This study investigates children's perceptions of environmental change and their connection to nature in Mexico's Mediterranean region, an area of global ecological significance. We used a convergent mixed methods design to analyze data from 392 fourth through sixth graders from urban, peri-urban, and rural schools. Integrating quantitative and…

Although green schoolyards provide many benefits to children and communities, little research explores students' perceptions of these benefits and how natural elements (e.g. gardens, trees) and associated use shape student experience. We examine the relationship between nature-based attributes, nature-based activities, and teacher-led activities…

Reports of ecological disturbances - wildfires, loss of biodiversity, drought, contaminated drinking water, extreme temperatures - fill the news. People have to navigate and manage these challenges. To do so effectively, requires that people are environmentally literate (EL), demonstrating an understanding of the problems, so they are motivated to…

Children in urban environments tend to have limited exposure to environmental education programs for many reasons. This paper describes the development of a short-session after-school program, created to introduce children in an inner-city school to the concept of urban ecology. In this program, we met with a class of 20 fifth graders once a week…

The purpose of the current study is to reveal the reflections of the Köycegiz Wastewater Treatment Plant (WTP) field trip planned within the context of the unit "Domestic Waste and Recycling" and the activities carried out concerning this trip on middle school students in Turkey. This research was conducted based on the semi-mixed method…

This mixed methods case study dissertation research aimed to examine specific characteristics of general education teachers (non-arts-based, non-gifted-education-based) related to how teachers foster creative classroom ecologies in their traditional classroom environments. The targeted characteristics involve two dimensions potentially related to…

Environmental education researchers and policy makers acknowledge the need to act responsibly toward the environment. Yet, teachers do not always know how to help students translate environmental knowledge into sustainable action. This study examines the implementation of locally developed place-based education (PBE) curriculum for middle school…

Understanding ecological concepts is crucial in tackling environmental issues like climate change, pollution, and habitat destruction. These concepts also serve as a teaching framework, encouraging learners to effect positive change. This research was conducted with grade 9 learners from three schools in Bloemfontein, South Africa, randomly…

Losing contact with nature has become a serious concern in recent years, not only because it depletes children and adolescents' physical health and well-being, but also because it creates apathy towards natural environments. Most past research has developed scales to measure adult's connection with nature (CWN), leaving adolescents' CWN a less…

Ecological literacy in the elementary classroom typically focuses on abiotic and biotic relationships, without including how human activity and ecosystems interrelate. A possible way for students to make these connections is through their school building. To that end, we examined ecological literacy outcomes for 5th-grade students in two…

Even though there are numerous studies on environmental education in the literature, they are limited to investigate the effects of stories. In this context, this research aimed to investigate the views of fifth grade Turkish students concerning environmental problems through storytelling. In accordance with this aim, action research has carried…

The article presents the results of an exploratory-qualitative study about children´s conceptions of ecology in relation to media messages. The objective of the study has been to identify the role of ecologism and environmental campaigns on ecology conceptions of 105 6th grade children, age 10-12, from an educational institution in Bogota,…

Nature conservation and environmental protection are not only visible in the media, but also play a role in the everyday life of young people, as evidenced by 'Fridays for Future', a demonstration for climate justice. To facilitate the embedding of conservation in school contexts, this study addresses the ideas and approaches which students have…

A problem-based learning activity focusing on the human impact on the environment and the importance of sustainable development is presented. The activity revolves around a mysterious island where the civilization is on the blink of extinction, prompting students to investigate how human behavior, ecosystems, resources, and natural balance…

Digital learning ecosystem plays important roles for transforming teaching classroom into learning community. This article used a mixed method to (1) explore the teaching and learning activities and components of a digital learning ecosystem through eighteen in-depth interviews and six observation classroom teachings of three subjects (English,…