Goals Of Environmental Education Research Articles

Review of Environmental Education in the US National Parks Service according to Social Transition : A Case Study on Two Pacific Northwest National Parks

National park, as a natural park, has a dual purpose, to promote both protection and enjoyment. The educational activities of the national park can be partly understood as one of the appropriate means to balance its double purposes. This study provides a review of environmental education in the US National Parks according to social transition. Taking historical perspective and case studies, environmental education has played roles in helping the balance between preservation and enjoyment. Since the environmental movement, environmental education goals, particularly understanding the natural processes observable at national parks, has become more a part of the interpretation and education missions of the parks. Also non-governmental and non-profit partners have played important educational-based roles in support of both the National Parks Service and environmental education goals. The two different models also differ in the public's perception of them. Federal employees are resented in some rural areas in the U.S., but the general population automatically attributes authority, friendliness, and national-interestedness to NPS Rangers. This may in turn limit how strongly such staff could serve as strong advocates for the environment. On the other hand, the non-profit may be seen by some as strongly liberally biased and associated with urban wealth. It is also not as universally recognized as the NPS. It can, however, go far to develop new partnerships and undertake public relations. Non-profits vary greatly in quality, also affecting public perception.

Toward a Model of Embodied Environmental Education: Perspectives from Theatre and Indigenous Knowledges

This paper suggests a model of embodied environmental education grounded in participant interviews, fieldwork, scholarly literature, and the author's own embodied relationship with the natural world. In this article, embodiment refers to a process that stems from Indigenous Knowledges and theatre. Although Indigenous Knowledges and theatre resonate with the goals of environmental education, they rarely find full expression in such programs. The participants in this empirical research project suggest that embodiment has the potential to enrich environmental education by promoting personal connections with and responsibility for the environment.

Our School at Blair Grocery: A Case Study in Promoting Environmental Action Through Critical Environmental Education

Despite wide agreement on the goals of environmental education (EE), the promotion of action is still considered contentious. Critical environmental education (critical EE) teaches students to combine critical reflection with the ability to engage in local action to address social/environmental problems. This article examines a critical urban farming school in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward for how student action is addressed. Results found that critical learning within an egalitarian, youth-centered community located in a disadvantaged area produces students who are more enlightened and empowered to create change. However, concerns regarding funding and safety led staff to not adhere to maintaining an egalitarian ethic, undermining the individualism and unpredictability that critical EE thrives upon and producing “disconnects” in students’ education.

Environmental Education Development in Malta: A Contextual Study of the Events That Have Shaped the Development of Environmental Education in Malta

Environmental Education Development in Malta: A Contextual Study of the Events That Have Shaped the Development of Environmental Education in MaltaThis paper discusses the historic development of environmental education in Malta and identifies environmental non-governmental organisations as the main promoters of environmental education in Malta. Environmental awareness started to increase as a response to major environmental issues on the island, but was a long affair, hindered in its development by a number of factors, including the governments' non-committal policy, the colonial mentality and the highly competitive educational system. European Union accession had a positive impact on the development mainly due to the imposed requirements. Subsequent governments have realised the importance of environmental education as an effective solution to ensure environmental sustainability. Nonetheless, as environmental education goals take a long time to be achieved, the lack of short-term achievements may be somewhat hindering its development. A context-based environmental education development model was designed to illustrate the complex relations identified in the study. The study suggests a commitment towards locally produced materials, genuine environmental non-governmental organisations and funding up of a co-ordinating centre for the promotion of environmental education at all academic levels.

Blended e-Learning: A New Approach to Environmental Education of Iran High Schools

With the aim of studying teachers’ viewpoints regarding the role of face to face education, e-leaning, and blended e-learning approaches in fulfilling the goals of environmental education of Iran high schools, 50 education experts of Fars province high schools were chosen through multi-stage cluster sampling and answered to a researcher-made questionnaire about the effectiveness of each of these approaches. The results generally showed that education experts’ view, the blended e-learning can have the greatest impact on advancing the environmental education goals and enhancing high school students learning.

Environmental Education and Multicultural Education – Too Close to Be Separate?

