Indigenous Environmental Education Research Articles

Research in Indigenous Environmental Education: what is studied?

O objetivo deste artigo é realizar uma análise quantitativa e qualitativa dos estudos publicados na revista nacional de Educação Ambiental, focados na temática de Educação Ambiental para povos originários. A partir dessa análise, foi possível compreender a metodologia das pesquisas, as áreas da Educação Ambiental abordadas e avaliar se os objetivos das pesquisas foram atingidos. Dessa forma, foi possível identificar a necessidade de estratégias mais inclusivas e culturalmente abrangentes, contribuindo para uma melhor integração das práticas de Educação Ambiental com as tradições e conhecimentos dos povos originários.

Ngā Waihotanga Iho: Self-determination through Indigenous environmental education in New Zealand

AbstractThis paper discusses the use of an estuary monitoring toolkit Ngā Waihotanga Iho as a central part of a Māori-centred education project undertaken by Kaipara hapū (sub-tribe), Te Uri O Hau, in Northland, New Zealand. The toolkit was designed by New Zealand’s National Institute for Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA). In this project, Te Uri O Hau collaborated with NIWA and regional high schools in order to use this toolkit as a mechanism for kaitikaitanga (environmental guardianship) and Indigenous-led environmental education. This paper demonstrates that approaches such as this can be powerful vehicles for Indigenous self-determination as Māori actively undertake tribal development and environmental guardianship, and strengthen the place of Indigenous knowledge, priorities and approaches within an evolving ‘post-colonial’ education system.

Gatekeeper or gardener? Exploring positioning, paradigms, and metaphors in indigenous environmental education research

ABSTRACTIn this article, I autoethnographically consider my experiences as a Métis scholar of mixed Indigenous and European ancestry based in Canada as an entry point for exploration of critical, interpretive, Indigenous and other traditional and contemporary research paradigms relevant to the field of Indigenous environmental education. Foundational scholarship, metaphorical models for the relationships between Western and Indigenous science and environmental knowledge systems, educators, and researchers, and current trends and tensions within the field are also discussed. In closing, I present future considerations and lingering questions for Indigenous and non-Indigenous scholars alike.

Weaving evaluation into the Waipā ecosystem: Placing evaluation in an indigenous place-based educational program

Indigenous environmental education programs offer learning, while also serving as vehicles for cultural resurgence and perpetuation. Like any educational program these initiatives require evaluation to improve their quality, assess progress and meet obligations to funders. However, evaluation tools must be tailored to such programs, which tend to be values based, holistic, and often focused on group, family and community empowerment rather than individual student learning. At the same time, evaluation tools developed specifically for indigenous education programs may be difficult to compare across programs. In this case, we investigate how the logic model, an established and widely used western evaluation tool, can be adapted and applied effectively to evaluate a place based Native Hawaiian education program, Waipā Foundation’s summer environmental program aimed at youth entitled Mai uka a i kai (from the uplands to the sea). In a pilot evaluation of Waipa Mai uka a I kai environmental summer program found that short-and medium-term outcomes associated with the program’s logic model were generally met, particularly if qualitative assessment tools were used. The use of quantitative evaluation tools and incorporating long-term outcomes requires much more involvement from program staff, participants and the broader community. These findings offer lessons for application of logic models, as well evaluation more broadly, within indigenous education contexts.

Indigenous Environmental Education: The Case of Renewable Energy Projects

This article presents insights from an inquiry into renewable energy development by Indigenous communities across Canada. The focus is on Indigenous leadership in developing renewable energy projects that align with traditional ecological philosophies while also providing increased economic and energy security, sovereignty, and educational opportunities. These projects build new STEM knowledges and practices across cultural divides. The article also discusses broader sociocritical concerns regarding renewable energy development, the associated challenges of renewable energy education, and Indigenous environmental education in the context of capitalist and nationalist agendas.

Book Review: From Bricolage to Métissage: Rethinking Intercultural Approaches to Indigenous Environmental Education and Research

Gregory Lowan-Trudeau’s book From Bricolage to Métissage: Rethinking Intercultural Approaches to Indigenous Environmental Education and Research offers insights into métissage as a research methodology and explores issues of identity and ecology. His book provides a readily accessible understanding of who the Métis people in Canada are, and how taking what he calls the spirit of métissage, an approach which weaves multiple cultural perspectives together, can lead to greater and deeper understandings. This practice can also be built into teaching practices and be used to solve problems in various fields. The chapters which introduce Lowan-Trudeau’s research participants feel somewhat disjointed with the rest of the text, but provide various perspectives which will be of interest to those working in environmental education.

English

The study assessed the level of indigenous environmental consciousness and education in Nigerian cities using Ogbomoso as a case study. It identified the level and limitations to the consciousness of environmental issues; it also evaluated the presence and level of indigenous environmental consciousness; examined the forms of indigenous environmental education prevailing in the city, how it is acquired, and their relevance to environmental management. It also assessed the effectiveness of this indigenous environmental consciousness and relayed the outcome of the survey for further work, by the incorporation of indigenous knowledge into the educational curriculum. The study elicits various indigenous educations relating to the environment, the level of awareness as regard such and the effectiveness. Data for this research were obtained mainly from a comprehensive questionnaire survey, which were administered to 3,000 (10%) households from the total of 30,020 households in the study area. The data collected were analysed using simple statistical techniques such as frequency table and percentages. Simple linear regression was used to explain the relationship between education, level of environmental consciousness of the people, income level and level of consciousness to environment. The study observed that the level of education is negatively related to the level of environmental consciousness and the level of income is directly related to environmental consciousness. The study shows that traditional and indigenous education are the avenue through which indigenous knowledge is passed to people through gradual socialization of youths in a society into its norms, religious beliefs and moral values. Key words: Indigenous knowledge system, environmental consciousness, education.