Ecology as a field is undergoing a movement toward practices that are more inclusive of voices that have not been historically heard in all parts of the scientific process. At the same time, underrepresented populations globally bear the brunt of ecological problems. For these reasons, it is important to cultivate a new generation of ecologists and ecologically-literate citizens who are representative of populations that are most affected by ecological issues. Ecological education in public schools is one way to achieve greater diversity in ecological decisionmaking. The design for this study was loosely informed by Alexandra Schindel Dimick’s 2016 study, using the theoretical lens Critical Pedagogy of Place, or CPP (Gruenewald, 2003). CPP describes a type of education that provides students with critical awareness of the power structures that shape their realities while also providing the skills necessary for restoring or “reinhabiting” the places where they live. Thus, the research questions were: What examples of reinhabitation and critical consciousness were evident in one public high school Environmental Science class? How do social and physical structures in the school support or discourage CPP? How do students actively demonstrate decolonization and reinhabitation of their learning environments through science projects? Data were collected through interviews and participant observation over the course of one trimester at a public high school. Students implemented a meadow restoration project on the school campus. Data sources included field notes, researcher reflective notes, transcribed audio recordings of interviews and focus groups with students, photographs of the learning environment, and correspondence between the classroom teacher and researcher.
Results/Conclusions
Generation of inductive codes revealed three themes that supported student demonstration of CPP: physical outdoor work, making personal connections, and taking responsibility. These findings contribute to the sparse collection of empirical data related to CPP applications in formal education settings. The implications of this study can inform best practices for teachers and school administrators in designing ecological curricula that can empower the next generation of citizens. In addition, ecologists and policy makers can consider these findings to plan meaningful community engagement in ecological decisionmaking.