Search

Extractivism is so often characterized as resource extractivism - the exploitation of a community's natural resources for economic gain. However, when we think about the relationships between community and university, there are many ways in which the university can take out of the community or benefit to an extent that extracts human, capital, and natural resources. I contend that some of the university-community engagement work that has been done in the last 20 years replicates colonial structures in ways that have harmed communities under the well-intentioned guise of service-learning, community-based learning, or "development." Drawing on Du Bois (1947) and on Riofrancos' (2020) work on colonialism and extractivism, this paper will explore the role of the university as both a transformer and oppressor through global learning. I will explore the promise and pitfalls for these engaged pedagogies, and propose pathways to avoiding unjust, extractive practices in the pursuit of learning and student development. I will end with recommendations for just, equitable, and critical community-based global learning and some promising examples.

Effective education depends on various factors, with textbooks and courses being essential for preparing students for real life situations. Therefore, it's crucial that textbooks are thoughtfully developed and chosen. This study investigates how middle school mathematics textbooks approved by the Ministry of National Education for the 2021-2022 academic year address the connections between "Mathematics - Science" and "Mathematics - Nature." As a descriptive research study, it seeks to reveal the current state of these connections. Data was collected through document analysis, a qualitative research method. Within the scope of this study, eight middle school mathematics textbooks were examined, two from each grade level. The analysis was organized according to the curriculum, emphasizing science and nature themes, as identified through curriculum goals and educational literature. These themes were identified by examining the mathematics curriculum goals and literature on effective mathematics education and textbooks. The research found that while content associations with science and social sciences were somewhat adequate, they were lacking in nature and art. Additionally, connections to daily life were well-represented and designed to engage students. It is recommended that future efforts should aim to enhance textbook preparation to better align with contemporary educational needs.

Environmental problems caused by waste and exploitation of natural resources can be exacerbated by a lack of awareness and concern for the environment. One of the contributing factors is the lack of utilization of learning resources and environmental-based media in education. This study aims to develop and validate a teaching module based on the PjBL (Project-based Learning) model to increase students' environmental awareness, especially on the topic of environmental change. By using the 4D Model, this study uses quantitative descriptive analysis involving validation by two experts. The validation values for learning plan, learning media, and students' worksheet were 3.48, 3.52, and 3.45, respectively. The results of the recapitulation of validity data show a total score of 3.48 with a valid category. It was concluded that teaching modules based on project to improve environmental character are worthy of being applied in Biology learning at school.

Given the world's continuous environmental concerns, there is a need for increased participation in nature protection. The ecological crisis of the last decade on Earth has become one of the causes of the rupture of society's relationship with nature. Such relationships can predict diverse attitudes, concerns, intentions, and pro-environmental behavior (PEB). A systematic literature review (SLR) aims to compare, study, and analyze journal articles that relate to issues related to nature as a major factor in pro-environmental behavior. The results of selecting articles indexed by SCOPUS found as many as 1716 publications. The 50 open-access publications of articles were chosen based on specific criteria and further examined to identify eight final articles that align with the Inclusion of Nature in Self (INS) scale. Pro-environmental behavior strengthens human relationships with nature and encourages a sense of ownership and involvement with the environment. Pro-environmental behavior refers to behaviors that are beneficial to the environment, such as supporting conservation policies, recycling, and participating in nature. Research using INS scale, which focuses on connections with nature, still has significant potential and should persist in making contributions to science and humanity.

Background: There is mounting empirical evidence that interacting with nature delivers measurable benefits to people which include physical health, cognitive performance, and psychological well-being. Aim: This study aimed at understanding and exploring how the power of nature and colleagues and principal support assist teachers to adapt and cope with stressors. Setting: The study was conducted in a private high school that uses the Cambridge Curriculum. Most of the students are from middle- and high-income households in the Roodepoort and Honeydew suburbs. Three male and eight female teachers participated in this study, with a mean age of 27 years and an age range between 24 years to 52 years. All the teachers were white, and they taught various subjects and they do not profess any particular religion. Methods: The study adopted a generic explorative qualitative design. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and incomplete sentences. Data were analysed using content analysis to arrive at the themes. Results: The themes that emerged during data analysis pointed out two major protective factors that enable teachers in this school to adapt and cope resiliently -- the power of nature that surrounds the school (green space) and the principal and colleagues' support in the school. Conclusion: Natural beauty that surrounds the school that resembled a park, as well as support of the principal and colleagues contributes teacher resilience in the school. Contribution: The findings from the study pointed out how school principal and colleagues could support teachers to cope and adapt to stressors, particularly the garden.

