Research Trends in Environmental Education of Korea: The Past, Present, and Future

Abstract

To describe the characteristics and development of EE research in Korea, this paper includes critical reviews of previous studies which discussed the trends in EE research. The range of studies reviewed includes journal articles, doctoral dissertations, and masters' theses on themes of EE from the 1980s to 2016. This paper introduces the backgrounds and contexts of EE in Korea, interpreting the development of this fi eld and the roles of academic journals. This paper also shows the expansion and diversifi cation of EE research in Korea. In the processes, groups of researchers have conducted their studies in the emerging areas with specifi c target groups or topics such as early childhood EE and climate change education. By comparing research articles in the early 2000s and the early 2010s, the author suggests that the range of practices in EE has changed. Reviewing the past and present features of EE research, this study leads to discussions on traditions/currents of EE and roles of EE research for the future practices.

Sharing, Comparing, and Developing Environmental Education in Asia: For the Journey to be Continued

“…Nomura (2017) pointed out the significance of pollution (Kogai) education in the development of EE in Japan as well as how it was once neglected in the JSOEE, which may be a history unique to Japan. However, the increase in EE research in relation to sustainable development in recent years mentioned by Nomura (2017) overlaps with the trend in Korea mentioned by Kim (2017). The spread of ESD ideas seemingly affected EE research trends in both countries.…”

“…According to these reviews, one common trend of Korean and Japanese EE research is that while quantitative studies dominated in the past, qualitative studies are now expanding. Additionally, as Kim (2017) demonstrated, the themes of EE research have diversified. Nomura (2017) pointed out the significance of pollution (Kogai) education in the development of EE in Japan as well as how it was once neglected in the JSOEE, which may be a history unique to Japan.…”

“…A lack of interest in research methodology and a deficiency in efforts to review existing/previous research were especially emphasized by Nomura (2017), implying the weakness of EE research in Japan. Points made in the three papers, such as changes in research trends and increases in qualitative approaches mentioned by Kim (2017), the lack of theoretical studies and methodological discussion discussed by Nomura (2017), and efforts to explore factors affecting people's environmental action reviewed by S. J. , all indicate that there are still potential areas to be studied and great possibilities for future research in the field of EE in these places.…”

“…Kim (2017) explained that "more than a dozen groups of authors" have written review papers on EE research in Korea over the last 20 years. This indicated that in Korea, many journal articles and theses/dissertations regarding EE have been compiled since the 1980s, and enabled various researchers to review the trends in research in the country.…”

“…2017, Hsu, Y. H. 2017, Jang and Ju 2017, Kao et al 2017, Kim 2017, Kodama 2017, Nomura 2017, we summarize such overviews to compare them with each other, explore the uniqueness and commonality among the three places and seek further questions. Furthermore, we review the last two articles, which provided insights from viewpoints outside Asia (Eames andCutter-Mackenzie 2017, Wals et al 2017), to clarify their relevance in discussions linking them with contexts of EE in Taiwan, Korea, and Japan.…”