Cultural Studies and Environmentalism

It has been 40 years since science, technology, society, and environment (STSE) education first appeared in science education research and practice. Although supported among many educators worldwide, there is much confusion surrounding the STSE slogan. Widely differing discourses on STSE education and diverse ways of practicing, have led to an array of distinct pedagogical approaches, programs, and methods. We are left wondering how we might orient ourselves amid such a diversity of propositions. What does STSE look like in practice? What ideological orientations underpin its practice? In this paper, we review the research literature and educational practices in STSE education to (1) map out a typology of STSE education in the form of currents and (2) provide a heuristic that educators can use for critical analysis of discourses and practices in the field. We identify, explore, and critique six currents in STSE education: application/design, historical, logical reasoning, value-centered, sociocultural, and socio-ecojustice currents. We suggest that these currents may serve as a didactic tool for others, a framework that will assist educators in informing their own theoretical understandings, choices, and practices in the context of STSE education.

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Currents in STSE education: Mapping a complex field, 40 years on

Pedretti

2011

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Environmental Citizenship and Youth Activism

Reis

2020

Environmental Discourses in Science Education

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A citizen’s capacity to act in society as an agent of change is an important element of Environmental Citizenship. This chapter discusses the concept of activism and the importance of activism initiatives in the development of citizens’ willingness and competences for critical, active and democratic engagement in preventing and solving environmental problems. Several possible ways for young people to get involved in environmental activism are presented. Also discussed is the possible and desirable combination of youth activism with citizen science, as a catalyst for empowering future citizens with the willingness and the higher-level abilities for participating in the global effort for a sustainable development and assuming the responsibility for future generations. Youth activism represents a key element in Education for Environmental Citizenship, allowing students to exercise their environmental rights and duties and to develop the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes that empower them as problem-solvers capable of facing the contemporary environmental problems.

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