Perspective Of Environmental Education Research Articles

Research on Rural Youth Hostel Spatial Design Strategies under the Concept of Environmental Education

With the rapid development of rural tourism and the vigorous implementation of rural revitalization policies, rural youth hostels in China are showing promising prospects. Mass-oriented youth hostels are no longer sufficient to meet the diverse needs of society. The development of youth hostels is undergoing new exploration and transformation, with the incorporation of environmental education content providing a new path for the development and transformation of rural youth hostels. This paper, from the perspective of environmental education, elucidates the significance of conducting environmental education in rural youth hostels, proposes new ideas for the construction of rural youth hostels, and outlines the implementation pathways of environmental education in these settings.

Geocultural Interactions in Minoan Crete: An Environmental Education Perspective through Drama Techniques

This paper explores an innovative educational program designed to protect and promote the geocultural heritage of Minoan Crete. The program applies environmental education and sustainability principles while integrating theater in education, a novel approach that significantly impacts participants’ perspectives. By effectively combining these elements, the program fosters environmental awareness, deepens cultural appreciation, and instills sustainable behaviors in both the local population and visitors. This interdisciplinary approach, blending geocultural heritage into environmental education, promotes an understanding of the delicate balance between nature and human interaction during the Minoan era. The paper also examines the program’s potential for broader community engagement and policy influence, emphasizing how its educational outcomes could result in meaningful changes at both community and policy levels. We advocate for the preservation of Minoan Crete’s geocultural heritage and its sustainable future through a unique blend of educational strategies, marking a milestone in heritage conservation.

Critical environmental education with family farmers in Brazil: The first steps of an action research against pesticide contamination

This study aims at the formation of knowledge about the fight against risk situations by the use of pesticides in plantations. It was held in a community of family farmers, located in the district of Joanapolis, in the state of Goias, Brazil. It consists of an action research developed by a center of research that seeks to favor the empowerment of the subjects in the face of risk situations. The study is carried out at farmers' production sites and at the rural school where their children study, being carried out by the students of the Chemistry Major Degree at IFG – Anapolis Campus. By the use of qualitative instruments the main adverse situations in this context were identified and we report actions of the Center of Research. The critical perspective of environmental education is the theoretical and methodological basis assumed for intervention. Considerations about the initial process of intervention are presented.

Environmental Concerns and English Language Teaching in Saudi Context: Perceptions and Practices

The present study aims to analyze the English language teachers’ perceptions and practices in Saudi Arabia from the perspective of environmental education. The drive is firstly to record and scrutinize teachers’ perceptions regarding the incorporation of environmental education as part of ELT. Secondly, it explores whether or not they integrate environmental concerns into their teaching materials and practices. For this purpose, mixed-method research was used using a questionnaire and a focus group interview as tools of the study. The findings reveal not-up-to-par responses with respect to the attitudes of ELT teachers toward the integration of environmental education in the ELT curriculum. Moreover, their current practices also lack such focus in their classrooms though they apprehend its significance in light of contemporary environmental concerns. The study suggests that this needs to be focused on a preliminary basis by the concerned stakeholders to educate and equip the ELT teachers for the purpose.

What people learn from death: exploring citizen scientists’ learning outcomes in Taiwan Roadkill Observation Network from an environmental education perspective

Citizen science is a key approach in scientific research that involves crowdsourced data collection for environmental monitoring and conservation. Participants in citizen science can gain scientific knowledge, change their pro-environmental attitude and behavior. Taiwan Roadkill Observation Network (TaiRON) was founded in 2011 and has a community of approximately 20,000 members. To collect data for further biological research, participants adopt a simple approach: taking pictures of roadkill and uploading them to a database. While many studies have explored citizen science learning outcomes, this study examines how a program with a unique participant task – photographing road kill – has an impact on participants pro-environmental learning. The learning outcome with the largest change was environmental attitude, suggesting that the participants’ feelings, awareness, and values regarding the environment changed after joining TaiRON. The reasons for the attitude changes could be attributed to the characteristics of TaiRON’s work: participants collect data from animal carcasses, prompting them to reflect deeply on the value of life. The second key learning outcome was behavioural intention, which means participants were driven to action to mitigate roadkill occurrence. Our results provide an example of evaluating learning outcomes in citizen science and also contribute to promoting environmental literacy.

