmental and Sustainability Education (ESE) is a key factor in tackling biodiversity loss by preparing future citizens to undertake conservation actions. This study deals with the awareness and the attitudes of 401 primary school students toward wild animals, focusing on local threatened species. Although students appear to have a satisfactory level of awareness of wild animals, they are significantly less aware of local species and confused regarding threatened ones. Bird species gain the lowest recognition. Habitat transformation and climate change are not well-known threats. Students have primarily naturalistic, and ecologistic attitudes. They like animals mainly due to their perceived appearance, intelligence and being in danger of extinction, while they dislike them based on the threat they pose to humans and other animals. The findings can inspire ESE practitioners to develop effective educational programs for wild animal conservation.

No time to waste? Dealing with ‘urgency’ in environmental and sustainability education

In this article, we explore how and why the concept of rhythm is crucial to understand how environmental and sustainability education (ESE) may deal with the urgency of taking action regarding climate change. Many activists consider sustainability educators as important allies in this struggle. Our argument is that ESE has a different role and responsibility. Both activism and education can be important allies; however, they operate in different modes and rhythms. Three scholars John Dewey, Michel Alhadeff-Jones and Sharan Todd inspire us with captivating ideas on education as a rhythmic aesthetic experience. Their ideas also show the importance of the interruption of existing rhythms for opening new perspectives on how humans relate to the world. Our encounter with these ideas results into a plea for a pedagogy that provides for alternative, aesthetic arrangements of time and space. In line with this, we explore three examples of place-based education. We conclude that there is no time to waste regarding the problems of climate change. However, ESE requires a pedagogy that provides for alternative arrangements of time and space, while enabling educative moments interrupting a linear flow of time, including our familiar experiences of the world.

The intersection of environmental and sustainability education, and character education: An instrumental case study

AbstractAlthough fostering values is promoted within environmental and sustainability education (ESE) and a shift in values is seen as essential for a sustainable future, recent international findings indicate that this aspect of ESE is being neglected. Previous research has shown there to be common ground between ESE and the field of character education (CE), a form of values education. Bringing together these two strands of theory and practice has the potential to be fruitful in terms of strengthening current, and introducing new, practices in both fields, particularly through drawing on existing evidence‐based strategies within CE to inform ESE. While there has been some work in this regard, this has been almost exclusively theoretical and there has been little research regarding thepracticeof such integration. This paper details an instrumental case study exploring an existing case of where ESE and CE come together in practice. A study was conducted at a Scottish, independent, all‐ages, holistic education‐oriented school, exploring how ESE is carried out. Data were gathered via teacher interviews, school observations, field notes and document analysis. Thematic analysis revealed four themes: the school as a sustainable organism; holistic learning; fostering a connectedness with nature; and nurturing the whole person. The data were then analysed from a CE perspective revealing multiple points of ESE–CE intersection, e.g. school climate/ethos, role‐modelling and service‐learning. The findings reveal commonalities between ESE and CE and provide examples of integrated ESE–CE practice, demonstrating potential for collaboration or shared ESE–CE practice. Avenues for further research are suggested.

Student emotional response to the lesser kestrel environmental and sustainability education program

Emotion is a central aspect for protecting the environment in environmental and sustainability education (ESE). As such, positive emotions toward nature can increase motivation to learn and take environmental action. This qualitative case study explored the complex interrelationship among place-based education, emotions and values related to ESE, academic social and emotional learning, and explored the situated notion of emotions in the context of environmental citizenship. The emotions of 59 fifth-grade students, who were engaged in a program to protect the Lesser Kestrel, were explored. The findings suggest that the outcomes of the Lesser Kestrel program were complex and mostly positive in activating students’ emotions. The results indicate that ESE programs should focus on situated emotions, due to their important role in promoting powerful learning experiences and environmental citizenship, which may mitigate the environmental crisis, along with moral issues that affect the well-being of the individual, and social and natural environments.

Alternative Perspectives on Environmental and Sustainability Education: A Study of Curriculum Policies across India, China and Japan

Environmental and Sustainability Education (ESE) in the formal sector is evolving rapidly across global contexts. Early Childhood settings are increasingly being seen as fertile grounds for promoting ESE values, attitudes and life-long pro-environmental behaviours. This article provides an in-depth understanding of the Early Childhood policy frameworks in India, China and Japan, focusing on how these support ESE implementation in Early Childhood settings. The study provides a comparative analysis of the key commonalities in the policy frameworks, the main enablers and vital challenges. It also offers a deep conversation on the convergences and divergences that bring together these three Asian countries in their goals of ESE implementation. Finally, the paper appeals to a global audience by offering a review of non-dominant approaches in these three countries, drawing upon their distinctive social, cultural and political contexts. The paper showcases the commonalities and divergences in Eastern cultures and also provides a lens to decipher key shifts from dominant Western philosophies. Overall, the paper responds to the call of this special issue to look at alternative perspectives and understand ESE in different contexts.