Nature-based early childhood education (NBECE) is a growing field for children aged 3-6 in North America. This growth demands the need for NBECE professionals. Often grounded in personal journey and perceptions, pedagogical practices of NBECE teachers play a vital role in learning experiences and nature-connectedness. This qualitative research delves into North American NBECE professionals' perceptions of nature, their journey into NBECE, and their responses to the pervasive influence of settler-colonial values in education. The data was generated through teacher interviews with four outdoor preschool teachers. Each teacher participated in two interviews. Between the two interviews they wrote a journal entry. At the end of the second interview, I led each participant through a cognitive mapping exercise in which they created a visual representation of their journey with nature. Findings indicated that these teachers have a close connection and history with nature. This often translated into their feelings about NBECE. Framed within settler-colonial studies, I deconstructed teachers' discussions to illuminate examples of resisting a nature-culture divide and human exceptionalism. I identified most teachers exhibiting awareness of settler-colonialism, with more experienced teachers thoroughly exploring their connection to its ongoing influence.

Nature connection has been found in previous research to be a predictor of pro-environmental attitudes and behaviours. For this reason, efforts to build children's nature connection through a variety of avenues, including environmental education, have been explored by practitioners and researchers alike. In this paper we undertook a purposive literature search of research looking at factors associated with children's nature connection. The resulting synthesis of 28 studies found demographic, dispositional, affective, familial, environmental, and experiential factors that are associated with children's nature connection that will be of interest to educators, parents, researchers, and policy makers. Recommendations are made for the implementation in environmental education programmes and beyond, in order effectively mobilise an integrated response that will foster a sustained connection to the natural world.

Concerned with the ongoing youth mental crisis in the United States, researchers intentionally planned for positive youth development (PYD) practices in nature. Educators, appreciating the critical importance of youth developing relationships and a sense of belonging, may regard this model as a powerful tool to enhance existing programs. Both youth and parents report this as ahigh quality PYD program, resulting in thriving youth. Youth participants feel welcome, supportively challenged, and passionate about the topic; resulting in a growth mindset, hopeful purpose, and openness to challenge and discovery. The program inspired an affinity for nature in both youth participants and associated adults. 97% of youth and 95% of adult caregivers report being inspired to spend more time in nature as a result of the program. The program also inspired increased youth interest in science college and career opportunities.

Through a multistakeholder partnership, this research aims to catalyze the development of a blue economy corridor (BEC) through community-based asset mapping in the eastern portion of the Tar-Pamlico River Basin in North Carolina, a geographic area predominated by physically and culturally rural landscapes. Underpinned by appreciative inquiry, this project aims to counter a deficit model of community development in this portion of eastern North Carolina by increasing awareness of quality of life assets that communities currently possess and may leverage for sustainable economic, environmental, and social development through their inclusion in a digital interactive map freely available to the public.

Agriculture, food, and natural resource (AFNR) systems need leaders to catalyze positive change. Thus, Extension professionals have consistently developed innovative and impactful leadership programming. In the current study, the alumni of one such program in Michigan were surveyed to evaluate the sustained impact of the program. Program alumni rated themselves highest in Empowerment and Perspective Development and perceived the strongest programmatic impact in Empowerment and Emotional Resilience. These data were further analyzed to create a "Leadership Impact Factor," which illuminates the impact of a program using a single number. Recommendations are made for Extension professionals facilitating similar leadership education programming.

Purpose: This article explores the impact of systematically designed online collaborative activities in two engineering undergraduate modules and key considerations for student interaction in Moodle. Design/methodology/approach: The educational design research approach was chosen to improve educational practices through iterative needs analysis, design, development and implementation. The study followed design-based research (DBR) approach, with a mixed-method research design used to uncover the critical factors in designing, developing and implementing online collaborative learning activities for improving student interaction. Two iterative cycles of online collaborative learning activities were implemented using the Moodle learning management system for two modules of an engineering undergraduate degree programme at a state university in Sri Lanka. Findings: Results indicate that students had demonstrated increased motivation for collaborative activities, and they had not experienced any significant difficulties in accessing materials or instructions. This study emphasizes that the design of learning activities has a greater influence on determining the level of interaction between the learner interface and the learner content. Also, a higher number of interactions on the wiki page improved learner-learner interactions, likely due to clear instructions and reduced complexities compared to previous Moodle activities. Overall, appropriately designed online activities can enhance students' motivation and improve communication, collaboration, cooperation and a sense of community among peers. Research limitations/implications: The study's constraints included a small sample size of 93 students in two courses, which limits generalization of the results. The study's findings should be carefully considered before being applied to courses with nontechnical content. The second constraint was the number of courses on which the activities were carried out. The activities were designed specifically for two Earth Resources engineering courses, and the developed activities addressed technical course content. The effect of the activities on students' engagement and motivation in various courses with nontechnical content must be investigated, and a complete generalization of the study's results may be called into question. As a result, careful consideration must be given to generalizing the study's findings. Practical implications: The study found that authentic collaborative learning activities using online technologies increased student participation and helped them discover their engineering design skills. Future research can focus on developing activities for other technical courses and incorporating additional tools into the instructional process. The use of a design-based research approach was recommended for future studies to obtain more comprehensive results than traditional comparative study designs. Originality/value: The findings of this study suggest mechanisms to improve student interaction through online collaborative activities, particularly for delivering technical content. Such an understanding of learner interactions with course content, peers, teachers and interfaces will assist in the effective transformation of traditional technical content to online delivery mode. This is a unique study of converting in-class delivered engineering module content to online delivery within an equal time frame under restricted facilities and conditions resulting from a pandemic environment.