The role of indigenous games in education: a technology and environmental education perspective

ABSTRACT This conceptual study explores the role that indigenous games can play in teaching Technology Education (TE) while integrating Environmental Education (EE). Relevant literature is reviewed to achieve this aim. Indigenous games can assist TE teachers in their teaching while also shaping learners’ attitudes toward the environment. Waste, among other things, presents an opportunity for TE teachers to teach the subject meaningfully to indigenous learners. Indigenous learners will be able to use what they have learned through indigenous games to address the problem of environmental degradation. Waste reduction, recycling, and reuse enable learners and teachers to apply their imagination and creativity to care for the environment within each of the four TE themes. The integration of indigenous games into learners’ learning activities makes learning relevant to learners’ cultural knowledge and worldviews. It also helps TE teachers overcome school resource limitations and learn while modifying the TE content and teaching techniques.

Out-of-School Learning in the Wadden Sea: The Influence of a Mudflat Hiking Tour on the Environmental Attitudes and Environmental Knowledge of Secondary School Students.

In this study, the Wadden Sea, as an out-of-school learning site, is considered from an empirical-research perspective of environmental education. The Wadden Sea in Germany is part of the largest contiguous mudflat area in the world. Although much evidence is already available on different teaching and learning processes at various out-of-school learning sites, this is not yet the case for the Wadden Sea. This research gap was taken up. In this paper, 427 students (mean age: 11.74 years) participated in a mudflat hiking tour. A pre-post-test design followed by a retention test was used to determine the impact of this on participants' environmental attitudes and environmental knowledge. The single factor analyses of variance with repeated measures demonstrated that the mudflat hiking tour had both a positive short-term and a positive long-term impact on environmental attitudes, as well as on environmental knowledge. All three constructs could, therefore, be positively influenced by the intervention. Correlation analyses revealed a positive relationship between environmental attitudes and environmental knowledge at three measurement time points. These results empirically confirm the potential of the Wadden Sea as an out-of-school learning site for environmental education with students from secondary schools. The effectiveness of non-formal education in this ecological environment can be proven.

Climate Change and Environmental Education

This article sought to analyze the Climate Action Plan for the City of São Paulo 2020-2050 (PlanClima SP), published in June 2021, in dialogue with the documents: Curriculum of the City of Natural Sciences and 2030 Agenda. In a critical perspective of Environmental Education, the PlanClima SP establishes some actions towards zero carbon in 2050. In this sense, the objective of the study was to analyze the potentialities presented in the document for the development of sustainable pedagogical practices. The methodology selected for this study was qualitative, carried out with the analysis of the cited documents based on the concept of the Critical Environmental Education. The results found demonstrate practical possibilities for actions aimed at training critical and reflective students for a sustainable development. The Environmental Education actions proposed in the analyzed material point to the modification and construction of behaviors and attitudes aimed at the culture of environmental preservation. It is concluded that the discussion about carbon emissions in a critical and conscious way, through pedagogical practices, is powerful in environmental preservation and sustainability.

Environmental education using distance learning during the COVID-19 lockdown in Israel

Education systems and environmental education professionals have been challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic and the sharp transition to distance learning that has necessitated a rapid response. Environmental education as part of a social-ecological system is dependent on the adaptability and the scope of the change with which the system responds to crisis. It is therefore important to explore the ways in which environmental educators choose to increase students’ proximity to nature under conditions of lockdown. The aim of this study, therefore, was to examine environmental educators’ perspective on and teaching methods for implementing environmental education under distance learning conditions. To this end, we conducted 16 interviews and analysed teaching methods (e.g. videos, lesson plans and written assignments) that were used by Israeli environmental educators in March–April 2020. The findings highlight the creativity of the educators who used a variety of teaching methods, involving active/passive learning and the direct/indirect experience of nature, using nature for observation, investigation and in-depth personal, social and environmental learning. The study’s contribution stems from its exploration of the crisis from the perspective of environmental education in the context of social-ecological systems. Key findings present challenges (e.g. lack of direct outdoor interaction and feedback) and opportunities (e.g. public access to online lectures and the nationwide sharing of teaching materials) that were faced by environmental educators in Israel and that led to the development of diverse teaching methods for contending with the crisis. The study recommends incorporating diverse activities in nature, implementing outdoor teacher training for all teachers and creating professional teacher networks.

