Action Competence for Environment: New Perspective of Learning Outcome in Environmental Education

Main Article Content

Jeerawan Ketsing
Suchawadee Ketchanok
Sarayoot Channakorn

Abstract

This article aims to propose a new perspective on learning outcomes and teaching approaches for environmental education (EE). As such, education can address complex environmental problems happening nowadays and those that will oecur in the future. The core concepts presented in this article are derived from the International Handbook of Research on Environmental Education (Stevenson, Brody, Dillon, & Wals, 2013), 7 systematic review articles related to EE
learning outcomes, 6 position papers regardless of a new perspective of EE learning outcomes and teaching approaches, and 26 research articles related to action competence. These research articles were obtained from high impact refereed journals from the field of EE, including Environmental Education Research, Journal of Environmental Education, and others. The term used for access to these articles was “action competence”. This article presents core ideas systematically extracted from the literature. It begins with ‘the need for new EE learning outcome’ and followed by ‘definition of action competence’, ‘aspects and indicators of action competence’, and ‘instructional approaches for developing action competence’, respectively. We hope that this article can be a catalyst to move the field of EE forward to the goal of Education for Sustainable
Development.

Article Details

How to Cite
Ketsing, J. ., Ketchanok, S., & Channakorn, S. . (2023). Action Competence for Environment: New Perspective of Learning Outcome in Environmental Education. Journal of Education, Prince of Songkla University, Pattani Campus, 34(1), 1–19. retrieved from https://so02.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/edupsu/article/view/251913
Section
Academic Article

References

Almers, E. (2013). Pathways to action competence for sustainability—six themes. The Journal of Environmental Education, 44(2), 116-127. https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.2012.719939

Ardoin, N. M., Bowers, A. W., & Gaillard, E. (2020). Environmental education outcomes for conservation: A systematic review. Biological Conservation, 241, 108224. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2019.108224

Adoin, N. M., Bowers, A. W., Roth, N. W., & Holthuis, N. (2018). Environmental education and K-12student outcomes: A review and analysis of research. The Journal of Environmental Education, 49(1), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.2017.1366155

Biström, E. & Lundström, R. (2021). Textbooks and action competence for sustainable development: An analysis of Swedish lower secondary level textbooks in geography and biology. Environmental Education Research, 27(2), 279-294. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2020.1853063

Blythe, C. & Harré, N. (2020). Encouraging transformation and action competence: A theory of change evaluation of a sustainability leadership program for high school students. The Journal of Environmental Education, 51(1), 83-96. https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.2019.1629381

Breiting, S. & Mogensen, F. (1999). Action competence and environmental education. Cambridge Journal of Education, 29(3), 349-353. https://doi.org/10.1080/0305764990290305

Chawla, L. (1998). Significant life experiences revisited: A review of research on sources of environmental sensitivity. The Journal of Environmental Education, 29(3), 11-21. https://doi.org/10.1080/00958969809599114

Chawla, L. (1999). Life paths into effective environmental action. The Journal of Environmental Education, 31(1), 15-26. https://doi.org/10.1080/00958969909598628

Department of Environmental Quality Promotion, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. (2010). Four Organizations for Environmental Education, Learning for Sufficiency. Bangkok: Chulalongkorn University Social Research Institute. [in Thai]

Dittmer, L. & Mugagga, F., Metternich, A., Schweizer-Ries, P., Asiimwe, G., & Riemer, M. (2017). “We can keep the fire burning”: Building action competence through environmental justice education in Uganda and Germany. Local Environment, 23(2), 144-157. https://doi.org/10.1080/13549839.2017.1391188

Emmons, K. M. (1997). Perspectives on environmental action: Reflection and revision through practical experience. The Journal of Environmental Education, 29(1), 34-44. https://doi.org/10.1080/00958969709599105

Ernst, J., Blood, N., & Beery, T. (2017). Environmental action and student environmental leaders: Exploring the influence of environmental attitudes, locus of control, and sense of personal responsibility. Environmental Education Research, 23(2), 149-175. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2015.1068278

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). (2021). Climate Change 2021 The Physical Science Basis: Summary for Policymakers. https://www.unep.org/resources/report/climatechange-2021-physical-science-basis-working-group-i-contribution-sixth

Jensen, B. B. & Schnack, K. (1997). The action competence approach in environmental education. Environmental Education Research, 3(2), 163-178. https://doi.org/10.1080/1350462970030205

Jickling, B. & Wals, A. E. J. (2008). Globalization and environmental education: Looking beyond sustainable development. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 40(1), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220270701684667

Kempton, W., Boster, J. S. & Hartley, J. A. (1998). Environmental values in American culture. The Journal of Value Inquiry, 32, 119–122. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1004222022649

Ketsing, J. (2016). Environmental education course for improving pre-service science teachers’ environmental attitudes and behaviors. Songklanakarin Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 22(2), 215-252. [in Thai]

Kollmuss. A. & Agyeman, J. (2002). Mind the gap: Why do people act environmentally and what are the barriers to pro-environmental behavior?. Environmental Education Research, 8(3), 239-260. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504620220145401

Krause, D. (1993). Environmental consciousness: An empirical study. Environment and Behavior, 25(1), 126-142.