The loss of relational networks and life-sustaining capacities of the Earth resulting from the Anthropocene/Capitalocene provoke ambiguous pedagogical experimenting with the limits of the known. The Akokisa River of Texas is more than its extractive use-value based on humanist rationality. Water connector Ángel Faz approaches the River as more than a passive and endless resource to be extracted and manoeuvred for profit, but as an ecology of relations entangled with humans -- the River is us; we are the River. As a boundary agitator, Faz speculates into unresolvable and reciprocal voids located in the excluded middles between humans and more-than-humans ripe with potential percepts and affects across River multiplicities. Such gesturing generates transcorporeal, multi-linguistic, uncanny, trickster, and shimmering pedagogies bewildering the capacity to participate in the dynamic indeterminacy and interconnectedness of the River's ongoing becoming.

The purpose of this study is to compare the attitudes of Turkmenistanian and Turkish university students towards environmental ethics approaches and their naturalistic intelligence (NI) field. In addition, it was investigated whether there is a gender difference in environmental ethics levels in both countries students'. Environmental Ethics Attitude Scale (EEAS) and Multiple Intelligence Areas Inventory were applied to the students. A total of 172 Turkish and 103 Turkmenistanian university students participated. A significant difference between the mean scores of Turkish and Turkmenistanian was observed in all four categories of environmental ethics [Anthropocentric, Ecocentric, Ecofeminism, Teocentric]. The analyses conducted to test gender differences showed that there was not a significant difference between male and female Turkmenistanian students' EAA mean scores. Comparison of NI levels of students from both countries suggested that Turkish students' NI levels were "developed" and Turkmenistanian students' NI levels were "moderately developed". The research findings were considered for both countries students'. [Note: The year shown on the PDF is incorrect. The correct citation for this article is v9 n1 p1-15 2023.]

Continuous professional development is critical for Extension staff, and many agriculture-focused Extension employees are tasked with outreach related to a wide variety of natural resource topics. The purpose of this study is to help prioritize trainings needed by Kansas Extension agents and specialists based on their current level of knowledge and interest in staying up to date on 18 different natural resource topics. Responses to a statewide survey were analyzed using the Borich model. Results indicate priority professional development needs related to soil health; effects of climate; invasive species, harmful algal blooms; and groundwater, surface water, and air quality.

This study contributes to the research in Early Childhood Education for Sustainability (ECEfS) by exploring a case study of two Western Australian early childhood education classes who welcomed an Indigenous Elder to share their expertise about the native plants in the schools' bush space. The findings from this study demonstrate the impact Indigenous perspectives had on teacher's and children's relationship with the bush and the development of their botanical literacies. Indigenous peoples in Australia, and across the world have botanical practices that have existed for tens of thousands of years. This study acknowledges botany as a settler colonial practice and contemplates changes to botanical practices and pedagogies that include Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing.

The majority of the pieces that make up the structures of the piano are wooden products. Large piano brands provide resources for the materials. They use various forest products or they create their own forests. Respecting life, biodiversity together with protecting nature and our world are important elements for sustainable environmental awareness. The sustainable environmental awareness is developing by ensuring that current needs are met and transferred to future generations with controlled consumption without destroying natural resources. In this study, it was aimed to examine the knowledge levels of the piano educators regarding the sustainable environmental studies of the piano producer Steinway & Sons brand, and also the production of the Steinway & Sons brand with sustainable environmental awareness. The research is limited to the Steinway & Sons brand. The lecturers in Turkey constitute the scope of the study and the ones who are conveniently reached make up the participants of the study. Qualitative research methods are used in the study. The data are obtained by document review method, content analysis and questionnaire. The results showed that; majority of the lecturers do not have any knowledge about the dimensions of sustainability in piano production, such as energy use, material use, recycling and responsible forestry.