Development of environmental education concepts concerning chemical waste management and treatment: the training experience of undergraduate students

It is essential to develop a safety culture with the participation of university teachers and students in actions and studies that can contribute to safer and more sustainable practices in academic laboratories. The present work analyzes the potential of a training program to raise awareness and establish environmental education and green chemistry concepts concerning procedures for the management and treatment of chemical waste generated in experimental classes. This is a qualitative case study providing a critical perspective of environmental education. The training activity, lasting 45 minutes, was conducted with 66 students entering Chemistry courses at a Brazilian public university. Data collection was carried out using an initial questionnaire to identify the students’ prior knowledge, and a final one applied after the training period. The questionnaires contained open questions and closed questions with a Likert-type scale. The results showed that the training activity contributed to the students’ understanding of the concepts, procedures, and attitudes related to the management and treatment of chemical waste, including the interrelations among the environmental, social, and economic impacts of waste management, the importance of correct separation and storage of residues for disposal using different types of treatment, the civil liability of the academic community for the residues generated, and how the 3Rs principles can favor sustainable practices in the academic context.

Integration of STEM activities in textbooks

The STEM educational perspective is rising and it s consistent with the competence approach incorporated in educational law. The aim of this work is to analyze to what extent the Primary Education Sciences textbooks in Spain and Chile are aligned with this STEM perspective. Following a content analysis methodology, in the 12 widely disseminated analyzed textbooks, 462 activities were identified. Among them, 164 (less than 50%) are related with, at least, one STEM area. These activities were classified according to the integrated curriculum analysis model, which proposes six ways to approach the integration of an activity.The “linked approach” shows a greater relevance in Spanish (50%) and Chilean textbooks (46%). In adition, the activities were classified according to an adaptation of the environmental education perspective approach. Among 5 existing approaches, the “experiential” (60) and the “praxique” (50) are the most prevalent approaches. The findings reveal the need to increase the relationship among disciplines to achieve a truly integrated STEM approach.

Perspectives of Environmental Education and the Formation of Ecological Culture Among School Children

ABSTRACT The democratic transformation in the Russian Federation is accompanied by the formation of a qualitatively new structure which is an updated civil society. This approach, of course, requires significant adjustments in the relationship between man and his environment. This study focuses on key aspects of environmental education and the formation of ecological culture among schoolchildren. It must be recognized that in most educational organizations, the solution to the problems of educating ecological culture still remains at the level of declarations. To solve the given problem, the researchers used a complex of theoretical and empirical methods. It was concluded that education makes sense as learning for life, and not for a set of “knowledge, skills.” The presence of a socially active nature in various methods of environmental education allows the researchers to steadily form an active civic position and implement the main tasks of the civic upbringing of students.

Environmental Education and Perception about the Environment by High School Students and Teachers

The philosophies and epistemologies that guide the environmental thought of a certain educational community influences its actions in favor of the environment, including the absences of these actions, thus the political-pedagogical propositions that guide the environmental education actions are also strongly affected. In this context, the actions in environmental education in the town of Presidente Kennedy (Brazil) are analyzed as well as the perceptions/actions regarding environment, considering specifically the high school students of the town. The analysis will occur from semi structured interviews with two important professionals that act in the field and also from a questionnaire with open-ended questions applied to a group of second year students. The data were analyzed from Bardin (2010) content analysis. The project indicates that the way of thinking the environment, represented by conservatism, and the traditional perspective of environmental education maintain the actions and can contribute to the maintenance of indifference to the theme that addresses what is broadcasted by the media in a superficial, uncritical and little contextualized way.

