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This study qualitatively explored the process of student environmental identity development (sEID) within the highly social and structured context of elementary school science. Social practice theory was used as the lens to distinguish the dimensions of sEID that were visible during a curriculum‐based, in‐school program focused on the issue of pollution. Student narratives, collected from small group interviews and reflective journals, were prioritized to capture the process of students in context identifying as "being for the environment." Data collected from 35 grade six students were qualitatively coded, a network diagram was used to visualize the relationships in the data, and a research vignette was constructed. Eight dimensions were recognized as contributing to sEID; the opportunity to be an environmental actor with peers, increased awareness of environmental threat, emotional responses, self‐recognition for environmental action, perceived agency, changed behavior across social contexts, social recognition for identity actions, and personal meaning. While many of these dimensions have been directly or indirectly discussed in the research on adult environmentalists, shifting the emphasis from group membership to the individual student in context led to the addition of two dimensions—personal meaning and emotional responses. Recognizing the eight dimensions of sEID is an important contribution to the literature as students engaging in environmental action as a requirement of school is distinct from the existing research. Identifying the dimensions of sEID can support the intentional design of learning sequences that foster environmental identities in school and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As environmental and sustainability issues are becoming embedded in the school curriculum, there is a need to understand how environmental identity develops within the complex social structure of the classroom. Reflection is a potentially valuable classroom process to consider as it intersects student learning, identity work, and agency. This embedded qualitative case study explored how three elementary students from a school in British Columbia, Canada, reflected on their experiences during an in-school program focused on the issue of marine pollution. Analysis of student focus group transcripts and journal entries found evidence of inquiry reflection, emotional reflection, and critical reflection on the facilitated environmental action. These appeared to play different roles in supporting a student's ability to connect their experiences in the program to the curriculum and/or their developing environmental identities. An individually reflective lens, however, taken by students to critically self-reflect on how their own actions might contribute to the issue of marine pollution appeared to be challenging for them. Five strategies are offered to educators to support the design of activities that might foster environmental identity development (EID) in the classroom through inquiry reflection, emotional reflection, critical reflection, and self-reflection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This exploratory qualitative study focuses on one Grade 5 (ages 10-11) class who participated in an instructional sequence designed to scaffold their abilities to think critically about models and then to use various models to help them understand the particle nature of matter. Data showed that the extent to which the children exhibited a naive or evolving understanding of models varied with the features of the model under consideration, as did their understanding of the particle nature of matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]