The use of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), also known as drones, is increasing in geospatial science curricula within the United States. Four geospatial science faculty members within the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture at Stephen F. Austin State University (SFASU), Texas, focus on applying imagery obtained from drones to map, monitor, and quantify natural resources. To produce society-ready foresters, natural resource managers, and environmental scientists, the geospatial science faculty employ an intensive one-on-one hands-on interactive approach in training future resource management professionals in how to effectively apply drone technology within natural resource endeavors. In particular, recent instruction has focused on training students how to evaluate the amount of overlap and sidelap percentages required within a drone flight to create the optimum orthophoto mosaic. Results indicate that the one-on-one interactive methodology employed by faculty at SFASU produce highly qualified drone pilots capable of providing the drone community with new insights on how to produce accurate orthophoto mosaics in a timely and efficient manner.

Long-term energy supply constitutes a pressing global issue. As a renewable energy resource, bioenergy can play a significant role in energy sustainability. The present study aimed to investigate the attitudes and perceptions of bioenergy amongst 412 Greek preservice primary teachers utilising a specific tool, the IBPAMS. Results confirmed the factorial validity and reliability of the Greek version of the IBPAMS. It also demonstrated that the energy and bioenergy-related knowledge of preservice teachers is moderate and poor respectively, while critical perceptions are held over the sustainability of forest-based bioenergy production. Overall preservice teacher attitudes toward bioenergy are positive. Statistical analyses showed that gender influenced the responses of the motivational and critical aspects of the IBPAMS-GR. The paper's findings have important implications for teacher preparation programs.

The New Culture of Water (NCW) is a catalyst for sustainable transformation between political agreements and the unsustainability of the real world, thus requiring an integral participation for an efficient water management where the academy will try to make a substantial contribution. Therefore, this study aimed to design, implement and evaluate four competencies: Knowledge, Attitude, Perception and Practices (KAPP) of a formal program of Education for Sustainability (EfS) on the New Water Culture (NWC), addressing issues such as prevention of water quality, conservation and efficient use at home. To carry out the evaluation, a semi-structured survey of 47 items was conducted in three stages: at the beginning (diagnostic), during the development of the (EfS) (formative) and at the end (summative). A total of 103 nursing students participated in the (EfS), divided into two groups A and B, with the addition of group C as a control group. The results showed that group A had the best results, in general. Statistical tests to calculate the mean, standard deviation (SD) and a validation with the nonparametric Wilcoxon test showing a significant change in the participants of group A, which indicated an important impact of the (EfS). This study also provides an overview of the community situation that can help trigger early warnings to identify weaknesses in water management.

To constitute awareness of climate change, hearing the solutions of students in their words and seeing visual products by creating experiences in schools is vital. This case study was limited to sequential implementations of climate change in the natural sciences teaching process in 5th grade. After an education process on using Pixton, 12 students transformed their learning into digital comics. This research aimed to reveal the problems created by students through digital stories about climate change, solutions they suggested for climate problems, and aesthetic subtleties they applied to express themselves. Digital comics created by students, researcher notes, observations, and students' view forms were used as data collection tools. Finally, vital solutions to problems such as global climate change, pollution, destruction of the natural environment, and extinction of living creatures were created by students during this case. Important solutions consisting of preventing global warming, making peace with nature, vital measures and efforts to protect the soil were suggested. Besides, interesting aesthetic subtleties such as storification, positioning of the characters, place preferences, expression of emotions, and time depiction were applied. Teachers can use comics to see students' tendencies, raise awareness, encourage them, and help them develop solutions for current socioscientific problems.

Climate change is not a future problem, it is a significant variation of weather conditions becoming warmer, wetter or drier. It is the longer-term trend that differentiates climate change from natural weather variability. The aim of this research was to determine primary school students' knowledge and attitudes related to climate change among primary school students (n = 473) in the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom and Portugal using a questionnaire survey. The dimensions of climate change knowledge, environmental attitudes and values, pro-environmental behaviour, and climate change attitudes were measured and analysed. The results showed gender differences in favour of girls in all the dimensions studied, except for climate change knowledge, where the results of boys and girls were comparable. In an international comparison, UK children scored higher on climate change knowledge and climate change attitudes dimensions. A multiple regression analysis showed the dimensions of nature preservation and appreciation of nature as the strongest positive predictors of pro-environmental behaviour and the dimensions of climate change knowledge and nature preservation as the strongest predictors of climate change belief. The results suggest the importance and implications of the wider societal debate on climate-related personal dimensions. The interconnectedness of environmental and climate-related topics at the primary school level is also evident.

This paper is a lesson study of the instruction of China's Natural Resources (the third unit of eighth-grade geography), and its objective is to examine the efficacy of inquiry-based learning in geography education. In the experimental lesson, we reorganized the teaching content by integrating the learning materials from the four sections of Natural Resources Overview, Land Resources, Water Resources, and Marine Resources in the unit. With proposed real-world situations and learning tasks, students posed research questions and conducted independent inquiry into issues such as the characteristics, distribution, and utilization of Chinese natural resources, as well as the existing problems. In this procedure, students gained the right methods and skills for geographical study, thereby enhancing their academic competency in geography.

