Environmental Education Work Research Articles

Does environmental education work differently across sociopolitical contexts in the United States? Part II. Examining pedagogy in school field trip programs for early adolescent youth across political contexts

Political polarization in the United States has made many environmental issues strongly partisan, with Democrats largely receptive to environmental messaging and Republicans commonly pitted against it. This phenomenon may have meaningful implications for how environmental education is conducted for people from different sociopolitical contexts. We explored whether certain pedagogical approaches to single-day environmental education field trip programs were linked to better or worse outcomes for early adolescent youth (ages 10–14) from different sociopolitical contexts: majority Republican, majority Democrat, or mixed (roughly even). All observed effect sizes were small with one exception. Play-based pedagogies tended to yield less positive outcomes for students from Republican majority contexts than others, with a medium effect size. The findings suggest that some traditional approaches to play, such as role-playing as animals or pretending to be water droplets, may feel incongruent with the social identities of students from largely Republican communities.

Does environmental education work differently across sociopolitical contexts in the United States? PART I. Exploration of outcomes for adolescent youth

In the United States, the two main political parties, Democrats and Republicans, have become increasingly polarized, including with regard to environmental issues. As part of a national study of environmentally focused single-day field trips for early adolescent youth in 2018, we conducted exploratory research to examine how outcomes differed for public school students from different sociopolitical contexts (i.e. predominantly Democratic, Republican, or mixed). Students from wealthier Democratic contexts exhibited less positive outcomes, measured as self-reported changes in environmental literacy, compared to others. The findings suggest that single-day EE field trips in the United States, in their current forms, may be particularly valuable in lower income and more politically conservative contexts, possibly due to the degree of novelty they may provide to these audiences. Meanwhile, EE field trips for students from wealthier Democratic contexts may provide reinforcement rather than meaningful shifts in environmental literacy, suggesting a need for more novel approaches for these audiences.

Mother and calf humpback whale responses to vessels around the Abrolhos Archipelago, Bahia, Brazil

As the humpback whale population spreads along the Brazilian coast, whalewatching activities are becoming more frequent especially along the coast of the state of Bahia. In order to evaluate the appropriateness of the Brazilian legislation that regulates vessel approaches to cetaceans, the behaviour of humpback whale mothers and calves was studied around the Abrolhos Archipelago, an area with a high concentration of tourism vessels. Mother and calf groups were observed by means of continuous sampling and tracked along with vessels using a theodolite. Three whale-vessel categories of distances were analysed: closer than 100m (category 1); between 100-300m (category 2); and further than 300m (category 3). Rates of behavioural events and time spent in particular behavioural states of mothers and calves were compared separately in the three categories to observations of randomly selected mother and calf groups not involved in an interaction with a vessel (category 0). A total effort of 39hr was analysed including observations in each of the four categories. The results showed that differences in humpback whale mother and calf behaviour occurred mostly in the presence of vessels within distances of 100-300m. Mothers increased linearity and mean speed of movement, decreased blow intervals and time spent resting. Calves exhibited less rolling, fluke-ups and others active behavioural events, as well as diminished resting time. During interaction with vessels, the frequency of potentially important behaviours, both for mothers and calves, reduced, probably as a response to the approaching whalewatching vessels. Repeated short-term behavioural disturbances might lead to cumulative effects that may result in risks for species conservation. It is recommended that the Brazilian legislation should include a 300m-radius restrictive zone around mother and calf groups or include a 300m caution zone, where boats should reduce speed and avoid sudden changes in engine status and direction. The environmental education work with local communities along the coast must be continued and constant.

ФОРМИРОВАНИЕ ЭКОЛОГИЧЕСКОГО МЫШЛЕНИЯ СТУДЕНТОВ В УСЛОВИЯХ ПРОФЕССИОНАЛЬНОЙ ПОДГОТОВКИ

The relevance of the research topic is due to the growing public attention to identifying effective ways to reduce environmental pollution, which requires a transition from anthropocentrism to ecocentrism, where the highest value is the harmonious development of man and nature. The purpose of the article is to identify the most active student communities that carry out environmental education work on the territory of the city. Samara, as well as determining the practical significance of their creation in the formation of students' ecological thinking. Research methods: content analysis method and sociological research method. Based on the views of respondents, the authors formulated indicators for measuring the effectiveness of the formation of ecological thinking through eco-communities and its monitoring in terms of professional training. The significance of the work is due to the conclusions of the study, which allow us to state that the formation of ecological communities makes it possible to fill the lack of knowledge in the field of environmental protection and, undoubtedly, prepare individuals to choose the least environmentally hostile ways to solve their problems and meet their needs. The article is intended for heads of educational organizations, the pedagogical community and students in order to replicate the positive experience and its further implementation in the conditions of professional training.

