scholarly journals Building Teacher Identity in Environmental and Sustainability Education: The Perspectives of Preservice Secondary School Geography Teachers

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 5321
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. C. Rushton

Geography teachers have an important role within environmental education and, in England, are developing their professional identities at a time when environmental education is contested. This study considers the experiences of five trainee secondary school geography teachers who are all part of a university-based teacher education programme rooted in an environmental justice approach. Data is drawn from three interviews with each of five individuals over the course of their training (15 interviews in total) and participants’ written reflections. Findings include (1) teachers draw on a range of approaches to implement Environmental and Sustainability Education (ESE), (2) teachers share and value their own and their students’ stories of and personal connections with the environment and (3) teachers seek to enable young people to bring about change to their lives and communities. The contested nature of foregrounding ESE in the geography classroom is noted, as are the tensions and emotional load that teachers experience when seeking to develop their professional identity. Reflections are shared regarding the ways in which PGCE programmes provide teachers with opportunities to build ESE identities, in particular the role of semi-structured, reflexive interviews in providing an important space for identity work that could be usefully considered within the broader context of the newly implemented Early Career Teacher framework for England.

2016 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert (Bob) Stevenson ◽  
Jo-Anne Ferreira ◽  
Sherridan Emery

AbstractThe first research symposium, organised in conjunction with the Australian Association for Environmental Education (AAEE) biennial conference, began with a dialogue between scholars at three different academic career stages. As we all entered the field at different periods in its development, the first part of our presentation and this article provide our perspectives on the context, approaches and issues that characterised the field at the time we became involved in environmental education (EE) and EE research. The second part of this article presents the lessons we have learnt from EE research, and where we see the field headed in the future.


2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 255-267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vicki Squires

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the extant literature with regard to the role of mentorship in promoting the well-being of early career teachers. Design/methodology/approach This paper was comprised of a review of the current literature. Key terms were used to identify initial sources. The search was narrowed further by using the Boolean operator AND to link key terms. Findings Much of the literature exploring mentorship and induction focuses on the formal structures and the targeted learning outcomes of the processes. However, the emotional and personal support afforded new teachers through the development of relationships with mentors is being recognized as contributing high value to the continued retention efforts. Although there are promising practices with regard to induction programs and formal mentorship arrangements in some schools, these practices are very scattered and may not even be equally well established within one school district. Research limitations/implications Implementation of models that are focused on personal and professional support of new teachers could provide an avenue of research examining teachers’ perceptions of well-being and resiliency. Longitudinal, pan-provincial and pan-national research is necessary for developing more support for systemic implementation of mentorship models. Originality/value While there is research identifying existing programs and induction models, this paper uses the lens of early career teacher well-being to point out promising practices and additional considerations for adopting a holistic approach to mentorship. This mentorship model may result in better personal and professional outcomes for new teachers.


2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (Spring 2019) ◽  
pp. 25-41
Author(s):  
Sidra Iqbal ◽  
Mah Nazir Riaz

The present study compared cognitive abilities and academic achievement of adolescents studying in three different school systems namely Urdu medium schools, English medium schools, and Cambridge system schools. The sample comprised of 1001 secondary school student. Cognitive abilities were assessed by Raven’s Standard Progressive Matrices (1960) and marks obtained by the students in the last annual examination were used as an index of academic achievement. Results showed that cognitive abilities of the students were positively associated with academic achievement of the respondents. It was further found that cognitive abilities and academic achievement of students studying in Cambridge school system was better as compared to those studying in other systems. Post-hoc comparison revealed that level of academic achievement of Urdu medium schools was lower as compared to English medium and Cambridge system of schools. The findings suggest that difference in schooling system influenced cognitive abilities and academic achievement of the students. Results further demonstrated that gender was a significant predictor of academic achievement in both Urdu and English medium schools. Future implications of the study were also discussed.


2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Esethu Monakali

This article offers an analysis of the identity work of a black transgender woman through life history research. Identity work pertains to the ongoing effort of authoring oneself and positions the individual as the agent; not a passive recipient of identity scripts. The findings draw from three life history interviews. Using thematic analysis, the following themes emerge: institutionalisation of gender norms; gender and sexuality unintelligibility; transitioning and passing; and lastly, gender expression and public spaces. The discussion follows from a poststructuralist conception of identity, which frames identity as fluid and as being continually established. The study contends that identity work is a complex and fragmented process, which is shaped by other social identities. To that end, the study also acknowledges the role of collective agency in shaping gender identity.


Author(s):  
Md. Mahmood Alam

The present study was conducted to ascertain the environmental awareness across gender, locale, type of schools and academic stream among senior secondary school students. The sample of the study comprised of 300 11th class students studying in different government and non- government senior secondary schools of Sambhal district (U.P.) of Moradabad region. Environment Awareness Ability Measure (EAAM) by Praveen Kumar Jha (1998) was used to collect the data for the purpose. The data were analyzed using descriptive (Mean, Standard Deviations) and inferential (‘t’- test) statistics. The findings of the present study revealed that there is significant difference in environmental awareness of senior secondary school students across gender (boys and girls), type of schools (government and non-government) and academic stream (science and arts). However no significant difference is found in case of rural and urban sample. The reason for this result may be the rampant illiteracy in the district. Stakeholders should, therefore, ensure that the curriculum relating to environmental education is transacted as a core curriculum. Other activities related to environmental education viz., curricular, co- curricular and literary activities should also be organized to infuse environmental awareness among students.


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