Natural materials provide children opportunities for artistic engagement, which encourages a dialogue between children and material and provides a platform for children to discuss their perspectives on significant issues like sustainable futures. This article examines the land art characters created by pre-primary education children in the garden of the University of Turku's Rauma campus. The study is part of a STEAM-themed learning process that was conducted in a pre-primary group (children aged six to seven years) during the spring of 2022, based on Freinet's pedagogy. The study uses multimodal content analysis to analyze the children's land art pieces and their character-based storytelling. The results indicate that the children were able to effectively use natural materials to create unique characters by selecting appropriate materials, colors, and shapes to highlight their features. The shapes of natural materials served either as building blocks for the characters or helped them realize the characters they imagined. Further, the garden was found to be a significant location for outdoor learning, as it provided a space for children to engage in activities such as creating land art and exploring nature.

The purpose of this research was to study the level of environmental conservation awareness and the relationship between factors affecting the awareness of environmental conservation of undergraduate students. To study and compare factors affecting environmental conservation awareness among undergraduate students of different genders and academic years. The sample used in the research was undergraduate students. Department of Environmental Education, Faculty of Environment and Resource Studies, Mahasarakham University, 219 people from voluntary participation. The research tool was a questionnaire on factors affecting the environmental conservation awareness of undergraduate students. The statistics used in the research were frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation. And hypothesis testing using One-Way ANOVA. The results of the study showed that: 1. Undergraduate students are aware of environmental conservation at a high level with a value of 3.88. When considering each item, it was found that the factor that students were most aware of in environmental conservation was the value of natural resources and the environment. Followed by knowledge of environmental conservation, awareness of environmental conservation news, environmental protection model, and participation in environmental conservation. The factor that students were least aware of in environmental conservation was participating in environmental conservation activities, respectively. All factors were related to the awareness of environmental conservation in a positive direction at statistical significance at the 0.05 level. 2. There was no difference between undergraduate students of different genders in their awareness of environmental conservation. There was a difference between students of different academic years and awareness of environmental conservation at statistical significance at the 0.05 level.

The iNaturalist application has been gaining traction in both biodiversity research and education. Increasingly more research is being carried out, looking into using the iNaturalist application in biology education, to promote biodiversity and educate students about this topic. We used the PRISMA systematic literature review method to examine research carried out using the iNaturalist application in biology education by searching Web of Science and Scopus, and including citizen science in the process. We searched through the iNaturalist forum, where users contribute research performed using iNaturalist. We found that an increasing number of articles have been published on this topic over the years. Researchers are using iNaturalist to improve BioBlitz activities, to enhance outdoor education activities, and to help make herbaria. Summarizing the work performed in this area, we suggest guidelines for including and preparing the iNaturalist application in a school context to be used by teachers and researchers alike.

The incorporation of interdisciplinary education, a topic of significant global interest, is increasingly being recognized as a key aspect of educational innovation in Vietnam. This recognition extends to several fields, including STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education. This research aims to design and implement a STEM situation associated with the context of water protection in Vietnam for 10th-grade students in which students mobilize the knowledge of Physics (specific gravity, Archimedes' principle) and Mathematics (volume) to design a salinometer. This device measures the salinity of the water. The research methodology is based on the observed increase in saline levels in the coastal regions of Vietnam in recent years, which has had a substantial impact on agriculture and the livelihoods of millions of people. This methodology aims to provide realistic scenarios for students to address and resolve these problems. A total of forty students in the 10th grade were involved in a teaching situation that consisted of five distinct phases. Forty 10th-grade students participated in a teaching situation conducted in five phases. The results showed that the situation helped students strengthen and connect their physics and mathematics knowledge, create a vibrant learning atmosphere, enhance communication, and develop problem-solving competency. Furthermore, the teaching situation also needs to be revised regarding the measurement practices of Vietnamese students. The situation contributes to educating students' awareness of current events, protecting Vietnamese water resources, and the importance of sustainable development. In addition, we can use the same teaching process as in this research to develop other STEM teaching situations.

The purpose of this study was to investigate Mor Hom natural dye using a qualitative research approach and local knowledge. Relevant primary and secondary data were collected through in-depth interviews with three sets of key informants, including community scholars, natural-dyed Mor Hom clothing businesses, and academics, and a participatory observation procedure involving a total of 15 participants from five local wisdom areas in Phrae province, Thailand. The content analysis revealed that the natural dye Mor Hom is inherited from the progenitors through communion with the inheritors through narrating, remembering, following, trial and error, and testing until completed. In order to determine Mor Hom local knowledge from the respondent's implicit information, knowledge management technologies are required. In wisdom management, knowledge storage is demonstrated and organised using a method of learning by practise, learning from previous teachings, and studying from successful individuals in natural dyeing, or "best practice", to generate explicit knowledge. In addition, they were developing a knowledge management guideline for natural dyeing wisdom that the community could use to learn and share information. In addition, the local perception of the district is extremely conservative because Mor Hom represents Phrae when people discuss this region. For the community and all concerned parties, the outcome of this research is a handbook and an electronic book for managing the local knowledge of Mor Hom natural dyes.