Racial equity and inclusion in United States of America-based environmental education organizations: a critical examination of priorities and practices in the work environment

In the United States of America, societal structures of oppression frame and underpin nearly every field and industry, including environmental education. Despite growing attention on efforts to diversify the environmental education workforce in the United States, environmental fields have had minimal success attracting and retaining professionals of color. This study sought to explore how Environmental Educators of Color experience and are impacted by workplace culture, practices, and policies. Through focus groups, Environmental Educators of Color (n = 26) shared their perspectives related to equity and inclusion in environmental education work environments. This study draws on critical race theory (Delgado & Stefancic, 2017; Tate, 1997) as an analytical framework to center racial equity in our understanding of the experiences and perspectives of Environmental Educators of Color. Analysis of data included thematic emergent analysis (Merriam & Tisdell, 2016) to identify themes in focus group transcripts. Findings indicate that the workplace practices are frequently and unintentionally reinforcing the status quo of systemic racism and marginalization that Environmental Educators of Color experience.

Opportunities for the Formation of an Ecological Culture of University Students Through the Implementation of a Social Project for the Management of Solid Municipal Waste

The article describes the assessment of the practice of active participation of university students in the implementation of activities of the social project “Organization of environmental education and the formation of environmental culture of the younger generation in the field of solid waste management.” The aim of the study was to form the ecological culture of university students through their participation in environmental education activities as part of a social project. The methodological basis for studying the problem of environmental education and the formation of environmental culture of university students is represented by the works of E. V. Girusov, S. N. Glazachev, A. N. Zakhlebny, I. D. Zverev, A. N. Leontyev, N. N. Marfenin, S. L. Rubinshtein, A. D. Ursula, V. A. Yasvin and others. The research methods are: analysis, synthesis, comparison, generalization of scientific literature on the research problem, psychological and diagnostic testing. In the course of the study ascertaining stage implementation, the diagnostics of the level of the ecological culture formation of university students has been carried out. The results have showed the presence of a problem – an insufficient (average) level of ecological culture formation, which indicated the need for work aimed at its further formation. The formative stage has been aimed at attracting volunteer students to participate in the project, through the organization and conduct of environmental campaigns, creative contests, events for environmental education and education of the target group, helping to form their understanding of the importance of separate collection and recycling of waste. The study of the possibility of the ecological culture formation of university students has not been completed, it is planned to conduct a control stage to assess the effectiveness of environmental education work.

ANÁLISE DA EFICIÊNCIA DO GERENCIAMENTO DE RESÍDUOS SÓLIDOS EM PROPRIEDADES RURAIS DE PEQUENO PORTE EM TUPI PAULISTA - SP

The management of solid waste are practices provided for in the articles of Law No. 12,305 / 10, entitled National Solid Waste Policy. The objective of this work was to analyze whether solid waste management is efficient in small rural properties in the city of Tupi Paulista - SP. For this, it was necessary to: carry out the mapping of rural properties that practiced selective collection between the years 2019 and 2020; work in environmental education; collect recyclable materials and, finally, quantify the waste generated in the period analyzed, and then compare between 2019 and 2020. This study concludes that, even with the increase in rural properties that joined selective collection, there was a constant in the relationship for the average amount of waste generated per property, this was possible due to the environmental education work developed throughout the study, enabling the population to participate in the planning and management of waste. It is also observed that this work made it possible to improve the quality of the local environment, with a reduction in the volume of solid waste in rural properties through selective collection.

Evaluation of the Architectural Features and Physical Environment in Early Childhood Education Framework

Many initial childhood settings worldwide have started to create an environment and educational system that would increase the children’s environmental awareness and the ways to minimize it. A newly built ecological kindergarten in Antalya, Turkey, has adopted an educational system in which children are getting involved with nature in most of their daily routines. This study intended to learn if the physical environment of the declared setting responds to the early childhood environmental education work frame. Accordingly, the study has adopted “Guidelines for Excellence, Early Childhood Environmental Education Programs’’ as the primary resource for an evaluation checklist. Data collection is conducted via an in-depth site analysis, as well as the questionnaire survey of teachers and parents regarding their perception of the kindergarten’s physical environment. The results showed that the physical environment of the kindergarten does not meet the requirements of the early education environmental framework. This study underlines the importance of profound research studies that analyze the architectural features of an early environmental education setting and the ways improving its physical attributes may promote the children environmental education. Doi: 10.28991/cej-2021-03091657 Full Text: PDF

