Food for Thought - An Analysis of Pro-Environmental Behaviours and Food Choices in Ontario Environmental Studies Programs

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Muffet

The paper examines how participation in Environmental Studies Programs (ESPs) influences Ontario secondary students’ attitudes toward the environment and their willingness to make pro-environmental and pro-social choices, using student reports from five case studies. “Food” is identified as a central theme with subthemes spanning farm schooling, food production, outcomes of action, locavore practices, and limited behavior-change reports. Findings are integrated with relevant literature, followed by pedagogical recommendations for teachers and directions for future research.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Literature Review

Environmental Education in Canadian Secondary Schools

Methods, Results, and Discussion

Food for Thought: An Analysis of Pro-Environmental Behaviours and Food Choices in Ontario Environmental Studies Programs Mary Breunig, Brock University, Canada Abstract In Canada, there exists a noteworthy educational initiative referred to as Environmental Studies Programs (ESPs) . These secondary school programs are interdisciplinary, helping to link subject matter and encouraging student responsibility. This paper will present student reports from five case studies where I investigated how ESP participation impacts secondary students’ attitudes about the environment, and their willingness to make pro-environmental and pro-social choices.“Food” emerged as a primary theme, along with several subthemes: Farm School; Food Production; Outcomes of Action; Locavore; and Reports of Limited Behaviour Change. The discussion integrates the study results with relevant literature, provides pedagogical recommendations for teachers, and offers ideas for future research. Résumé Il existe au Canada une initiative en éducation digne de mention dénommée Programmes d’études environnementales. Ces programmes en école secondaire sont interdisciplinaires : ils contribuent à établir un lien avec la matière des cours obligatoires et suscitent le sens des responsabilités des élèves. Le présent article expose des rapports préparéspar des élèves dans cinq études de cas où j’ai examiné les effets d’une participation à des programmes d’études environnementales sur les attitudes d’élèves du secondaire par rapport à l’environnement, et sur leur volonté de faire des choix favorables à l’environnement et à la société . Lanourriture est un thème qui y a été désigné essentiel, tout comme plusieurs sous-thèmes : la ferme-école, la production alimentaire, les résultats d’un acte, la consommation d’alimentsproduits localement et les signalements de changement comportemental restreint. La conclusion confronte les résultats de l’étude aux publications pertinentes, présente des recommandations pédagogiques pour lesenseignants et suggère des idées en vue de recherches ultérieures. Keywords: environmental education, Ontario secondary schools, case study research, environmental studies programs Canadian Journal of Environmental Education, 18, 2013 155 Introduction I arrived at the research site at 9 a.m. It was my first week of data collection fora project that investigates how participation in Environmental Studies Programs (ESPs) impacts Ontario secondary students’ attitudes about the environment and their willingness to act pro-environmentally. Students were gathering in the front room of the program site for a morning check-in. I was carrying my briefcase, which contained a recording device, focus group session script, anda small plastic food container filled with pasta. I asked the program teacher if I could put my lunch in the refrigerator until lunch time. A student enthusiastically approached me and asked if I would prefer to share lunch with them, pointing over to the program greenhouse and chicken coop. This incident foregrounds the purpose of this paper, which is to investigate how Ontario ESP participation influences students’ pro-environmental and pro-social choices about food. The paper will review relevant research literature including: (a) environmental education in secondary schools, and (b) environmental and social justice, with a focus on food. The study methods will be explicated including study purpose, theoretical framework, methodology, data collection, and analysis, followed by study results and discussion. Literature Review A growing awareness of environmental issues and impacts of people’s actionson the environment are topics that find resonance across a wide variety of audiences, from the popular media to educational discourses. What ought and can be done about environmental degradation is contested and relates to opinions regarding fundamental cause(s), but one of the solutions commonly suggested is education (Ones &

FAQs

What is the main focus of the study?

The study investigates how participation in Environmental Studies Programs (ESPs) impacts Ontario secondary students’ attitudes toward the environment and their willingness to make pro-environmental and pro-social choices, particularly related to food.

How does the paper structure its key theme analysis?

“Food” is presented as a primary theme, supported by subthemes including Farm School, Food Production, Outcomes of Action, Locavore, and Reports of Limited Behaviour Change.

What outputs does the paper provide for educators and future work?

The paper integrates results with relevant literature and provides pedagogical recommendations for teachers, along with ideas for future research.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Muffet