This study aimed at (i) identifying primary school students' attitudes toward environmental issues based on the perspectives of ecocentrism and anthropocentrism and (ii) inspecting students' attitudes (i.e., ecocentric and anthropocentric) toward environmental issues in relation to gender and grade level. Data were gathered from 40 students through the administration of an interview questionnaire along with pictures concerning questions in the questionnaire. Results demonstrated that most of the participants who held positive attitudes reflected anthropocentric attitudes toward water, paper, and electricity consumption, reusing, and playground preferences whereas ecocentric attitudes toward plants, bugs, and other animals. Besides, half and slightly more than half of the participants with positive attitudes expressed ecocentric attitudes toward residence preferences and environmental pollution, respectively while nearly half of the participants with positive attitudes expressed anthropocentric attitudes toward the mentioned issues. It was also found that with the exception of one environmental issue, participants' attitudes toward environmental issues were not significantly associated with their gender. Additionally, no relation was found between participants' environmental attitudes and their grade level.

Early childhood is an important time for building children's affinity with nature and the environment. Early childhood professionals play a crucial role in developing young children's understanding of the natural world. Over the past 50 years, there has been a movement in early childhood education and care contexts to provide young children with the opportunity to learn in natural surroundings such as forest schools and nature kindergartens. This research, occurred in four bush kinders, an Australian example of nature-based, early years education influenced by the forest school approach to education. In this paper we interrogate key ideas concerning environmental education, drawing on seminal empirical research, guiding curriculum documents such as Australia's Early Years Learning Framework and government policy documents to build understandings of how children's play can be observed by educators who can then support the children to develop their understandings of the natural world around them. Through ethnography, a methodology that uses both participation and observation of research participants, it became apparent that young children's play-based learning offers opportunities for development of understandings of the environment. Applying a recent definition of environmental education from the US Environmental Protection Authority (2022), we analysed four vignettes which provide examples of educators and children's interactions supporting children to build an affinity with nature observed during the research. This research's implications are novel when considering the relatively new bush kinder approach to early childhood education as the findings remind us of the benefits of bush kinders in generating opportunities for young children's environmental education.

This paper examined the impact of an environmental justice class positioned against the backdrop of the Flint, Michigan, water crisis. Students questioned the link between the water crisis and environmental and racial injustice, as Flint citizens are largely African American and reside below the poverty line. The inquiry guiding this research centered on how students might use their voices to garner agency due to their participation in this class. The students' narratives became counter-stories; at the end of the course, their counter-stories highlighted a positive relationship between students' agency and their desire to become involved in the democratic process. The findings illustrate how participatory projects, ones that students direct themselves, can result in students' feelings of anxiety and complicate the role of the teacher in shaping the curriculum. The discussion examines curriculum design and place-based education adjacent to the complex undertaking of civic engagement with students.

Purpose: This paper aims to examine the piloting of an experience-based training module on greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting. The training is designed to promote knowledge and skills of both, students and professionals, in the context of the European Sustainability Reporting Standards. The paper's purpose is to evaluate the suitability of the chosen environment of a learning factory (LF). Design/methodology/approach: The proposed content and approach were initially created as basic training for cooperation partners from industry and auditing by applying Bloom's taxonomy up to the level of analyzing, evaluating and creating in a close-to-reality industrial environment. Subsequently, the training was adapted for higher engineering education. Three consecutive exercises are explained concerning the crucial stages of carbon footprinting. To provide support for the authors' suggestion that LFs are effective for the training in the field of GHG accounting, pre- and post-test and questionnaires were applied. Findings: This case study reveals that LFs facilitate training participants to reliably identify, classify and quantify emission sources because of their authentic characteristics. Findings in this paper indicate that engineering students prefer this education practice over other formats. Practical implications: This case study on active learning may prompt other universities to introduce similar concepts and content. Also, industrial professionals can benefit from this application-oriented teaching method. Originality/value: Despite the urgent and far-reaching need for better awareness and expertise, there is an absence of initiatives that practically teach them. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this paper describes the first training of its kind used in an LF.

