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11.4 Education for Environmental Citizenship: Valuable
Learning Outcomes at Primary School
After discussing relevant pedagogical approaches and some literature about curricular materials, we focus on what educational goals should be pursued in order to
promote Environmental Citizenship in primary school.
11.4.1 Shaping Environmental Attitudes and Values
Raising environmental concern and promoting environmental behaviours should be
key educational goals for primary education. Research in environmental sociology
and psychology has determined that cognitive and affective measures are important
in understanding variations in environmental concern and behaviours (Hansla et al.
2008; Swim et al. 2011; Takahashi et al. 2017). In the specialised literature about
environmental education at early ages, the emotional level is represented by shaping
children’s values and attitudes towards nature. According to Schwartz’s theory of
universal values (1992, 1994), people accenting values of universalism (as unity
with nature, protecting the environment, a world of beauty, social justice and others)
tend to prefer more altruistic behaviours than people accenting values of power,
achievement or security. While forcing children to accept socially desirable values
would be considered as an unethical teaching practice, education for Environmental
Citizenship should be able to, directly and indirectly, promote those values to pupils,
providing an opportunity for their reflection and consideration.
Affinity with nature, environmental sensitivity and connectedness with nature
are frequent concepts in the ecopsychological literature (Cheng and Monroe 2012;
Beery 2013; Kals et al. 1999). It is assumed that they form the motivational basis for
students’ future interest in environmental issues and behaviour (Hungerford and
Volk 1990), and so they represent a basic precondition for following-up education
for Environmental Citizenship. According to Chawla (1999), frequent, direct and
positive experience with nature, together with framing this experience by a reference person (parents, grandparents) valuing nature, plays the crucial role (Kals
et al. 1999).
To support this, schools should provide opportunities for pupils to get to the wild
and diverse environment during breaks with after-school clubs or residential programmes (Malone and Tranter 2003). An opportunity for unorganised free play in
the schoolyard with elements of the ‘wilderness’, where children may be alone, find
their special places and get dirty is important (Sobel 1993; Blair 2009). However,
care should be exercised as according to Thomson (2007), adults with a good intention often construct school gardens as a well-organised, safe space, while children
perceive their effort negatively as limiting their opportunity to free play.
Therefore, a better approach would be to do things with children rather than for
them. For example, instead of designing a schoolyard for children, do it with them –
J. Činčera et al.
11.4 Education for Environmental Citizenship: Valuable
Learning Outcomes at Primary School
After discussing relevant pedagogical approaches and some literature about curricular materials, we focus on what educational goals should be pursued in order to
promote Environmental Citizenship in primary school.
11.4.1 Shaping Environmental Attitudes and Values
Raising environmental concern and promoting environmental behaviours should be
key educational goals for primary education. Research in environmental sociology
and psychology has determined that cognitive and affective measures are important
in understanding variations in environmental concern and behaviours (Hansla et al.
2008; Swim et al. 2011; Takahashi et al. 2017). In the specialised literature about
environmental education at early ages, the emotional level is represented by shaping
children’s values and attitudes towards nature. According to Schwartz’s theory of
universal values (1992, 1994), people accenting values of universalism (as unity
with nature, protecting the environment, a world of beauty, social justice and others)
tend to prefer more altruistic behaviours than people accenting values of power,
achievement or security. While forcing children to accept socially desirable values
would be considered as an unethical teaching practice, education for Environmental
Citizenship should be able to, directly and indirectly, promote those values to pupils,
providing an opportunity for their reflection and consideration.
Affinity with nature, environmental sensitivity and connectedness with nature
are frequent concepts in the ecopsychological literature (Cheng and Monroe 2012;
Beery 2013; Kals et al. 1999). It is assumed that they form the motivational basis for
students’ future interest in environmental issues and behaviour (Hungerford and
Volk 1990), and so they represent a basic precondition for following-up education
for Environmental Citizenship. According to Chawla (1999), frequent, direct and
positive experience with nature, together with framing this experience by a reference person (parents, grandparents) valuing nature, plays the crucial role (Kals
et al. 1999).
To support this, schools should provide opportunities for pupils to get to the wild
and diverse environment during breaks with after-school clubs or residential programmes (Malone and Tranter 2003). An opportunity for unorganised free play in
the schoolyard with elements of the ‘wilderness’, where children may be alone, find
their special places and get dirty is important (Sobel 1993; Blair 2009). However,
care should be exercised as according to Thomson (2007), adults with a good intention often construct school gardens as a well-organised, safe space, while children
perceive their effort negatively as limiting their opportunity to free play.
Therefore, a better approach would be to do things with children rather than for
them. For example, instead of designing a schoolyard for children, do it with them –
J. Činčera et al.