doi: 10.18178/ijssh.2024.14.4.1213
A Case Study for Fostering CIVIC engagement: Theory for Developing Environmental Stewardship in Adolescents through Outdoor Recreation and Student-Driven Long-Term Research in Science Classes
Carolan H. Ziegler
- Faculty of Education, Edgewood College, Madison. Wisconsin, USA
- Manuscript received February 19, 2024
- revised March 13, 2024
- accepted March 18, 2024
- published August 20, 2024
Abstract
This case study explores an application of the theory that practicing science outdoors empowers students to be agents of change and later identify as environmental stewards. Decades of research in the scientific community have contributed to an understanding of the value of nature for child and adult development. However, millennia of research from Indigenous communities around the globe have already identified the value of the human-to-land connection. Scientific exploration that incorporates Traditional Ecological Knowledge could provide an opportunity to connect students to the land in a concrete and sustainable way – encouraging future student involvement in global ecological issues. This case study, from the perspective of a non-Indigenous author in a predominantly non-Indigenous population of adolescents, explores implementation, data collection, and establishment of procedures for student research and long-term data sets in an ever-changing project. In addition, it will discuss the benefit of outdoor place-based education in fostering environmental stewardship in students.
Keywords
- place-based education
- environmental stewardship
- sustainability
- indigenous science
- outdoor recreation
- traditional ecological knowledge
- civic action
How to Cite
Carolan H. Ziegler, "A Case Study for Fostering CIVIC engagement: Theory for Developing Environmental Stewardship in Adolescents through Outdoor Recreation and Student-Driven Long-Term Research in Science Classes," International Journal of Social Science and Humanity, vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 186-192, 2024. https://doi.org/ 10.18178/ijssh.2024.14.4.1213
Copyright & License
Copyright © 2024 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).