Environmental Education Project Research Articles

학교 환경교육 사업 운영을 통한 담당 교사들의 학습에 관한 질적 사례연구

Objectives This study aims to explore how teachers perceive the operation of school environmental education projects and identify the meaningful learning experiences they encounter in the process of carrying out environmental education tasks.
 Methods To achieve the research objectives, in-depth interviews and open-ended surveys were conducted with 11 teachers from elementary, middle, high, and special schools who have participated in the Chungcheongbuk-do Office of Education's Green School policy project for over two years and have continuous experience with Green Schools. The collected data were analyzed through qualitative research methods, and the research results were derived through discussions.
 Results Teachers, in the process of carrying out environmental education tasks, strengthened school environmental education on an educational dimension tailored to the specific situation, surpassing visible outcomes and pursuing educationally substantial activities. The efforts made by teachers were found to have an impact on changing their perspectives on the existing environmental education tasks. Through the learning process facilitated by these tasks, teachers recognized the overall necessity of environmental education in schools and, consequently, secured environmental education leadership at the school level.
 Conclusions The operation of school environmental education projects should be a process where teachers actively engage in and prioritize the implementation of substantial activities with an educational focus for better environmental education. Through realizing activities that prioritize educational objectives, teachers can create meaning in the operation of projects at both individual and community levels. This approach allows teachers to secure voluntary motivation for active participation in their roles as practitioners of environmental education.

A Sentient Planet as a School; a School as a Community Garden: Toward Eco-Creative Think-Practicing

The article revisits the notion of theory as differential becoming with a diffractive reading of two practices through/with each other: the curricular project of environmental education in Colombian schools and walking through Colombian volcanic selva. The article discusses both experiences as a practice of being-of living knowledge. Such knowledge is not just practical, functional, or instrumental; it is meaningful because it is co-created, emergent from being/becoming-with. The environmental education classroom discussed in the article is seen as an ecosystem. Academic reflexivity and the process of writing are approached as an ecosystem as well. We argue that decolonized/-ing inquiry requires inner decolonization as a person, as a field, and as academia by overcoming any homogeneous tendency toward being creatively and diversely more-than-theory.

THE IMPORTANCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION IN THE SCHOOL CONTEXT IN AMAZONAS

The topic of the importance of environmental education in the school context in Amazonas will be presented, the research objective of which was to verify, based on the perception of teachers, whether environmental education projects and actions in schools in Amazonas bring significant results that translate into personal practices in students' daily lives, as well as identifying whether reflections and changes in attitudes regarding environmental issues occur in students' daily lives, their level of interest in environmental issues and what to do to resolve them; in addition to verifying the environmental actions carried out by schools. The research was carried out with ten teachers from several municipalities in Amazonas, including the municipalities of Manaus, Altazes, Presidente Figueiredo, Urucurituba, Codajás, Novo Airão and Beruri, chosen randomly among doctoral students from the Doctorate in Education Sciences course at the University of Del. Sun - Paraguay. Environmental education in the educational environment helps teachers and students expand their way of thinking and acting in an integrative way in the face of complex global problems.

The Use of Mobile Sensors by Children: A Review of Two Decades of Environmental Education Projects.

Over the past twenty years, the use of electronic mobile sensors by children and youngsters has played a significant role in environmental education projects in Portugal. This paper describes a research synthesis of a set of case studies (environmental education projects) on the use of sensors as epistemic mediators, evidencing the technological, environmental, social, and didactical dimensions of environmental education projects over the last two decades in Portugal. The triggers of the identified changes include: (i) the evolution of sensors, information and communication platforms, and mobile devices; (ii) the increasing relevance of environmental citizenship and participation; (iii) the recognition of the role of multisensory situated information and quantitative information in environmental citizenship; (iv) the cause-effect relation between didactical strategies and environmental education goals; (v) the potential of sensory and epistemic learners' practices in the environment to produce learning outcomes and new knowledge. To support the use of senses and sensors in environmental education projects, the SEAM model was created based on the developed research synthesis.

