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https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/54433
Title: | Action-oriented approaches to teaching environmental science in Bhutanese secondary schools: Stakeholder perceptions |
Contributor(s): | Mongar, Kishore (author); Quinn, Frances (author) ; Elliott, Sue (author) |
Publication Date: | 2023 |
Early Online Version: | 2023-01-04 |
DOI: | 10.1080/00958964.2022.2157368 |
Handle Link: | https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/54433 |
Abstract: | | Bhutan aspires to balance sustainable socioeconomic development with environmental conservation to achieve Gross National happiness (GNH). There are apparent alignments between GNH and the principles of education for Sustainable Development (ESD), but we recognize the role of the Bhutanese socio-cultural context for critically examining any alignments or misalignments with pervasive Western action-oriented ESD approaches. We present one aspect of a PhD study by the lead author that explored the implementation of environmental science (ES) in Bhutanese secondary schools. He examined stakeholders' perceptions about action-oriented approaches to teaching, drawing on qualitative and quantitative data from interviews with six principals, surveys and interviews with 14 teachers, surveys with 563 students and focus groups with 194 students. Findings indicated that students participated in school-based activities such as waste management and cleaning, in compliance with school-based directives to alleviate problems, rather than as a consequence of their own agentic decisions. Principals, teachers and students valued the idea of taking environmental action in ES, especially waste management, primarily for solving ecological issues and promoting intergenerational equity rather than for developing of action-competence. There is potential for leveraging existing school practices to enhance action-oriented approaches and, consequently, foster action-competence for the enhancement of GNH in Bhutan.
Publication Type: | Journal Article |
Source of Publication: | The Journal of Environmental Education, 54(2), p. 132-147 |
Publisher: | Routledge |
Place of Publication: | United States of America |
ISSN: | 1940-1892 0095-8964 |
Fields of Research (FoR) 2020: | 390105 Environmental education curriculum and pedagogy 390306 Secondary education 390401 Comparative and cross-cultural education |
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2020: | 160105 Secondary education 160205 Policies and development 160302 Pedagogy |
Peer Reviewed: | Yes |
HERDC Category Description: | C1 Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal |
Appears in Collections: | Journal Article School of Education
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