Interpretation of the Reality in Environmental Education: Identification of Mono-, Multi-, Inter-, Trans-Disciplinary and Inter-Epistemic Experiences

Abstract

The interpretation of reality is relevant to transforming environmental contexts. Environmental education (EE) might contribute to building more complex interpretations of reality. It seems that integrating disciplines is a way to reach complexity in interpreting reality. However, it is not easy for professionals and teachers to achieve such integration. Therefore, this paper aims to illustrate different interpretations of reality through specific educational reports on EE. This work is a qualitative and descriptive study of cases. The units to study are experiences in EE. The cases' selection depends on whether the document describes an experience or a practical proposal on developing EE. The analysis classifies the experiences as monodisciplinary, multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, inter-epistemological or transdisciplinary. The results describe three cases per category. The discussion highlights that all the interpretations of reality are valuable and contribute, but a more complex framework probably will lead communities to broader and more profound interpretation and action.