This study explores the relationship between parental attitudes toward outdoor activities and children's health-related quality of life, focusing on the mediation of outdoor activity time and nature connections. Data from 399 kindergarten children, supplemented by parental insights, were analyzed using structural equation modelling (SEM). Positive parental attitudes toward outdoor activities were found to predict enhanced physical functioning and kindergarten performance. Additionally, a positive correlation was observed for social functioning, while emotional functioning remained unaffected. Parental attitudes directly influenced physical functioning, with indirect effects on kindergarten performance mediated by outdoor time and nature connections. These findings highlight the importance of parental attitudes in promoting children's well-being and suggest potential strategies to enhance their health-related quality of life.

A substantial body of research highlights the value of nature experience in supporting children's well-being and development. Given the growing interest in connectedness to nature (C2N), a better understanding of C2N measurement provides multiple opportunities, including consideration of the use of tools for research purposes and practitioner program measurement. The combination of interest in C2N and the potential for measuring the human relationship with nature provide the background for this exploratory study. The study's goal was to highlight the appropriate use of C2N scales based on considerations of context and culture. Three different, albeit related, efforts to translate, adapt, and use C2N measurements with children in a Danish-Swedish context during 2021-2022 were examined using case study methodology. Synthesis of the case studies provides general lessons and specific insights researchers and practitioners have learned regarding scale development and the application of measurement tools for children. Process functionality, child well-being, and conceptual appropriateness are three outcomes of the analysis that guide using child-oriented C2N scales in a Nordic context. The results highlight promoting discussions about nature and children's access to nature while guiding scale use. Based on the results, a checklist was created supporting a decision-making process for scale use.

Many previous studies have measured elementary-aged students' connection to nature (CTN), but few have explicitly considered how the use of different terminology (e.g. 'nature' "versus" 'the outdoors') can influence those connections. We utilized a quasi-experimental design to test for differences in affective and self-reported connections to nature among diverse groups of fourth and fifth grade students from two elementary schools in Wake County, North Carolina. We used Mann-Whitney U tests to compare these outcomes between two versions of a survey, one using the word 'nature' (n = 112) and one using the word 'outdoors' (n = 113), for (1) the whole sample (n = 225) (2) between boys and girls, and (3) between students of color and white students. Self-reported CTN did not vary significantly based on terminology used, but we did find some differences in levels of emotional affinity that students associated with each term. Our results suggest that the differences in which young audiences perceive the terms 'nature' versus 'outdoors' are nuanced and may offer insight into how language about the environment may invoke different emotions among children.

This study examines the role of nature in children's literature on bookshelves in early childhood education settings to explore how books in kindergarten classrooms represent nature and the relationship between nature and humans. The findings are (a) cursory references, (b) human autonomy over nature, and (c) nature as a learning opportunity. Based on the findings, it is suggested to implement more policies that integrate nature-themed literature into early childhood curriculum.

This study explores Taiwanese junior high school social studies teachers' definitions of sustainability, using a qualitative semi-structured interview approach. Three themes explaining these teachers' definitions are cycling, cultural sustainability, and balancing, harmony, and coexisting. These definitions unveil an alternative worldview that is non-Eurocentric-based and multifaceted dimensions of sustainability. Findings suggest that instead of claiming that we should have a consistent definition to guide teachers to implement environmental and sustainability education across different subjects, it is important to acknowledge the fact that teachers trained in different disciplines and of different cultural backgrounds need a whole range of support to incorporate sustainability goals successfully in their teaching. Supported by results of this study, social studies teachers can reasonably support the teaching of controversial issues about tensions between cultural sustainability and economic development.

Natural resources provide a high quality of life for residents and are often one of a community's greatest advantages for workforce attraction, youth retention, recreation, climate resilience, tourism, and broader economic development. A better understanding of how nature and local economies function together is critical to fostering synergies between interconnected community needs, such as economic development and climate resilience. This paper first draws on literature to define the nature economy, which is similar to the outdoor economy but with a more holistic and interdisciplinary focus on the roles of nature in the economic, social, and ecological resilience of communities. Then, we applied the nature economy lens across three different initiatives in New Hampshire to identify transferable lessons at the intersections between the outdoor economy, community development, and environmental conservation. Finally, we discuss two common themes: the co-benefits of outdoor recreation as a community and development strategy and the challenges and opportunities of partnerships. Engaged scholars and practitioners, such as planners and community development/recreation directors in rural communities, should benefit from this approach.