Kyburz-Graber, R. (2019). 50 years of environmental research from a European perspective. The Journal of Environmental Education, 50(4-6), 378-385. https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.2019.1704559

Li, D., & Chen, J. (2015). Significant life experiences on the formation of environmental action among Chinese college students. Environmental Education Research, 21(4), 612-630. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2014.927830

Liarakou, G., Kostelou, E., & Gavrilakis, C. (2011). Environmental volunteers: Factors influencingb their involvement in environmental action. Environmental Education Research, 17(5), 651-673. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2011.572159

Marcinkowski, T., & Reid, A. (2019). Reviews of research on the attitude-behavior relationship and their implications for future environmental education research. Environmental Education Research, 25(4), 459–471. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2019.1634237.

Newhouse, N. (1990). Implications of attitude and behavior research for environmental conservation. The Journal of Environmental Education, 22(1), 26–32. https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.1990.9943043

Olsson, D., Gericke, N., Sass, W., & Boeve-de Pauw, J. (2020). Self-perceived action competence for sustainability: The theoretical grounding and empirical validation of a novel research instrument. Environmental Education Research, 26(5), 742-760. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2020.1736991

Sass, W., Boeve-de Pauw, J., Olsson, D., Gericke, N., Maeyer, S. D., & Van Petegem, P. (2020). Redefining action competence: The case of sustainable development. The Journal of Environmental Education, 51(4), 292-305. https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.2020.1765132

Shean, G. D. & Shei, T. (1995). The values of student environmentalists. The Journal of Psychology, 129(5), 559-564. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.1995.9914928

Skarstein, F. (2020). Climate beliefs in an oil-dependent economy: Norwegian pre-service science teachers’ attitudes towards climate change. Environmental Education Research, 26(4), 491-510. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2020.1728233

Stern, P. C. (2000). New environmental theories: Toward a coherent theory of environmentally significant behavior. Journal of Social Issues, 56(3), 407-424. https://doi.org/10.1111/0022-4537.00175

Stevenson, R. B., Brody, M., Dillon, J., & Wals, A. E. J. (Eds.). (2013). International Handbook on Research on Environmental Education (pp.253-261). New York: Routledge.

Thomas, R. E. W., Teel, T., Bruyere, B., & Laurence, S. (2019). Metrics and outcomes of conservation education: A quarter century of lessons learned. Environmental Education Research, 25(2), 172-192. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2018.1450849

Trott, C. D. (2020). Children’s constructive climate change engagement: Empowering awareness, agency, and action. Environmental Education Research, 26(4), 532-554. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2019.1675594

UNESCO. (1978). Final Report, Intergovernmental Conference on Environmental Education, Organized by UNESCO in Cooperation with UNEP, Tbilisi, USSR, 14–26 October 1977. Paris: UNESCO.

UNESCO. (2016). Education for People and Planet: Creating Sustainable Futures for All, Global Education Monitoring Report. Paris, France: UNESCO.

Varela-Losada, M., Vega-Marcote, P., Pérez-Rodríguez, U., & Álvarez-Lires, M. (2016). Going to action? A literature review on educational proposals in formal environmental education. Environmental

Education Research, 22(3), 390-421. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2015.1101751

Wals, A. E. J. (2019). Sustainability-oriented ecologies of learning: A response to systemic global dysfunction. In R. Barnett, & N. Jackson (Eds.), Ecologies for Learning and Practice: Emerging Ideas, Sightings, and Possibilities (pp. 61-78). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351020268-5

Wals, A.E., & Dillon, J. (2013). Conventional and emerging learning theories: Implications. In R.B. Wals, A. E. J., Geerling-Eijff, F., Hubeek, F., van der Kroon, S., & Vader, J. (2008). All mixed up? Instrumental and emancipatory learning toward a more sustainable world: Considerations for EE policymakers. Applied Environmental Education & Communication,7(3), 55-65. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15330150802473027

West, S. E. (2015). Understanding participant and practitioner outcomes of environmental education. Environmental Education Research, 21(1), 45–60. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2013.879695.

Zhan, Y., He, R., & Wing Mui So, W. (2019). Developing elementary school children’s water conversation action competence: A case study in China. International Journal of Early Years Education, 27(3), 287-305. https://doi.org/10.1080/09669760.2018.1548346