AVALIAÇÃO DA QUALIDADE DA ÁGUA DO RESERVATÓRIO DA USINA HIDRELÉTRICA DE PETI, MINAS GERAIS

O reservatório da Usina Hidrelétrica (UHE) de Peti, localizado na sub-bacia do Rio Santa Bárbara, Minas Gerais, foi construído para geração de energia, entretanto, suas águas são utilizadas em diferentes atividades, incluindo a recreação. Neste contexto, este trabalho objetivou avaliar a qualidade da água do reservatório, seu índice de eutrofização e indicadores de balneabilidade. Para isso, foram utilizados documentos cedidos pela Companhia Energética de Minas Gerais (CEMIG) referentes aos indicadores de qualidade das águas entres os anos de 2009 e 2018, obtidos em 4 estações de monitoramento. Notou-se que os indicadores de qualidade da água a montante do reservatório apresentaram resultados insatisfatórios, principalmente aqueles relacionados ao fósforo e coliformes termotolerantes. As análises das amostras coletadas na área do reservatório indicaram índice de qualidade da água “bom” e índice de estado trófico “mesotrófico”. Entretanto, quanto à balneabilidade, a presença de traços de óleo e graxa apontam que as águas são impróprias para o contato primário. Dessa forma, ressalta-se a importância da realização de trabalhos de educação ambiental com os usuários de barcos a motores e jet-ski para prevenir o derramamento de contaminantes nas águas, assim como a realização de novos estudos para identificação de outras possíveis fontes poluidoras.

Characterization of the feeding behavior of the green turtle (Chelonia mydas) in the Juréia-Itatins Mosaic's Conservation Units, South Coast of the São Paulo state

The Chelonia mydas occurs most frequently in the Cananeia-Iguape-Peruibe Environmental Protection Area and Conservation Units Jureia-Itatins, using coastal regions of the continent and islands of the region as a feeding area. It presents a habitat change during its ontogenetic development. The individuals migrate from the pelagic environment, in this stage they had an omnivorous diet, when they change this feeding area, to the neritic environment, they can have predominantly herbivorous´ diet. However, recent studies have suggested that both habitats change and, consequently, the diet changes may be optional. The objective of this study was to characterize the feeding behavior of green turtles in the municipality of Peruibe, south coast of Sao Paulo. The data were collected from October/2018 to October/2019, with the monitoring of the beaches and the study of the specimens found. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee on The Use of Animals (CEUA/IBIMM) n°. 008/18 and by the Biodiversity Authorization and Information System (SISBIO/ICMBio/MMA) n°. 50132. In the period, 7 individuals were collected who were submitted to biometrics, necropsy and food content collection to verify their composition. Organic and inorganic constituents were separated and the macroalgae found in the esophagus and stomach samples were submitted to a second screening, using morphology and staining as criteria. The mass frequency of each phylum of macroalgae was calculated. The results showed that the individuals were juveniles with CCL 36.33 cm and presented predominantly herbivore feeding behavior, because there was no food from animal origin, consisting only of shell fragments of molluscs and exoskeletons of crustaceans, whose intake may have been accidental. The total survey of macroalgae present in the esophagus and stomach were Chlorophyta (42.76%), Rhodophyta (33.19%) and Heterokontophyta (24.05%), the presence of diatoms was observed complementing the diet of the animals. In addition, it was found that all had anthropogenic residues in their gastrointestinal tracts, and 73.33% of total constituents found are associated with plastic and plastic bags from fishing activities. It was concluded that the Region of Peruibe is an important feeding and development habitat for the species. A problem related to solid waste pollution was observed which consequently shows the need to develop environmental education work with fishers, population and tourists oriented to recycling and the reduction of anthropogenic actions on site.

Perspectivas dos gestores ambientais dos municípios consorciados ao CIGRES no processo de implantação da coleta seletiva

Ainda são insuficientes os municípios brasileiros que realizam ações em prol de um gerenciamento adequado dos resíduos sólidos urbanos. Diversos fatores contribuem para que o trabalho de educação ambiental em muitos casos sejam ausentes ou pouco eficazes. Este estudo teve como objetivo identificar os métodos de educação ambiental, as fragilidades e potencialidades no processo de implantação do sistema, visando análise, discussão e proposição de ferramentas, soluções e/ou mitigação das dificuldades encontradas. Para isso, foi realizada uma pesquisa qualiquantitativa direcionada aos gestores ambientais dos municípios da região noroeste do estado do Rio Grande do Sul-RS. Diante dos resultados constatou-se que muitos municípios ainda estão atrasados neste processo e a grande maioria tem se deparado com inúmeros desafios, entre eles a falta de apoio dentro da própria administração municipal e da população em geral. Evidenciou-se também a necessidade da implantação deste sistema ser intensa e ininterrupta, integrando atividades de informação, sensibilização e mobilização de todos os envolvidos. Posterior a análise dos dados, realizou-se uma palestra com os gestores ambientais onde foi apresentado e discutido os resultados da pesquisa, além disso, foram compartilhadas dicas para facilitar o processo de implantação da coleta seletiva, sendo muitas delas apresentadas pelos próprios gestores ambientais em suas respostas.