Environmental education at regular schools and in youth and adult education

This study aimed to comparatively investigate the concepts of environmental education (EE) related to elementary school students enrolled in regular schools and in youth and adult education (YAE) in Brazil. A qualitative study was conducted using unstructured interviews. These interviews were carried out with twenty two students of YAE and the regular elementary school with themes formed about relation between human being and nature, conceptions about labor and conceptions of EE. We used the technique of content analysis and Toulmin’s argument pattern to analyze the data. The theoretical basis our study was the relation between the human being and labor. We considered the perspective of the ontological labor’s in the transformation of nature by the human being, and the subsequent transformation of the human being by nature, forming a cyclic process. Our results show that the students’ conceptions are related to a separation of the human being and nature, as well as their ideas about conservation and preservation of nature, recognizing their impacts on the environment. We did not verify any knowledge involving a more complex and critical comprehension about the relation between human beings and nature.This research suggests that the development and application of EE projects, should consider how subjects comprehend the relation between society and nature, leading to interesting outcomes.

Effect of periods of delayed first exogenous feeding in goldfish Carassius auratus (Linnaeus, 1758) larvae

Four treatments were established to evaluate the effect of delayed first exogenous feeding and subsequent feeding periods on the development of goldfish larvae. The fasting and feeding periods were arranged as follows: T1 (0DFA:30DF), T2 (4DFA:26DF), T3 (8DFA:22DF), and T4 (12DFA:18DF), where DFA are the days of fasting and DF are the days of feeding. The larvae were kept in community tanks for each repetition, with 75 larvae per tank (3.75 larvae L-1). There was no significant difference in total length or final weight between larvae submitted to 0, 4, and 8 days of feed deprivation. However, larvae submitted to 12 DFA had higher values of the same variables than the other treatments. No significant difference in larval survival was observed between T1, T2, and T3, but T4 negatively influenced survival. Under the conditions evaluated, the point of no return was 4 DFA. Dead larvae were partly eaten in the fasting treatments. The delayed first feeding should be avoided in large-scale productions since it significantly reduces survival during cultivation. This article results from research funded by the Pescarte Environmental Education Project (PEA/IBAMA).

PEOPLE’S KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

Environmental Education is essential in people’s lives. Not all students have had the opportunity to participate in Environmental Education projects during their normal study time, however, today many students are involved in projects that help them build social values and protect the planet. The objective of this research was, through an electronic questionnaire, to verify the degree of knowledge that people have about Environmental Education. In total, 1,024 people from all Brazilian states responded to the questionnaire, with the highest percentage of responses from the female audience, aged between 15 and 45 years, who studied in public schools. Most participants have satisfactory knowledge about what Environmental Education is, however a high number of people stated that they have never participated in an Environmental Education project.

Establishing Environmental Education on Students’ Environmental Literacy at Junior High School

Currently, several cities show unhealthy conditions based on visual monitoring of the Air Quality Index. This problem certainly has an impact on declining public health. This study aims to measure the environmental literacy of schools participating in an environmental education project. This type of research is quantitative. The research method used in this research is a survey with a quantitative research design. Sampling was done by way of voluntary response sampling. The population is 24 public high schools with a total of 22,250 students. The research sample was 1,058 students from 19 schools. The method used in collecting data is a test. The instrument used in collecting data is a test question sheet. The techniques used to analyse the data are descriptive and inferential statistical analysis. The results showed that the average environmental literacy of students was in the moderate category. Aspects of awareness and attitude in environmental education show exemplary achievements. Other aspects, namely knowledge, skills, and participation, show sufficient achievement. The ability to identify and analyse environmental issues are in the less category. Even though the contribution of school activity factors in environmental projects to environmental literacy is very significant. The more actively the school participates in the project, the higher the students' environmental literacy.

‘One Person Cannot Change It; It’s Going to Take a Community’: Addressing Inequity through Community Environmental Education

Environmental injustice is often an intersection of economic, social, and environmental disparities. Addressing the inequities borne by communities overburdened with such disparities requires local learning opportunities. Exploring how and what participants learn during community education projects can help inform and improve practice, which was the focus of this study. This study reports on a larger community environmental education project involving participatory action research, which involved community residents in Chicago learning to monitor local air quality using low-cost air sensors. The experiences of 14 volunteer air monitors were collected using focus group interviews and analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) approach to thematic analysis. Participant learning focused on new and existing skills related to science/technology, interpersonal communication, and local environment. Volunteers built skills in using low-cost air sensors, taught other community members about air monitoring and local air quality, and devised strategies for improving community air quality and health. This exploration of the experiences of community residents learning to use low-cost air monitors has three applications to community education practice related to addressing inequity: utilizing community members as educators, developing community capacity to engage with science, and normalizing equitable processes. The study’s findings mark a contribution by the field of adult and community education to both Critical Science Agency and low-cost air monitoring literature, in addition to the Education for Sustainability literature by addressing the lack of focus on sustainability and equity by highlighting a community-based PAR project focused on developing local capacity of marginalized communities to address air quality issues.