The perceived effect of environmental and sustainability education on environmental literacy of Czech teenagers

The article presents findings from a Czech environmental literacy survey conducted in 2020 on a sample of 6th (N = 3773), 8th (N = 21518), and 9th graders (N = 4368). Specifically, the effect of environmental and sustainability education (ESE) as well as the effect of gender and age on environmental knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, place attachment, locus of control and behavior were analyzed with regard to teaching strategies. The analyses revealed significant differences between respondents who participate in residential outdoor environmental education programs, those who were involved in a school eco-club or a nature-oriented non-formal-education youth clubs compared to those not involved in these activities. In addition, the perceived holistic, emancipatory, and community-based ESE approaches were among the significant predictors of environmental literacy. The findings support the relevance of the ESE strategies examined in shaping environmental literacy of young students. Older students and boys showed a lower level of pro-environmental values and behavior.

Closing the Gap: Potentials of ESE Distance Teaching

Environmental and sustainability education (ESE) traditionally relies on green teaching environments and active participation. Thus, during the lockdown phase, a gap between curricular goals and learning outcomes appeared. This study investigates the impact of ESE distance teaching on 288 Bavarian fifth-graders and learning factors that could bridge this gap. The influence of digital preferences on learning progress is examined and compared with the influence of fascination levels. A negative correlation between spending time outside in nature and spending time inside in front of a digital device is expected. A control group completed a learning unit about biological topics such as plant identification and environmental factors, as well as ESE topics such as characteristics of sustainable agriculture, at an out-of-school ESE center. The experimental group completed the same learning unit in distance teaching. Fascination with Biology (FBio) and Digital Nativity Assessment Scale (DNAS) were applied in addition to a customized knowledge test. Both values seem to have a positive impact on learning outcomes. There were no significant differences between the control and experimental group. Surprisingly, Fascination and Digital Nativity show a low, if not negligible, relationship. Implications for digital ESE, especially between outdoor learning centers and schools, are discussed.

Schooling and ESE: revisiting Stevenson’s gap from a pragmatist perspective

Environmental and sustainability education (ESE) consists of topical existential and ethical issues. At the same time, these issues are taught in a school setting that is shaped by assignments, grades, and school tasks. The relationships between structures of formal education in a school environment and the characteristics of ESE has been described in dichotomous terms as a contradiction, known in the ESE research field as “Stevenson’s gap”, after Robert B. Stevenson. The aim of this article is to overcome this dichotomous understanding of the relation between schooling and ESE by providing a pragmatist perspective. Drawing on John Dewey’s notion of habit, two learning habits are outlined by which students encounter environmental and sustainability issues in the classroom: the habit of schooling and the habit of inquiry. Empirical data from Swedish upper secondary schools is used to illustrate their meaning in classroom practice. Our pragmatist conceptualisation highlights how these habits are simultaneously present in the same classroom. A conclusion is that teaching and learning in ESE should not be reduced to either habit but that both can be valuable for a robust and vital ESE.

Environmental and sustainability education: A critical analysis of evaluation instruments through a research–practice partnership

Research is needed on environmental and sustainability education (ESE) programs implemented by public administrations. This study expands knowledge on ESE policy and instrument evaluation. Following the theory of change approach, semi-quantitative analysis of the evaluation questionnaire was used to examine the principles (organizational culture) of the Basque Country’s School Agenda 21 (SA21) program. Questionnaire answer options identified only partly responded to theory of change objectives. Results emphasized the need to address weaknesses of the questionnaire and SA21 program, particularly future modifications related to higher family and society engagement, focus on attitudes and behaviors, and an integrated sustainability concept. Regarding organizational context, program evaluation can be improved if the program coordinator is not solely responsible for answering the questionnaire. Further, students should have a more active role in evaluation. Research conducted with and in public administrations can improve evaluation processes and the educational system by highlighting virtues and proposing specific improvements.

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

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.

