4
1.3 Environmental Citizenship and Education
Education has been shown to be a fundamental tool that can adequately contribute
to behavioural changes in citizens, which can eventually be translated into aspects
of Environmental Citizenship (e.g. Gunningham et al. 2004; Dietz and Stern 2002).
According to Huckle (2014), there is an urgent need to provide young citizens with
sources of hope in troubled times, and Environmental Citizenship can provide the
hope that the urgent solutions needed against modern environmental challenges can
be found. Environmental Citizenship is relevant with science education (SE), environmental education (EE), Education for Sustainability (EfS) and citizenship education (CE). Each type of education has something important to contribute to
Environmental Citizenship through its specific approaches, dimensions and
practices.
SE is often linked to citizenship. Many studies in science education underscore
the key role of science education for promoting active and responsible citizenship,
as well as the need for citizens to get involved in the decision-making processes
concerning controversial socio-scientific and socio-technical issues (Roth and
Désautels 2004). The inclusion of socio-scientific controversies in the science curriculum signifies a departure from the traditional science teaching into more contemporary approaches elaborating the discussion of ill-structured, open-ended
topics (Kyza et al. 2018). Recently, the socio-scientific inquiry-based learning
(SSIBL) framework proposed a model of concepts and practices central to inquiry,
which supports teachers with integrating citizenship in science classes (Levinson
2018). The European Commission report ‘Science Education for Responsible
Citizenship’ (Hazelkorn et al. 2015) identified the main issues involved in helping
all citizens acquire the necessary knowledge of and about science to participate
actively, responsibly and successfully in and with society throughout their lives. It
also provides insights on how science education can help Europe achieve its goals
and empower people with the skills and competences needed to deliver sustainable
and competitive solutions to these challenges. Environmental problems in many
cases are such complex and controversial socio-scientific issues, and students
should be inducted in how to critically approach them.
In the frames of EE, many scholars argue that the ultimate goal of environmental
education is to develop students’ ability to act as informed and empowered citizens
(e.g., Schulser et al. 2009; Chawla and Cushing 2007), and other scholars invoke
environmental education as a safe way to promote Environmental Citizenship
(Carlsson and Jensen 2006; Gough and Scott 2006). However, according to other
scholars (e.g. Schild 2016), there still remains a lively disagreement about the aims
of environmental education, which may lead to conflicting goals and outcomes.
Tidball and Krasny (2010, p. 2) stated that ‘some models of environmental education may even have contradictory pedagogical approaches’. Such ambiguities in
targeting and priorities can act as a barrier to the effective implementation of the
Education for Environmental Citizenship (EEC). In addition, many research efforts
in the frames of environmental education focuses on the individualistic approach
A. Ch. Hadjichambis and P. Reis
1.3 Environmental Citizenship and Education
Education has been shown to be a fundamental tool that can adequately contribute
to behavioural changes in citizens, which can eventually be translated into aspects
of Environmental Citizenship (e.g. Gunningham et al. 2004; Dietz and Stern 2002).
According to Huckle (2014), there is an urgent need to provide young citizens with
sources of hope in troubled times, and Environmental Citizenship can provide the
hope that the urgent solutions needed against modern environmental challenges can
be found. Environmental Citizenship is relevant with science education (SE), environmental education (EE), Education for Sustainability (EfS) and citizenship education (CE). Each type of education has something important to contribute to
Environmental Citizenship through its specific approaches, dimensions and
practices.
SE is often linked to citizenship. Many studies in science education underscore
the key role of science education for promoting active and responsible citizenship,
as well as the need for citizens to get involved in the decision-making processes
concerning controversial socio-scientific and socio-technical issues (Roth and
Désautels 2004). The inclusion of socio-scientific controversies in the science curriculum signifies a departure from the traditional science teaching into more contemporary approaches elaborating the discussion of ill-structured, open-ended
topics (Kyza et al. 2018). Recently, the socio-scientific inquiry-based learning
(SSIBL) framework proposed a model of concepts and practices central to inquiry,
which supports teachers with integrating citizenship in science classes (Levinson
2018). The European Commission report ‘Science Education for Responsible
Citizenship’ (Hazelkorn et al. 2015) identified the main issues involved in helping
all citizens acquire the necessary knowledge of and about science to participate
actively, responsibly and successfully in and with society throughout their lives. It
also provides insights on how science education can help Europe achieve its goals
and empower people with the skills and competences needed to deliver sustainable
and competitive solutions to these challenges. Environmental problems in many
cases are such complex and controversial socio-scientific issues, and students
should be inducted in how to critically approach them.
In the frames of EE, many scholars argue that the ultimate goal of environmental
education is to develop students’ ability to act as informed and empowered citizens
(e.g., Schulser et al. 2009; Chawla and Cushing 2007), and other scholars invoke
environmental education as a safe way to promote Environmental Citizenship
(Carlsson and Jensen 2006; Gough and Scott 2006). However, according to other
scholars (e.g. Schild 2016), there still remains a lively disagreement about the aims
of environmental education, which may lead to conflicting goals and outcomes.
Tidball and Krasny (2010, p. 2) stated that ‘some models of environmental education may even have contradictory pedagogical approaches’. Such ambiguities in
targeting and priorities can act as a barrier to the effective implementation of the
Education for Environmental Citizenship (EEC). In addition, many research efforts
in the frames of environmental education focuses on the individualistic approach
A. Ch. Hadjichambis and P. Reis