Calabrian Native Project: Botanical Education Applied to Conservation and Valorization of Autochthonous Woody Plants

Calabria is a floristic hotspot just at the center of Mediterranean Sea. Unfortunately, an increasing number of alien plant species threats this natural heritage, exactly while the crucial role of botany in secondary schools of Italy has been definitely dismantled. Calabrian Native Project is an environmental education project planned by Istituto Tecnico Agrario of Catanzaro that, reintroducing some key concepts of botany and biogeography, allowing pupils to experience a botanical excursion in the close-to-the-school Mediterranean Biodiversity Park, gives them the opportunity to become acquainted with both native and alien species. Pupils are asked to collect native plant propagules and to seed or cultivate the material in the school greenhouses, and to take care of these plants until their use. The prevalent outdoor and laboratory approach to the issue of bioinvasions, make the project very effective. This feature, with the low cost and reduced technology inputs, make the project highly replicable in other contexts, just focusing appropriate target species.

A systemic environmental impact assessment on tourism in island and coastal ecosystems

Intense tourism is a common occurrence in environments with very attractive natural traits and that host important ecosystem services, such as islands and coastal environments. However, these activities can cause impacts and loss of ecosystem services, thus requiring assessments about tourism activities and how to manage their complexity. Thus, the objective of the present study was to carry out an environmental impact assessment based on ecosystems in two islands with strong tourist pressure in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil. The islands analyzed were Anhatomirim and Campeche, and the methodology used was the ecosystem-based Survey of Environmental Aspects and Impacts (SEAI), carried out by means of structured technical visits following a bibliographic analysis of the study area. Results indicated that the analysis model constructed can contribute to decision-making in environmental management, as it enabled a clear and objective identification of the main aspects, environmental impacts, and ecosystem services that are somehow connected. Among the negative impacts observed, the most relevant were water pollution, impaired health of wild animals, loss of biodiversity, and the spread of Covid-19. In turn, the most prominent positive impact was the generation of employment and income. The demand for environmental education projects in the tourist system that involves the two islands is also highlighted. Thus, this investigation was shown to be useful for the identification of the main anthropic elements derived from tourism that affect these ecosystems.

Progetto didattico ambientale per la salvaguardia della biodiversità e la prevenzione degli incendi boschivi: “Giovani sentinelle della pineta costiera”

The vegetation of the coastal areas is closely linked to the back-dune habitat, generally occupied by coniferous forests of great naturalistic and landscape interest, where the floristic composition and vegetation are subject to deep transformations immediately after fire occurrence. School represents the ideal community for environmental and sustainability education projects aimed to raise the knowledge and awareness of the common cultural and natural heritage. This paper describes the work carried out by a third-year class of the Lower Secondary School of the I.C. “Q.O. Flacco” of Marconia (Matera, Italy) within the frame of the project “Young sentinels of the coastal pine forest”. The project aims to describe and safeguard the vegetation of the dune and back-dune habitat in the SIC area located in Marina di Pisticci, in order to prevent the occurrence of wildfires that can threaten the coastal pine forest. The results of this work can contribute to increase the knowledge of the local vegetation and to rise the awareness of new generations for the relevant role they should play in safeguarding the environment.

Effect of environmental education on the knowledge of aquatic ecosystems and reconnection with nature in early childhood.

