Week 13: Research in Environmental and Sustainability Education
Introduction
Students will learn various methodologies and approaches for conducting environmental research about events, issues and problems. Foremost will be an examination of the Participatory Action Research approach, with focus on community-based PAR and research with Indigenous peoples. Students should exit this course with a global perspective of the of environmental issues and problems, but also with a toolkit of ideas of how to use education to increase environmental citizenship and work towards sustainability.
This Week, You Will Be Expected to:
- Update your glossary with 5-10 terms you learned this week and submit your glossary for final grading.
- Demonstrate a thorough understanding of environmental and sustainability education research approaches and methodologies.
- Distinguish between an environmental event, an environmental problem, and an environmental issue.
Questions to Consider Throughout this Week:
- How might I use qualitative, quantitative, or mixed research in my field of study?
- With what individuals and organizations might I be able to create a research partnership? How would I approach them? How would the partnership benefit everyone involved?
- How might I incorporate Participatory Action Research into a research project in my field of study?
- What is the relationship between an environmental event, an environmental problem, and an environmental issue?
Readings and Content
1. Overview of Research Approaches in the Context of Environmental and Sustainability Education
Quantitative
Qualitative
Mixed methodology
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- When qualitative and quantitative research don’t align: Growing Community: The Impact of the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program on the Social and Learning Environment in Primary Schools.
- Approaches to Interdisciplinary Mixed Methods Research in Land‐Change Science and Environmental Management
2. INVESTIGATING ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES, EVENTS AND PROBLEMS
Distinguishing between issues, events and problems
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- Hungerford, H. R. (1992). Investigating and evaluating environmental issues and actions: Skill development modules. Stipes Publishing Company.
- Use dictionaries and other relevant sources to obtain information about the differences between environmental issues, events and problems
Strategies for investigating issues, events and problems: data collection procedures, reporting findings, etc.
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- Problem-driven research vs. core research: Improving our Understanding of Environmental Issues: Identifying Current and Emerging Problems
- Investigation of Environmental Problem Solving Skills of Preschool Age Children
3. PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH
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- Walter, M. (2009). Participatory action research. Social research methods. In A. Bryman (Ed.), Social research methods (pp. 151-158). London: The Falmer Press.
- Blending the Principles of Participatory Action Research Approach and Elements of Grounded Theory in a Disaster Risk Reduction Education Case Study
- Institute of Development Studies: Participatory Methods [Website] Focus on “Research and Analyse”
- Participatory Action Research Toolkit: An Introduction to Using PAR as an Approach to Learning, Research, and Action
- Handbook for Participatory Action Research, Planning and Evaluation (3rd Ed.) (Also downloadable in French and Spanish)
Forming research partnerships: Community-based research
Research with Indigenous peoples
Research as a reciprocal process
Research ethics
4. CASE STUDIES
Learn about different ways to create environmentally based case studies:
Pursuing the Promise of Case Studies for Sustainability and Environmental Education: Converging Initiatives
Then, browse the open reference banks of case studies listed in the article:
University of Michigan Sustainability Cases
If case study banks are no longer available, search for other banks of environmental case studies.