Educação ambiental na escola: uma ação educativa visando o destino correto dos resíduos sólidos

O presente trabalho tem por objetivo verificar se ações educativas surtem algum efeito na compreensão dos conceitos relacionados à reciclagem e conservação do Meio Ambiente. O projeto foi aplicado em turmas do Ensino Fundamental II de um Colégio Estadual de Curitiba, realizando trabalhos de Educação Ambiental voltado para as alternativas corretas do destino do lixo e separação dos materiais recicláveis. A mediação didática foi feita através de um pré-teste para detecção de conhecimentos prévios, uma palestra, cartilha informativa, montagem de um jogo sobre reciclagem e de um pós-teste para verificar a possível mudança dos conceitos. Após a aplicação das mediações, pode-se notar uma melhoria na compreensão dos conceitos, especialmente com a palestra e a cartilha entregue aos educandos. O jogo, embora ajude a despertar o interesse e seja uma atividade lúdica, não surtiu o efeito esperado, visto que evidenciou que há uma confusão entre os conceitos de reciclagem e reutilização.

Projeto piloto de ponto de entrega voluntária de material reciclável em bairro do município de Poços de Caldas-MG

Este trabalho objetiva contribuir para o desenvolvimento de melhorias na logística adotada para coleta seletiva de material reciclável, bem como no desenvolvimento de trabalho de educação ambiental. Para isso, propõe-se um projeto piloto de coleta seletiva utilizando-se Ponto de Entrega Voluntário (PEV) em substituição à logística de coleta porta-a-porta, conjuntamente a uma campanha intensiva de educação para o uso do PEV. Em sua primeira fase, realizada em duas ruas do bairro Campos Elíseos de Poços de Caldas-MG, a viabilidade da implantação do PEV foi comprovada a partir dos dados obtidos fazendo-se uma análise antes e após a implantação do PEV. Destaca-se como resultados a redução em 70% do tempo de coleta, queda de 40,4% na distância percorrida pelos catadores, bem como a economia de diesel.

Scientific grounds for the establishment of the National natural park «Central Podillia»

On the basis of complex ecological monitoring, geobotanical, zoogeographical, landscape-ecological, hydroecological, forest-typological, agroecological principles and approaches and own field research it is proposed to create a national natural park «Central Podillia» within the territory of Vinnytsia region. The creation of the proposed park, covering an area of 46.420 hectares, will increase the area’s preservation percentage to 4.5% of its total area, which is currently only 2.5%. The prospective park should combine 34 existing protected sites with an area of 1282.2 hectares and will include the territories of 4 administrative districts: Vinnitsa (14 protected sites, an area of 1095.1 hectares), Kalinovsky (4 — 150.7 hectares), Litinsky (6 — 81.1 ha) and Khmelnytsky (8 — 75.3 hectares). The need for a park is due to the presence of unique natural landscapes with associations of plant communities, which grows more than 40 species of plants and inhabits more than 50 species of animals included in the Red data book of Ukraine. The creation of the park will allow to preserve these landscapes with diverse flora and fauna, mineral springs, use the recreational potential rationally, promote the development of ecological tourism, sport hunting and fishing, introduce permanent nature-education, nature protection and environmental education work, create new jobs for the population that will maintain the established regime of protection of the park and engage in organic farming.

Suburbal Residents’ Environmental Culture and its Connection with the Formation of Municipal Solid Waste Dump

The problem of environmental pollution is becoming increasingly relevant every year. It manifests itself not only at the global but also at the local level. The most common cause of these problems is the neglect of the population to the environment. This can be clearly seen in the suburban area, where there is a problem of accumulation of solid household waste and the occurrence of unauthorized dumps. In the suburban area, unlike the city, there are no necessary tools for managing the streams of solid waste. Purpose. To investigate the correlation between the level of environmental awareness of the population of the Babai village and the existing problem of landfills in this village. Results. In the course of the study, the main groups-subjects of economic activity that affect the state of the environment were identified. The survey revealed a low interest of local population in environmental issues. The introduction of environmental practices by residents of the Babai village is due more to economic than environmental reasons. Recommendations were developed for each of the identified groups of stakeholders based on the obtained data. Conclusions. In order to address the problem of solid waste accumulation in Babai, administrative, social and educational groups of decisions were proposed. Administrative decisions include an agreement with the shipping company for the creation of municipal solid waste collection system. Social decisions include awareness campaigning measures aimed at raising the level of environmental culture of the local population. Educational solutions include conducting environmental education work with pupils of the Babai secondary school. Compliance with the selected recommendations by the public and government will help to solve the existing environmental problems.