Blue and green ecosystems are considered a key for the improvement of cities sustainability, providing numerous ecosystem services and habitat for many species. However, urban streams are still neglected and degraded, specially in southern European countries. One important step towards the rehabilitation of these ecosystems is the awareness of their importance by citizens. This study aimed to assess the effect of 1-year of activities (field and laboratory) of an environmental education project on primary school children, in improving their knowledge on urban stream ecosystems and their problems. We analyzed students’ questionnaires before and after field and laboratory activities, drawings and group interviews. Initially, most children had incipient contact with rivers and streams, showing fears and lack of knowledge about them. As the project progressed, their perceptions changed, with a clear increase in the proportion of students recognizing the biodiversity associated to rivers (e.g., names of riparian trees, aquatic plants and invertebrates). Also, their fears decreased significantly, while their awareness to the impacts of artificialization and lack of riparian vegetation increased. Our results show that direct contact with nature have a positive role in the way it is understood by children, as well as promoting responsible and sustainable behaviors, being effective from the early primary-school years.

Use of artificial refuges as a strategy for the conservation of bats

One of the main problems for the conservation of bats in Colombia is ignorance about them and their ecosystem services. In this study, we aimed to contribute to the understanding and conservation of the bat fauna of the Pasuncha region (Pacho, Cundinamarca, Colombia) by making a species inventory, installing artificial shelters as a conservation strategy, and implementing education programs addressing human-bat interaction. We recorded eight species for the region: Artibeus lituratus, Carollia brevicaudum, Carollia castanea, Carollia perspicillata, Sturnira erythromos (fruit eaters); Glossophaga soricina (nectarivorous-polynivorous); Eptesicus brasliensis (insectivore), and Desmodus rotundus (sanguinivorous). We found C. brevicaudum, C. perspicillata, and G. soricina using abandoned houses as refuges and measured the basic population characteristics of the species at the Roble & Nogal reserve. Based on the biotic and abiotic information, we designed, built, and installed a bat box for fruit eaters and nectarivorous-polynivorous species. We also implemented an environmental education project focused on citizen science to encourage changes in the community’s perceptions and behavior toward bats whose results were reflected in a series of illustrative brochures produced jointly with the community.

Projeto de Educação Ambiental desenvolvido por estudantes do ensino médio no ensino remoto e híbrido.

This report presents an Environmental Education project developed jointly by students-teachers and teacher-student, throughout a school semester, in 2021, in the context of Emergency Remote Education and Hybrid Education, at a private high school with social purposes. Thus, the objective of this experience report is to disseminate a practice aligned with a critical perspective of education. The project, guided by the perspectives of Liberating Education, Critical Environmental Education and Problem-posing Methodology with the Arch of Maguerez, culminated in the investigation of Generative Themes in micro and macro scale and the production of educommunicative materials, digitally disseminated by the collective. By analyzing the process, we consider that it was possible to develop a critical educational process, based on dialogue and problem-posing, despite the adversities imposed by Remote and Hybrid Education, and by the pandemic. Furthermore, we consider that it was possible to promote a reflection not only by the students-teachers themselves and the teacher-student involved, but to expand and transform it into praxis, through Educommunication, amplifying its reach and power to transform reality. We also consider important and necessary the experience of appropriating Information and Communication Technologies – dominated by the hegemonic discourse of technical-instrumental rationality and technological determinism – through a critical perspective.

A tale that never loses in the telling: Considerations for the shifting ethnobaseline based on artisanal fisher records from the southwestern Atlantic

An ethnoichthyological survey was conducted with fishers from traditional communities distributed between the Região dos Lagos and the northern Fluminense region, in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The study was developed based on semi-structured interviews, with fishers with at least 30 years of experience. Fishers were asked about changes noted for the biological communities with which they interact with, such as reports concerning abundance changes, the disappearance of certain species or the insertion of new ones, as well as weight and size changes. The reported ethno-names were confirmed at the specific level whenever possible through photographs and complementary descriptions. Eighty-five fishers aged between 39 to 83 years old were interviewed. Fishing activity times ranged from 30 to 68 years, averaging 40.6 years. Fishers reported differing estimates from what was expected according to the known length-weight relationship for the reported species. In general, length estimates were closer to the expected for medium-sized fish from 0.3 m to 1 m. Sixty-nine ethno-names and their variations were identified, associated with 58 fish categories. Of this total, denominations were associated to 47 local fauna species or genera, while one ethno-name was not linked to any taxonomic identification. This study is the result of research financed by the Brazilian Fund for Biodiversity and the Pescarte Environmental Education Project, a mitigation measure required by the Federal Environmental Licensing, conducted by IBAMA.