Environmental education and multicultural education share many characteristics. In addition to having the same underlying core values of a democratic society, they both emphasise values education, empowerment and active citizenship. Environmental education and multicultural education also find common ground in treasuring diversity, respect and compassion. They both aim for societal reform by reorienting education and facilitating active personal and social change. They also have a strong global perspective. The relationship between these two educational trends should be seen in a wider context, as a starting point for more holistic teaching and learning. Environmental education and multicultural education can be considered as two parts of the same theme of how individuals and institutions can collaborate in building a better, sustainable world locally, nationally and globally. By engaging students in multicultural education, school can simultaneously better achieve the goals of environmental education, and vice versa.

Creating Web-based Environmental Education Resources through Community and University Partnerships

Community groups often seek to engage with schools in promoting environmental education goals. A collaborative initiative is described in which university pre-service teacher education students were encouraged to create Web-based teaching and learning resources, related to rainforests and world heritage areas, for use at primary and secondary levels. The partnership between Southern Cross University and the Advisory Committees of the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area took the form of a voluntary competition, which was integrated with students’ university assessment requirements. The factors that influenced students’ decisions to get involved were identified through telephone interviews. Insight was also gained into pre-service teachers’ understanding and willingness to engage in environmental education. The data was interpreted through the lens of participatory partnerships and incentives in environmental education. The study reveals implications for universities, professional associations and community organisations who may seek to similarly collaborate in educational resource development.

Paul F-Brandwein 2004 Lecture: Regarding the Ecology of Science Education: Connections to Environmental and Distance Education

Paul F-Brandwein was a visionary who looked at education broadly. He left us with an insightful view of the ecology of education in which he identified three ecological systems: school–family–community, postsecondary, and cultural. The first part of this lecture, by Dean B. Bennett, examines Brandwein's ideas related to environmental education and explores the relationship of environmental education with science teaching in the K-12 school–family–community ecosystem. Focusing particularly on the middle-secondary level, evidence suggests that the goals of environmental education, since their emergence in the late 1960s, are today strongly evident in science curricula, instructional resources, educational assessment, and teacher education. But the author points out that more must be done and provides some fundamental suggestions. The second part of the lecture, by Sheila K. Bennett, examines the role of distance education in the teaching of science in the postsecondary ecosystem and addresses its value as a viable tool in promoting scientific literacy. The lecture focuses on a successful statewide, interdisciplinary laboratory science course delivered by interactive television, the Internet, and computer network. Now in its ninth year, the course reflects Brandwein's thinking about effective classroom teaching and is based on national standards for scientific literacy.

Outdoor School: Creating A Passion for the Environment

Environmental education aids in creating deeper understanding, investigation, and decision-making skills among students. The goal of environmental education is to lead students to become effective environmental stewards. We created an ongoing service learning partnership that combines mentoring, environmental education, and community resources with elementary and college students in an Outdoor School program. This paper outlines the process and content of Outdoor School.

Why is Environmental Engineering an Important Aspect of Environmental Education?

Environmental education has become the focus of national attention. The vision statement for a recent national environmental conference included exploring ‘‘the role of education regarding one of the central issues of the 21st century—how to achieve a more sustainable relationship between people and the environment. The security of people and nations, economic opportunity and quality of human life depend upon the continued availability of a life-sustaining environment’’ ~‘‘Vision’’ 2002!. Some of the university level topics explored at this conference included curricular needs for environmental sciences and environmental studies degree programs, integrating human health and environmental education, and transforming education at business schools. There appeared to be very little emphasis placed on the role of environmental engineering in the collegiate environmental education curriculum. As environmental engineers, we need to make sure that we are included in this national agenda. Why is it important to include engineering in this vast interdisciplinary grouping of knowledge? It is important because one of the goals of environmental education is ensuring that people continue to have a life-sustaining environment available to them. Engineering is part of the process in effecting this. In 1949, Merriam-Webster, Inc. ~then known as G & C Merriam Co.! defined ‘‘environment’’ and ‘‘engineering’’ in Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary ~1949! as en•vi’ron•ment...n...2. That which environs; surroundings; specific, the aggregate of all the external conditions and influences affecting the life and development of an organism, etc., human behavior, society, etc.-en•vi’ron•men’tal,adj.... en’gi•neer’ing...n... 1. Originally the art of managing engines. 2. Applied science concerned with utilizing inorganic products of earth, properties of matter, sources of power in nature, and physical forces for supplying human needs in the form of structures, machines, manufactured products, precision instruments, industrial organization, the means of lighting, heating, refrigeration, communication, transportation, sanitation, and public safety, and other productive work... Almost a half century later, these definitions have become slightly more concise in the 1996 edition of Webster’s II New Riverside Dictionary ~1996! en•vi•ron•ment...n. 1. Surroundings. 2. The combination of external physical conditions affecting the growth and development of organisms.--en•vi’ron•men’tal adj.... en•gi•neer•ing...n. 1. The application of scientific principles to practical ends. 2. The design and construction of large-scale or complex structures such as bridges, roads, and tunnels.