Perspective of Environmental Education in Taiwan: Current Status of Implementation

Environmental education is becoming an essential subject as the environment changes rapidly with human activities. To protect the environment, several countries implemented environmental education acts. Taiwan is the sixth country in the world that implemented an act for environmental protection and sustainability. This study reports the 20-year journey of development and the pioneer status of environmental education act into practice. The Ministry of Education of Taiwan and Environmental Protection Agency jointly proposed the environmental education programme in 1992 to create awareness the on environment protection and develop knowledge, attitudes, skills and values necessary for improving the environment. The Environmental Protection Agency is responsible for accrediting qualified environmental education institutions to handle environmental education personnel training, curriculum plan and management, provide professional service of environmental education with rich ecology, etc. During 2011 to 2019, 200 students in 17 cities were issued environmental education certificates and became qualified environmental education personnel. The number of environmental education personnel in Taiwan has increased every year after the implementation of the Environmental Education Law. This study also provides suggestions of integrating environmental education into the school curriculum and the establishment of corporate social responsibility towards environmental education.

Construção de brinquedos nas aulas de educação física: educação ambiental

O objetivo deste texto é analisar os significados do brincar e da construção de brinquedos para crianças do Ensino Fundamental em uma situação planejada de oficina-aula de construção de brinquedos com materiais recicláveis, em uma perspectiva cultural articulada com a Educação Física Plural em interface com a educação ambiental. As crianças, ao serem incentivadas ao consumo de produtos que incluem os brinquedos, os jogos e objetos eletrônicos, podem não ter a oportunidade de refletir sobre eles tanto quanto ao construir brinquedos, criar novas maneiras de brincar no seu “tempo livre” e se conscientizar sobre questões relacionadas ao meio ambiente (consumo, reciclagem, preservação). Neste estudo, realizou-se pesquisa bibliográfica e de campo, de tipo participante, constituindo-se em uma investigação de abordagem qualitativa. A proposta pedagógica do professor, oficina-aula, teve como estratégia a participação das crianças na dinâmica dessas atividades diversificadas, aguçando a curiosidade e o interesse de todos. Para a realização dessas oficinas-aulas foram utilizados materiais recicláveis como matéria-prima na produção dos brinquedos. Construir e brincar envolve cooperação, criatividade, preservação, reflexão e habilidades motoras, tão importantes para a formação do cidadão. Conclui-se que as crianças gostaram de brincar pelo fato de serem brinquedos construídos com materiais recicláveis. Além disso, as atividades estimularam a conscientização sobre a valorização do meio ambiente.
 Palavras chave: Educação Física escolar. Educação Ambiental. Construção de Brinquedos. Ensino Fundamental I.

Ecophilosophical Principles for an Ecocentric Environmental Education

As environmental slogans have been permeating the social imaginary and permeating the conceptual and axiological dimensions of the different educational currents, Environmental Education has been prompted to define its own specific nature in contrast to the supposedly more integrative educational movements. In contrast to the historical or meta-theoretical strategies of specification and foundation of environmental education, we propose the establishment of some principles derived from genuinely ecological and ecocentric environmental philosophies; the ecophilosophies. This work reviews—in a conciliatory framework and with a pedagogical interest in mind—the most significant contributions of land ethics, deep ecology, social ecology, ecofeminism and the change of paradigm ecologies. The result is a set of facets, key categories and features that offer an integrated and synoptic view of how Ecocentric Environmental Education (EEE) could be based on ecophilosophical principles. In addition, the contrasting features that define those non-ecocentric perspectives of Environmental Education are proposed, and a deconstructive transition of these in alliance with another reconstructive ecophilosophical feature is suggested as the central intention of the Environmental Education methodology. Finally, the value of the theoretical proposal is defended as a foundation and framework for future pedagogical specifications and methodological developments.