Learning Methods on Environmental Education to Improve Pre-Service Teachers’ Environmental Literacy

Environmental damage is still happening. The wrong human perspective on the environment that causes this damage continues. Only humans with environmental literacy can solve environmental problems. Environmental education is seen as the most effective way to educate people about environmental issues at all levels of education. Teachers are the front line in the success of education. However, there is no special program to prepare pre-service teachers’ environmental literacy on teachers through environmental education. A literature review is used to explore which learning methods are effective in improving attitudes, knowledge, and environmental behaviors for pre-service teacher students in scientific articles published from 2011 to 2021. Scientific articles were source from Google Scholar, ERIC, EBSCOhost, SAGE, Taylor and Francis, Sciencedirect, JSTOR, and Proceeding online. Twenty-one articles were selected from predetermined criteria. From the results of the analysis, learning methods in environmental education that are effectively used to improve the environmental literacy of pre-service teacher students include Environmental Education courses, Outdoor-based learning, Project Based Learning (PjBL), Problem Based Learning (PBL), Science, Technology learning, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), Constructivist Learning, Guided Inquiry, Demonstration, Environmental and Sustainability Education (ESE), Pedagogical Experiments, 3R-oriented learning, Contextual Approach based on local wisdom, environmental education based on transformational learning theory, and Integration of drama, film, and educational videos. The choice of method must still be adjusted to the learning material.

Transformative expectations in research on environmental and sustainability education

While education in general is seen as a crucial means for creating social change and transformation, environmental and sustainability education (ESE) is especially subject to transformative expectations in tackling escalating societal problems such as the lack of sustainable development. This article explores how ESE research addresses transformative expectations and justifies the knowledge it produces and its methods. It first explores examples of this within three different categories focusing on: transformative teaching in higher education, systemic transformative change in higher education institutions, and transformative change agency formation in community settings. Thereafter follows a discussion of the interfaces between the examples when it comes to their ontological, epistemological and methodological stances. The analysis illustrates different ways of conceptualizing transformative expectations, drawing on terms such as ‘rethinking’, ‘revitalizing’, ‘disrupting’, ‘reframing’ and ‘transgressing’. It furthermore highlights two different foundations for methodological justifications in ESE research addressing transformative expectations: working for change within existing social frameworks (adaptation), or seeking improvement by transgressing norms (disruption). It is pointing out that such methodological justifications are likely to differ in terms of how they address change depending on whether the research is conducted within or outside formal education settings.

Introduction to special issue: Learning assessments for sustainability? Exploring the interaction between two global movements

The aim of this special issue, “Learning Assessments for Sustainability?”, is to examine the interaction between the environmental and sustainability education (ESE) movement and the international large-scale assessments (ILSAs) movement. Both global educational movements emerged in the 1960s and their simultaneous work have affected each other since then. While the articles in this special issue highlight the potential benefits of ILSAs as a source of data for secondary analysis, they also demonstrate the limitations of ILSAs and their negative consequences to ESE. As such, we call for more research on the interaction between ESE and ILSAs and for a serious consideration of how test-based accountability practices might work against meaningful engagement with ESE. This introductory article includes three sections. The first section provides context about the movements. The second section presents an overview of the articles and alternative ways for reading them. The third section discusses lessons learned from the collection of articles. We conclude with a call for further research and reflection.

Mindfulness as self-confirmation? An exploratory intervention study on potentials and limitations of mindfulness-based interventions in the context of environmental and sustainability education

Over the past two decades, mindfulness meditation has received increasing attention in academia and various fields of practice. More recently, it has also been introduced into environmental and sustainability education (ESE) settings. This study offers a first exploratory investigation of learner experiences with consumption-specific mindfulness training. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 training participants. Data analysis was undertaken applying a pluralistic qualitative methods approach. Our results draw an ambivalent picture. On the one hand, we found that mindfulness training can connect individuals with inner states and processes that are also relevant to their consumer behavior, thus providing valuable impulses for ESE. On the other hand, however, these generic learning outcomes do not easily translate to consumptive acts. One explanation for this is that mindfulness practice can sometimes serve as a self-confirmation process that reinforces prevailing values, expectations, and intentions. This indicates important challenges mindfulness practice poses in ESE.

Innovative praxis for environmental learning in Canadian faculties of education

AbstractThis article explores innovative praxis in Environmental and Sustainability Education (ESE) in four preservice teacher education programmes in Canada. ESE is finding its way into teacher education in a variety of innovative and interdisciplinary ways, as both part of mainstream programmes and in their co-curricular margins. Using a case study approach, each case builds on unique connections to Indigenous education, art education, cultural learning or educational gardening, which supports a variety of differing aspects in relation to ESE. These cases share a common theme of building relationships at the heart of ESE teaching and learning in the mainstream and the margins of the academy. Brought together through a Canadian network of faculty, researchers, policy-makers and community educators that was formed in 2016, these cases demonstrate a deep commitment and imaginative capacity for embedding ESE in Canada’s teacher education systems.