Although natural playgrounds have originated from an intention to provide greater access to nature for children, these play spaces offer a designed and regulated space that diverges from other natural contexts. This study investigated the perceived and sociomaterially constructed role of nature in natural playgrounds by examining what people (i.e.…

Humans use stories to explain natural processes, to explore alternatives, to resolve issues, and to imagine different possibilities and futures. Stories are a fundamental way people connect to their natural surroundings. But are some stories better for this than others? This study uses an experimental design to explore the impact of three types of…

The remarkably growing body of academic literature on the university in relation to sustainability pivots around the idea that the university has an important role to play regarding this issue. However, which role this precisely is and what type of university this requires is often left implicit. This article presents an empirical analysis of how…

As climate change disrupts our lives and environmental awareness and concerns rise within society, more individuals invest time contributing to activities and projects that help preserve the environment. This study uses a recent international database containing data on 1383 environmental event volunteers in 13 different countries, composed of…

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…

Outdoor learning provides an opportunity for schools to foster children's engagement with nature. This paper focusses on forest school practitioners' perceptions of children's development of a relationship with nature and the place where forest school occurs, through interviews with forest school activity leaders. Reflecting on literature, the…

Although popular discourse around environmental issues - including environmental education (EE) - is often dominated by the idea that politically progressive places are pro-environment and politically conservative places resist environmental protection, the reality is more complex. This research, which is grounded in interviews with 31…

In the present study, we explore the perceptions of urban middle school students' representations of nature using participatory photography and their nature connectedness. Preadolescents (N = 108, 6th grade, age 11-13) were asked to take a photo of what nature is to them and write a short description of what is in the image. In a mixed method…

Given the magnitude and immediacy of climate change, how should environmental education (EE) address not only reducing our climate footprint but also climate adaptation? Whereas some approaches to adaptation education are consistent with EE foundational principles, others, while crucial for individual survival, address more immediate risks in ways…

The pressing urgency of climate change calls for advancements in the way it is communicated. One communication option is the use of virtual reality (VR). The current research comprised two pilot studies to develop and test a virtual environment depicting proximal effects of climate change regarding the participant's location. In both studies, an…

A long history of theory exists to underpin our understanding of how to engage individuals and communities in more effective environmental conservation and sustainability practices. Yet rarely do we delve deeply into sociocultural theories of learning, which help demonstrate how learning and action are fundamentally intertwined in our…

This article brings together a feminist environmentalist cartoonist with a feminist environmental educator in an exploration of the generativity of cartoons in environmental education research and teaching. Using duoethnography as a methodology, and drawing on critical and new materialist feminist theory, we explore our personal memories, stories,…

This article aims to understand how students aged 14-17 from different contexts in France consider the issues related to the Seine. 20 interviews were carried out focusing on the implementation of an educational approach enabling students to grasp the priority issues associated with the sustainable development of the Seine. The analysis brings out…

The trilogy of research approaches presented in this text shows how ESD can be approached in different ways. Framing is crucial to challenge the underlying paradigms in our societies, mixed methods are a necessity to address the complexity that characterises the implementation of ESD in schools, and participatory components are particularly…

Climate change denial is often treated as a binary opinion. However, an individual can express acceptance of climate change, while still denying other aspects of the field such as its causation by humans, impacts, or our ability to mitigate these impacts. Here, we conduct a semester long survey and discourse analysis of a class of first-year…