This chapter explores ideas of participation by considering some of the issues surrounding frameworks for environmental learning. We begin by reviewing a recent analysis of a range of categories of interest in environmental learning. This indicates that the people and groups who promote or encourage environmental learning can have widely differing assumptions about both its purposes and processes, and about participation by learners in both their learning and thence in any social action they might take. We develop this analysis by examining how that which might be expected of the learner and the teacher/instructor in such environmental learning processes, and in ensuant participatory social and/or environmental change, can vary markedly across categories.
Keywords environmental learning, categories of interest, participation, conservation NGOs
Access provided by Autonomous University of Puebla. Download to read the full chapter text
Chapter PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Keywords
- Environmental Learning
- Sustainability Issue
- Conservation Scientist
- Sustainability Goal
- Environmental Citizenship
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
References
Braybrooke, D. (1987) Philosophy of Social Science. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
CEE (1997) The Aims of Biodiversity Education. Reading, MA: Council for Environmental Education.
Devall, B. and Sessions, G. (1985) Deep Ecology: Living As If Nature Mattered. Salt Lake City, UT: Peregrine Smith.
Fien, J. (1993) Education for the Environment: Critical Curriculum Theorising and Environmental Education. Geelong: Deakin University Press.
Fien, J., Scott, W.A.H., and Tilbury, D. (2001) Education and conservation: lessons from an evaluation. Environmental Education Research, 7, 4: 379–395.
Foster, J., Grove-White, R., Scott, W.A.H., and Gough, S.R. (2004) Aiming for Sustainability–Can We Keep on Track? A Note on Indicators, Uncertainty and the ‘capital’ Model in Sustainable Development. Lancaster University: Institute for Environment, Philosophy and Public Policy [produced as part of the ESRC Environment and Human Behaviour Programme, www.psi.org.uk/ehb].
Foster, J. (2005) Options, sustainability policy and the spontaneous order. Environmental Education Research, 11, 1: 135–155.
Gough, S.R. and Scott, W.A.H. (2005) Promoting environmental citizenship through learning: towards a theory of change. In: Dobson, A. and Bell, D. (eds), Environmental Citizenship: Getting from Here to There. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, pp. 263–285.
Higgins, P. (2002) Country focus: outdoor education in Scotland. Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning, 2, 2: 149–168.
Huckle, J. (1993) Environmental education and sustainability: a view from critical theory. In: Fien, J. (ed), Environmental Education: A Pathway to Sustainability, Geelong, Australia: Deakin University Press, pp. 43–68.
Hungerford, H. and Volk, T. (1990) Changing learner behaviour through environmental education. Journal of Environmental Education, 21, 3: 8–21.
Kollmus, A. and Agyeman, J. (2002) Mind the gap: why do people act environmentally and what are the barriers to pro-environmental behaviour? Environmental Education Research, 8, 3: 239–260.
Lovelock, J. (1979) Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Lundholm, C. (2004) Case studies–exploring students’ meanings and elaborating learning theories. Environmental Education Research, 10, 1: 115–124.
McKenzie-Mohr, D. and Smith, W. (1999) Fostering Sustainable Behaviour: An Introduction to Community-based Social Marketing. Gabrioloa Island, BC: New Society.
Nikel, J. (2005) Ascribing Responsibility: A Three-country Study of Student–Teachers’ Understanding(s) of Education, Sustainable Development, and ESD. Unpublished doctoral thesis. University of Bath.
Norgaard, R.B. (1984) Coevolutionary agricultural development. Economic Development and Cultural Change, 32, 2: 525–546.
Norgaard, R.B. (1994) Development Betrayed: The End of Progress and a Coevolutionary Revisioning of the Future. London: Routledge.
Sen, A. (1999) Development as Freedom. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Sen, A. (2002) Rationality and Freedom. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Scott, W.A.H. and Reid, A.D. (2001) Exploring our responsibilities: a critical commentary on education, sustainability and learning. Environmental Education, 66: 23–24.
Scott, W.A.H. and Gough, S.R. (2003a) Sustainable Development and Learning: Framing the Issues. London/New York: RoutledgeFalmer.
Scott, W.A.H. and Gough, S.R. (2003b) Categorizing environmental learning. NAAEE Communicator, 33, 1: 8.
Sterling, S. (2001) Sustainable Education: Re-visioning Learning and Change. Totness: Green Books (on behalf of the Schumacher Society).
Van Matre, S. and Weiler, B. (1983) The Earth Speaks a Powerful Tribute to Our Home in Space. Greenville, West Virginia: The Institute for Earth Education.
Wildlife Organisations UK Office (2001) Wildlife Organisations’ People and Wildlife Policy Statement. Newark: UK Wildlife Organisations.
Wilson, E.O. (1975) Sociobiology: The New Synthesis. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2008 Springer
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Scott, W., Gough, S. (2008). Environmental Learning and Categories of Interest: Exploring Modes of Participation and Learning in a Conservation NGO. In: Reid, A., Jensen, B.B., Nikel, J., Simovska, V. (eds) Participation and Learning. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-6416-6_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-6416-6_5
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-6415-9
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-6416-6
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)