ENVIRONMENTAL & SOCIAL JUSTICE Higher Still, an Environmental Awakening at the Grassroots Level BY BRUCE JOHNSON, PHD Accomplishing meaningful change and sustainable development requires a multi-faceted, continuing educational approach, both for- mal and informal, addressing various aspects of our approach to envi- ronmental issues — aspects such as technology, policy, and personal vs collective behavior. To effectively resolve the critical environmental crises we face, an ever-deepening, comprehensive educational response is needed. Improved formal and informal education is needed towards a Great Awakening on these matters such as environmental science as well as hands-on immersive outdoors experiences — for more deeply learn- ing about the environment and more intimately exploring ways to successfully encourage people, both individually and collectively, to adopt more environmentally friendly behaviors. For this generation to make meaningful change, greater empha- sis needs to be placed on education that can affect values, attitudes, and behavioral intentions. Key educational factors instrumental in fine-tuning that greater awakening and awareness involve research in three areas: (1) the relationships between knowledge, attitudes, and environmental behavior; (2) psychological research on values and en - vironmental identity; and (3) the efficacy of Earth education programs designed to influence environmental action and behavior. Relationships Between Knowledge, Attitudes, and Envi- ronmental Behavior One of the clearest models of the most productive relationships be- tween knowledge, attitudes, and behavior in this field is the Compe - tence Model for Environmental Education (Roczen, Kaiser, Bogner & Wilson, 2013). The first part of the model differentiates between three different types of knowledge — system , action-related , and effective - ness (see Figure 1).
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● System knowledge is the dominant type of environmental knowledge that is taught and forms the basis for the other knowledge dimensions. This knowledge can include how ecological systems work and natural systems operate (ecological concepts) and can also include information about environmental issues and impacts, e.g., “knowing what” the problems are. ● Action-related knowledge concerns behavioral options and possible courses of action or “knowing how” to be more envi- ronmentally friendly. This includes individual actions (like reducing electricity use, recycling, etc.,) and group actions (such as working to continued on page 60
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PATHWAYS—Spring 23—59
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