ERIC Number: EJ1301757
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1350-4622
EISSN: N/A
Decoding Gender in Nature-Based Education: Perceptions of Environmental Educators
Decker, Abigail; Morrison, Scott A.
Environmental Education Research, v27 n6 p848-863 2021
In this qualitative study, we interviewed 20 environmental educators from six countries about their perceptions of gender in their work with children in nature. While many agreed that the physical environment seemed to bring fewer gendered cues to learning and allowed for more independent exploration, their responses also reflected limited confidence in drawing conclusions about the presence and influence of gender in nature-based education. Discussions of gendered language in nature, moving beyond the gender binary, and the role of student free choice emerged. Gender roles and restrictive, harmful gendered socialization will continue to manifest outside if environmental educators do not have the awareness and preparedness to identify and intentionally disrupt such experiences. It is essential to ensure that everyone working with children in nature understands the ways gender exists outside, when it is harmful and when it is productive, and how to consciously, intentionally shape student experiences with gender outdoors.
Descriptors: Teacher Attitudes, Environmental Education, Outdoor Education, Gender Issues, Gender Bias, Sex Role, Children, Socialization, Feminism, Elementary School Teachers, Early Childhood Teachers, Elementary School Students, Discovery Learning, Physical Environment, Language Usage, Sex Stereotypes
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Elementary Education; Early Childhood Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A