Music in Basic Education: Contribution to the Teaching of Environmental Education in Northeast Brazil

This research investigated perspectives of Environmental Education through the lyrics of songs with environmental themes in Elementary School in a school in northeastern Brazil. This was done using a qualitative and quantitative approach to data collection, through action research, questionnaires and interviews. The questionnaires were composed of 08 qualitative questions about lyrics and their approaches on the theme and environmental perception. The questionnaires were applied to 30 students of the 9th year of Elementary School in a public school. The results of this investigation showed the use of lyrics of the songs. 63% of the students answered what most drew attention in the theme used in music as the word pollution and its cause with the death of nature. It was concluded that the use of ecological songs in the classroom proved to be quite effective as an educational tool, improving the quality of the classes in a simple and dynamic way, thus awakening the students awareness for issues related to preserving the environment.

İngilizce Öğretiminde Çevre Eğitiminin Uygulanmasında Bloom’un Yenilenen Sınıflandırması’nın Kullanımı

It has become undeniable that
 language learners should be aware of global problems. One of the most serious
 problems of our globe today is the environmental degradation and education
 practices should have a contribution to ecological conservation. Environmental
 education, which is a developing field of study, aims to equip learners with
 the skills to identify and take action against ecological problems. In order to
 be able to take part in this solution process, English language learners should
 especially have critical thinking and critical reading skills. This paper
 suggests using Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy in an environmental education framework
 for fostering English language learners’ skills required for critical reading
 of authentic texts related to ecology and increasing their environmental
 awareness. In this respect, first, an application of the taxonomy in Monroe
 & Andrews et al.’s (2007) Environmental Education Strategies Framework is
 presented. Then, in order to exemplify the use of the taxonomy with an
 environmental education perspective, a set of reading questions which can be
 used for the critical reading of an authentic text is suggested. Our Iceberg is Melting: Changing and Succeding Under Any
 Conditions (2005), written by John Kotter and Holger
 Rathgeber as a fable, has been chosen as the sample authentic text. It is
 concluded that environmental education practices can be incorporated in English
 language teaching by fostering critical reading skills with the suggested
 approach and authentic texts on ecological issues can be used as classroom
 material for this purpose.

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AS A BASIC COMPONENT IN THE PROCESS OF TRANSITION TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The article presents an analysis of the general ecological situation in our planet as a result of anthropogenic activity and the response of the ecosphere in the form of natural disasters and catastrophies. The article also justifies the imperative necessity for radical changes in the Earth`s population mentality. Which will contribute to the development in the mainstream of sustainability at is aimed education for sustainable development. The article also presents the results of positive experience, problems and perspectives of environmental education in the frame of educational system of the Republic of Armenia as well as the appropriate recommendations for improving the institutions of formal and non-formal education in this aspect.

Abelhas Jataís e Educação Ambiental: Uma Experiência Interdisciplinar na Formação de Professores em Ciências Agrárias

O ensino deve estimular a curiosidade, a exploração e o questionamento das crianças em relação ao mundo físico, social e à natureza. Esse estímulo pode decorrer de ações que desmistifiquem abelhas, valorizando experiências da criança com o inseto no ambiente, em uma perspectiva de educação ambiental. Nesse sentido, o presente estudo surgiu da interação de três disciplinas da Licenciatura em Ciências Agrárias da Escola Superior de Agricultura “Luiz de Queiroz”, objetivando que os licenciandos idealizassem, elaborassem e desenvolvessem o estágio com o tema “abelhas nativas e polinização” na educação infantil. O trabalho envolveu a definição de uma metodologia de ensino, confecção de instrumento didático (caixa-ninho de abelhas), intervenções pedagógicas com atividades práticas, com ações junto aos pais e professores da escola. Destacam-se três aspectos nos quais este trabalho contribuiu: a) para a experiência dos licenciandos como docentes, ao projetar e conduzir a intervenção pedagógica incluindo um instrumento de ensino e sua confecção; b) para o diálogo entre as disciplinas da Licenciatura em uma proposta de estágio integrado, em que este atuou como articulador; c) para a reflexão sobre a aprendizagem das crianças quanto ao tema escolhido, as abelhas jataís e sua forma de vida, utilizando os desenhos delas. Os licenciandos constantemente se questionaram, discutiram e solicitaram orientações, de modo a relacionar teoria e prática e aprendizagens das disciplinas pedagógicas e específicas, como requer um processo complexo, mas que pode ser fascinante, de tornar-se professor.