Sistema de Avaliação de Projetos de Educação Ambiental para Gestão de Recursos Hídricos (SAPEA-Água)

Abstract Given the increased risks of water crises faced by several countries, environmental education emerges as an instrument to help finding solutions to water-related issues, along with local communities and different sectors of society. However, studies have indicated the methodological vulnerability of environmental education programs/projects focused on water resources management. Thus, the current study developed the System for the Evaluation of Environmental Education Programs and Projects focused on Water Resources Management (SAPEA-Água). It adopted a qualitative-quantitative approach, based on the combination of bibliographic research and content analysis of documents substantiating environmental education, in order to evaluate the contextualization, interdisciplinarity, participation, sustainability, communication and self-assessment level of environmental education programs/projects. SAPEA-Água can substantiate the evaluation process, as well as increase the number, quality and effectiveness of environmental education programs/projects implemented in the water resources management context.

Environmental education in urban cities: Planet regeneration through ecologically educating children and communities

PurposeIn this study, we describe the impact of the Environmental Education (EE) projects for environmental regeneration conducted by the Group of Research and Studies in Environmental Education and Sustainability (GEPEASA) in Brazil. MethodsEE programs have been conducted in National Parks and public schools in urban cities with the objective to include EE in the school curriculum, with school farms, classes of sustainability, food security and environmental health, and recover local green areas. ResultsIn the areas where EE programs have been applied, there are increases of green areas, ecological consciousness and social engagement, and well-being of students and communities. ConclusionsLack of ‘nature’ contact is critical in urban areas, where reduced green areas and outdoor activities have created an artificial lifestyle and a false perception of natural reality, increasing the risk of chronic diseases and mental disorders. EE carries the main responsibility to reestablish the connection between nature and children and communities, re-educating them to be the future's conscious Earth's citizens.

FISHING IN THE LARGEST PERENE HYPERSALINE LAGOON IN SOUTH AMERICA, WITH NOTES ON CURRENT REGULATIONS

Araruama Lagoon (Rio de Janeiro) is the largest hypersaline lagoon in South America. The aim of this study was to survey fishing landings, capture areas and production at this lagoon, in addition to analyzing data from the Pescarte Census. Fishing landings were monitored daily by community agents from March to August/2009, through the Petrobras Mosaico Program. Thirteen landing points were identified in five municipalities, totaling 8,096 recorded landings, and accumulating 469.1 tonnes. São Pedro da Aldeia (39.6%), Arraial do Cabo (27.7%) and areas in the central region (37.6%) and the south coast (29.1%) of the lagoon presented the highest landings and catch volumes. Twelve species were identified, mainly Pogonias courbina (48.9%) and Penaeus spp (33.8%), and gillnets were the most important fishing gear. Very few studies have addressed fishing at Araruama Lagoon, leading to current planning measures supported by little data. We advocate a participatory review of current regulations, to better address gillnet fishing and the capture of different fish species. This study is the result of research financed by the Pescarte Environmental Education Project, a mitigation measure required by the Federal Environmental Licensing, conducted by IBAMA.

Mobile mandala garden as a tool of environmental education in an early childhood school in Southern Brazil

The raising of environmental awareness should begin in early childhood and continue throughout life in the form of educational strategies that enhance the discussion, critical reflection and formation of values for a citizenship, where the school is an important space to work on environmental education. Given the above, the present study aimed to develop an environmental education project in a public school of early childhood education, through the construction of a mobile mandala garden as a pedagogical tool. The type of research was qualitative, for the action research method was used. The school under study is located in a city in Southern Brazil. An interview with the school's coordination allowed the diagnosis of the situation of environmental education in the preschool. The study was conducted with students from a preschool class (students between three and four years of age). The construction of a mobile mandala garden for the cultivation of vegetables was used as a pedagogical tool for the development of environmental education practices (pedagogical activities) around the vegetable garden. The behavior and attitudes of the students in the pedagogical activities developed around the vegetable garden were recorded in a field diary and photographs. The content analysis method enabled the analysis of the collected data. The results demonstrated the mobile mandala garden as a pedagogical tool that enhanced engagement, participation and dialogue between students and the school community. The environmental education practices developed around the vegetable garden enabled students to learn about the environment, planting vegetables and healthy eating from an early age, stimulating the development of values such as respect, ethics, cooperation and community. This study was innovative and made scientific progress on the creation of a pedagogical tool with the potential of being used in environmental education activities.