Outdoor School

Environmental education aids in creating deeper understanding, investigation, and decision-making skills among students. The goal of environmental education is to lead students to become effective environmental stewards. We created an ongoing service learning partnership that combines mentoring, environmental education, and community resources with elementary and college students in an Outdoor School program. This paper outlines the process and content of Outdoor School.

Outdoor School

Environmental education aids in creating deeper understanding, investigation, and decision-making skills among students. The goal of environmental education is to lead students to become effective environmental stewards. We created an ongoing service learning partnership that combines mentoring, environmental education, and community resources with elementary and college students in an Outdoor School program. This paper outlines the process and content of Outdoor School.

Environmental Education Research: A Decade Later- An Update of My Review of Alternative Paradigms in Environmental Education Research

Children, Youth and Environments Vol 13, No.1 (Spring 2003) ISSN 1546-2250 Retrospective Environmental Education Research: A Decade Later- An Update of My Review of Alternative Paradigms in Environmental Education Research Louise Chawla Whitney Young College Kentucky State University In rereading my review of this 1993 publication, I was struck by the number of ways in which this collection dated from “the time before” many critical contemporary features of environmental education: the time before widespread access to personal computers and environmental information on the internet; the time before education for sustainability came to play a major role in environmental education planning and debates; the time before the earth’s population passed the six billion mark and human-induced global change became a feature story even in small town newspapers. In the decade since 1993, the urgency of achieving William Stapp’s goals for environmental education- of producing a knowledgeable, aware citizenry who is motivated to work toward the solution of environmental problems- has intensified, while by all evidence, the opportunities for children to know and care for the environment through community-based projects, field trips, and informal exploration of their neighborhoods appears to be steadily eroding under the pressure of tightening school budgets, the tyranny of standards-driven testing and teaching, sprawl, and parents’ fears of letting their children range freely. In this context, debates about one research paradigm or the other appear academic in a way that now appears to me out of touch with the contemporary reality of our need to know as much as we can about how to achieve Stapp’s goal by every research means and method possible. To the extent that the collection clarified the definition and use of different research approaches, it remains useful. To the extent that some contributions advocated one approach to the exclusion of others, they appear unrealistic. 279 In this context, John Disinger’s observation in 1993 rings as true as ever: that most research on environmental education focuses on work in schools, but there is an inherent conflict between the goals of environmental education and formal education. As Stapp defines environmental education, its purpose is to inform and motivate people to take action to solve environmental problems. In the United States, under pressure from conservative legislators and spokespeople for conservative foundations, environmental educators have had to step back from this goal and avow that they are not advocacy oriented: their goal is only to prepare students to make informed decisions, not to advocate any decisions or actions. This emphasis on knowing and thinking versus acting is evident in the important research review by Mark Rickinson that was published as a special monograph of the journal Environmental Education Research in August 2001. The great majority of studies that he reviewed from around the world investigated young people’s environmental knowledge and attitudes, in contrast to only a few which evaluated programs designed to engage young people in the critical investigation of environmental issues and taking action. As I did in 1993, I still recommend a follow-up publication by the North American Association for Environmental Education which will demonstrate how to assemble a variety of complementary research methods to understand how to effectively and democratically motivate people to not only understand problems, but also take action to address them. Louise Chawla holds degrees in developmental psychology and environmental psychology, and is the international coordinator of UNESCO’s Growing Up in Cities project. She is a professor at Whitney Young College, an interdisciplinary honors program at Kentucky State University. Dr. Chawla also serves as an adjunct professor in the doctoral program in Environmental Studies at Antioch New England Graduate School in New Hampshire. Reference 280 Rickinson, Mark (2001). Special issue on "Learners and Learning in Environmental Education: A Critical Review of the Evidence," Environmental Education Research 7(3). ...