Stories of learning: Inquiry-based pathways of discovery through environmental education

AbstractIn our work in environmental education (EE) as part of formal schooling we partnered with local schools to explore the practice of embedding, or integrating EE within formal school curriculum using inquiry-based pedagogies. In this paper we report on and discuss our growing understanding of the practice of pedagogical documentation and the subsequent creation of learning stories within the context of EE. Our thinking is focused on how teacher practice in the use of learning stories might strengthen student self-determination in inquiry-based environmental education opportunities. We describe the E4E (Educating for Environment) school project, and provide samples of learning stories as evidence for analysis and discussion. Working with a grounded theory approach, we propose that student thinking in inquiry-based contexts might follow one or more of five thinking/learning pathways (reasoning, propositional, action-oriented, metacognitive and emotive). We close with comments on the benefits to studen...

Educação Ambiental em (re)vista: a produção discursiva da Revista Nova Escola

The text aims to analyze a cultural artifact designed to promote information and training of basic education teachers. We want to understand the possibilities that the New School journal, published by Editora Abril, presents educators in their complex task of promoting environmental education. Particularly, we analyze the different types of texts and meanings produced by the journal on the issue of environmental education in the school context, attempting to answer the following questions: How are environmental issues presented in the New School journal? How does the journal tend to form the teacher to work in environmental education? The documentary research conducted on the publications of 2012 enabled us to understand that, for the journal, much more than a critical intellectual formation the teacher is in need of different teaching practices. The journal is prescriptive regarding methodological suggestions and models of teaching practices, with an emphasis on pragmatism rather than the training of a critical-reflective teacher. Keywords: Environmental Education, teacher training, New School journal, the press.

青年海外協力隊による環境教育活動のあり方に関する一考察

A questionnaire aimed at improving the environmental education work of Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) was distributed to 99 staff working in Meru National Park, Kenya. The results indicated the need for conservation education support in the park. Conservation education for people living in the area of the park has seen a number of challenges in terms of both quality and quantity due to staff irresponsibility, problem in the maintenance of fuel and vehicles, and poor collaboration between different departments. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the JOCV will need to work to improve the knowledge and awareness of locals about conservation and the relationship between the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and locals by coordinating the supply of materials and revenues that are urgently needed by the KWS with the grassroots activity of the JOCV while winning the understanding of KWS staff.

Education for environment: A useful concept

By analyzing the relationship between sustainable development and education, the author developed the guidelines proposal for the practical work in environmental education and its application to guide instruction and research in Vietnam.
 Trên cơ sở phân tích mối quan hệ tác động qua lại giữa giáo dục và sự phát triển bền vững cũng như tiếp cận những định nghĩa của một số tác giả khác về giáo dục môi trường. Tác giả đưa ra định hướng thực hành trong giáo dục môi trường. Định hướng này ứng dụng trong giảng dạy và nghiên cứu giáo dục môi trường tại Việt Nam.

Desafios da educação ambiental nas escolas municipais do município de Caçador – SC

O crescente questionamento a respeito de como o ser humano está interagindo com o Ambiente, sugere que nossas ações estão se acumulando em problemas ambientais preocupantes. Despertar a consciência ambiental na sociedade é algo imprescindível, no entanto, saber tratar desta temática é tão ou mais importante. Nesse sentido, foi realizado um diagnóstico por meio de um questionário, para averiguar como as escolas municipais do município de Caçador - SC trabalham com a Educação Ambiental e, quais as principais dificuldades enfrentadas. A aplicação "in loco" do questionário foi acompanhada da visitação nas dependências das escolas, a fim de conhecer o contexto que as mesmas estão inseridas. Foi evidenciado que a E. A. nas referidas escolas enfrenta inúmeros desafios, desde interpretação de seu significado e aplicação, até problemas de infraestrutura das escolas e de capacitação dos docentes. Para a efetivação da E. A. nas escolas é necessário, sobretudo, capacitar os educadores, uma vez que, o trabalho de ensinar Educação Ambiental requer muito conhecimento, persistência e a procura constante da dinamização das atividades, para realmente consolidar uma Educação de qualidade.