Problematizing Enquiry In Environmental Education - Issues of Method in a Study of Teacher Thinking and Practice

Oct 15, 2026

Paper investigates how educational researchers study school-based environmental education and the rationale behind teachers’ inclusion of such activities in Canadian elementary programs. It argues that research methods must align with methodological and philosophical grounds, then examines compatibility between environmental education and teacher-thinking research and the suitability of narrative inquiry for accessing teachers’ stories through conversations. It highlights method-related issues of voice, language, and relationships, and connects these concerns to environmental education’s debate on politics of method and the practitioner’s role in goal setting and professional development.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages33

Reading Time1 h 23 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Research question and methodological alignment

Narrative inquiry for teacher thinking and practice

Method issues: voice, language, and relationships

Context: environmental education in Canadian schools

Problematizing Enquiry In Environmental Education: Issues of Method In A Study Of Teacher Thinking and Practice Paul Hart, University of Regina, Canada Abstract Although environmental education activity has increased greatly in Canadian elementary schools in recent years, very little is known about the nature of this activity or about the teacher’s rationale for inclusion in the school program. This paper addresses the question of how educational researchers find out about what happens in schools and why. Based on the notion research methods must be compatible with methodological and philosophical rationale, the paper examines first the compatibility of environmental education and teacher thinking research and second the appropriateness of narrative forms of inquiry for examination of teacher thinking and practice in environmental education. Using the epistemological claim that teachers’knowledge is ordered by story and the methodological claim that stories are best accessed by conversations, the paper raises several issues of method concerning voice, language, and relationships. These issues, while common to several forms of qualitative and autobiographical method are particularly relevant to the debate in environmental education about the politics of method as well as the role of practitioners in goal setting and professional development. Résumé Bien que l'éducation relative à l'environnement (ERE) ait connu d'importants développements au cours des dernières années dans les écoles primaires canadiennes, nous connaissons fort de choses sur la nature des pratiquespédagogiques à cet effet ou sur les théories justificatives desenseignants quant à l'introduction de l'ERE à l'école. Cet 56 Canadian Journal of Environmental Education, 1, Spring 1996 article traite des questions méthodologiques auxquelles les chercheurs sont confrontés lorsqu'ils tentent de décrire etd'expliquer ce qui se passe à l'école. Basé sur le principe de lanécessité d'une cohérence entre les méthodes de recherche et les fondements méthodologiques et philosophiques adoptés, cet article se penche d'une part sur la compatibilité entre l'éducation relative à l'environnement et la recherche sur les théories des enseignants et d'autre part, sur la pertinence del'enquête de type narrative pour l'étude des théories et des pratiques des enseignants en éducation relative àl'environnement. Adoptant la prémisse épistémologique selon laquelle le savoir de l'enseignant s'organise sous formed'histoire et la prémisse méthodologique selon laquelle la conversation est un moyen privilégié de révéler cette histoire, l'auteur soulève plusieurs questions méthodologiques concernant la voix, le langage et les relations en cours de conversation. Ces questions, bien que communes à plusieurs formes de méthodes qualitatives et autobiographiques, sont particulièrement pertinentes en regard du débat en éducation relative à l'environnement concernant l'aspect politique du choix d'une méthode demême que le rôle du praticien dans l'identification des butset le développement professionnel. Environmental education has emerged quite recently as a topic of considerable interest to teachers. Only within the past thirty years or so has “environment” been considered seriously as a legitimate feature of social debate. And only within the last ten years has environment-related activity become a definite part of the school experience in many countries, including Canada. Although environmental education is not a school subject such as science or social studies, many topics ranging from recycling to school yard improvement have become prominent in school programs. Federal government initiatives such as Canada’s Green Plan as well as national and provincial Roundtables on Environment and Economy have reinforced the efforts of organizations responsible for educational programs such as SEEDS’Learners in Action and Project WILD. Many Canadian provinces now have Conservation Strategies

FAQs

What problem does the paper address in environmental education research?

It examines how researchers can find out what happens in schools and why, focusing on teachers’ rationales for including environmental education in the school program.

Why does the paper emphasize compatibility between methods and rationale?

It argues that research methods must be compatible with the methodological and philosophical rationale underlying the study, particularly for investigating teacher thinking and practice.

Which method-related issues are raised through narrative inquiry?

The paper raises issues concerning voice, language, and relationships, arguing these are especially relevant to the politics of method and practitioners’ roles in environmental education.

Oct 15, 2026

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