Measuring the environmental literacy of teachers

The crucial role that teachers' environmental literacy plays in realising the goals of environmental education and the importance of the ability, to determine their level of environmental literacy, are argued. A measuring instrument was developed in this regard and was applied to a sample of teachers. An analysis of the results revealed that the instrument meets the necessary psychometric requirements and that it can be considered a valid and reliable instrument to measure the level of environmental literacy of teachers. The research also revealed interesting results regarding the relationship between the level of teachers' environmental literacy and their field of academic training, accompanying learning area involvement, and general environmental education training.

Environmental Science as a Vehicle for Building Natural Sciences and EE Into a New Interdisciplinary Urban Public University

The recent (1990) establishment of a new campus of the University of Washington at Tacoma (UWT) has led to the development of an upper-division environmental curriculum within an interdisciplinary arts and sciences framework. All of the natural sciences at UWT were founded under the rubric of environmental science, which was integrated with a range of other disciplines' perspectives on the environment, to form a more comprehensive environmental education program. The community-oriented mission, evolving structure, and flexibility of this relatively new urban commuter campus allowed the authors to create a multitiered environmental education program that broadly integrates environmental issues into interdisciplinary undergraduate education and is consistent with national and international environmental education goals. In this study, the authors compare the curricula developed at UWT with other new and established environmental programs nationally.

Gauging primary school teachers’ environmental literacy: An issue of ‘priority’

Over the past thirty years, it has often been stated that primary school education should endeavour to improve and protect the environment through producing an ‘environmentally informed, committed and active citizenry’. Even so, existing research shows that the implementation of environmental education in primary schools is problematic and has had limited success. However, the reasons for these shortcomings are far from clear, with present research merely speculating about barriers to effective implementation. This paper presents a detailed discussion and analysis of primary school teachers knowledge and beliefs about environmental concepts and environmental education. In so doing, the paper identifies a perceived gap within the field of environmental education research and literature. This field has neglected studies of Australian primary school teacher’s knowledge and beliefs about environmental education as a factor affecting the capacity of schooling to achieve environmental education goals. To these ends, we utilise the concept of ‘environmental literacy’ to assess primary school teacher’s knowledge and beliefs about environmental education. Based upon preliminary data analysis, we tentatively claim that current Queensland primary school teachers are variably committed to and demonstrably lack content knowledge of environmental concepts and environmental education. More significantly, these primary school teachers tend to dismiss the importance of content knowledge, preferring to focus upon attitudes towards environmental education and environmental concepts. Clearly these levels of environmental literacy are inadequate if environmentally literate students and thus an environmentally literate citizenry are to be achieved within schools. We conclude that the introduction of environmental literacy in educational policy would advance the goals of environmental education, namely the production of an informed, committed and active citizenry.

Finding Environmental Education in the National Science Education Standards

Can environmental education goals be incorporated into the National Science Education Standards?

Environmental Education Research: Implications for Engineering Education

AbstractMost environmental education in engineering has pertained to the development of technical environmental engineering skills. However, at the post‐secondary level, the spectrum of environmental education approaches is broad, and no consensus exists on the necessary curricular mix for forming effective environmental professionals. This paper examines the tension between the environmental education goals of knowing and caring: learning to scientifically describe how environmental processes work, and learning to value and feel concern for the environment. Literature on the development of environmental sensitivity is explored for insights into how the environmental sensitivity of engineering students could be assessed and nurtured.

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

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

Participatory Action Research: A Theoretical and Practical Framework for EE

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