Current models of best practice in science education advocate for students to learn science by engaging in applied contexts that integrate the various science disciplines. Permaculture offers one such integrated context for elementary science. Although permaculture is relatively new in PK-12 education, the broader practice of school gardening has an established history of supporting student engagement in and conceptual understanding of science. However, many elementary teachers report feeling unprepared to implement garden-based lessons. This article examines preservice teacher (PST) ideas about permaculture and views toward teaching permaculture that emerged within an elementary science methods course. The course's pilot instructional intervention on permaculture included four components: background permaculture readings and videos, guided discussion, food forest design activity, and lesson plan analysis activity. We designed these components to engage preservice teachers both as current learners and future teachers of permaculture. Data was collected from pre/post-tests, the lesson analysis activity, and the PST daily endof-class reflections. After the permaculture intervention, PSTs self-reported higher levels of knowledge of permaculture topics and ways to use permaculture in their classrooms. They also effectively connected permaculture-based lesson plans to a variety of elementary learning standards. The PSTs positively viewed permaculture-based lessons as providing active, real-life learning experiences that support environmental consciousness, but viewed the cost and time required as barriers to implementing permaculture in their classrooms. Collectively, they positioned the developmental appropriateness and spatial resources required of the lessons as both advantages and disadvantages. Implications for teacher preparation and development are discussed.

Children and young people today are growing up in an increasingly urban, technical, virtual and ecologically precarious world, leaving many feel disconnected from nature yet anxious about its degradation at the same time. Two distinct bodies of knowledge -- namely youth human-nature relationships and youth eco-anxiety -- are concerned with the former and the latter respectively. Through a narrative literature review, we bring these fields together and explore their interaction. We demonstrate that the dominant responses of facilitating nature exposure and encouraging environmental action risk counteracting each other and ultimately fail to address the root cause of children and young people's experiences. We further show that emerging responses in both fields are overcoming these limitations by turning towards a reimagination of humanity's relationship with nature, providing a holistic way forward. We conclude by discussing barriers restricting the expansion of such approaches and opportunities for future research to contribute to dismantling these barriers.

With the "pictorial turn", the picture has gained a new significance as a medium. It is impossible to imagine a digitalized world affected by mass media without pictures. While there are several studies on the impact of pictures in the discourse on climate change in the media, there has been no analysis of the visual representation of climate change in textbooks, which remain an important teaching medium. The aim of this study is to identify the visual representations in textbooks in terms of form, image theme and motif related to the topic of climate change. The procedure is based on the method of qualitative content analysis. The results show that mainly photos, graphics and diagrams are used, whose contents differ from those of the media coverage. Besides diagrams and models, the impacts of climate change and the topic of nature are most frequently depicted. Representations of mitigation measures that would promote perceived self-efficacy are underrepresented in the textbooks studied.

Local biodiversity can help students develop conservation attitudes regarding biodiversity. However, studies reveal students' preferences regarding exotic than local biodiversity. Therefore, more research can permit an improved understanding of the reasons for their interest in these organisms. This research aimed to investigate São Paulo state (Brazil) students' interests and perceptions about their local biodiversity and understand how teaching materials present this topic. A Likert-type questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data regarding students' interests and perceptions. Textbooks and handouts analysis included counting quoted living beings and verifying their occurrence in local biomes using open-access datasets. Results showed that the students were less interested in local biodiversity than global biodiversity. They further expressed little knowledge about local biomes and their biodiversity. Teaching materials mostly name living beings that exist in Brazil. However, they offer few explicit examples of them in students' biome. Furthermore, regional teaching materials must deal with more contextualisation. Results from our study support previous research that suggests students need more than proximity to local biodiversity to be aware of it. Therefore, we recommend developing teaching materials focusing on local biodiversity, with follow-up studies examining their impact on student awareness of local biodiversity.

The aim with this article is to contribute knowledge about the meanings of "friluftsliv" in educational practice. This is done by investigating what "friluftsliv" becomes in the ongoing practices of PETE in Sweden and "how" these meanings are established in the studied activities. The empirical material consists of different kinds of material from "friluftsliv" activities in PETE programmes: study guides, field trip plans, students' vlogs from overnight stays outdoors, video recordings from two longer field trips, audio recordings from evening seminars during the field trips and students' written reflections after them. In order to identify meanings of "friluftsliv" and how these are established we used a transactional analysis based on Dewey. Five different ways of what "friluftsliv" becomes in PETE practice were identified in this study. The different meanings reflect the complex picture of contradictions and lack of common ground for the content and motives identified in the outdoor education field. Our study also confirms how the meaning of "friluftsliv" as skills is established by putting up tents, lighting fires, building wind shelters and so on, and how this contributes to a focus on the instrumental values in PETE. On the other hand, our study shows that other meanings of "friluftsliv" are established in the ongoing practice, where more intrinsic values are at stake even if they are often overshadowed in PETE practice. In conclusion the results also point to the potential of "fritluftsliv" in terms of a suggested move away from an activity-based personal and social development discourse in favour of experiences of educating for environmentally sustainable human-nature relations. The challenge is how to make these experiences educational in PETE and how to guide students in transforming experiences in more exclusive "friluftsliv" into pedagogical competence as future teachers using "friluftsliv" for different purposes in school PE.