The aim of the study is to gain insight into Swedish preschool pedagogues’ conceptualization who work with a special outdoor learning concept, of including children with special needs within their groups. Sweden is a country which is famous for its “education for all” policy, however there is a little to know about the presence of children with special needs in the preschool setting. Children with special needs often risk being isolated as a result of limitations in the number of activities available for them in school. Although various studies examined both the effect of time spent outdoors, both inclusion’s positive effect on children with special needs. Interviews were conducted with four preschool pedagogues who work in the i Ur och Skur preschool, the outdoor education approach popular in Scandinavia. Sociocultural theory was applied as a conceptual framework for analysis of the interview transcripts. The pedagogues demonstrated to support inclusion of children with special needs in preschool activities. The pedagogues showed more willingness to include children with cognitive impairment or neurodevelopmental disorders, than with physical disabilities. Among their concerns, issues of safety, weather and the outdoor activities potential for highlighting differences in skills and abilities (mostly physical) were mentioned. In order to adapt the settings and practices to be more inclusive for children with special needs, pedagogues proposed including extra personnel to provide assistance.

Vilken roll har utomhuspedagogik i grundskolan, närmare bestämt i år sju? Kan utomhuspedagogik som metod, eller process/arbetssätt, vara ett sätt att få eleverna mer intresserade av NO i skolan, ett intresse som dalar ju högre upp i år en i grundskolan eleverna kommer, vilket även gäller för kunskaperna enligt nationella och internationella undersökningar. Jag undersöker särskilt vilken roll problemlösande aktiviteter, valmöjligheter hos eleverna och miljöns utformning har för elevernas intresse av NO. Undersökningen bygger på litteratur, observationer och intervjuer, där hermeneutik - tolkning - fenomenografi - jämförelse av olika perspektiv och uppfattningar hos de personer som ingår i undersökningen - och empiri - erfarenheter ute på fältet vid observationerna och intervjuerna - är viktiga delar i undersökningen. Undersökningen visar att eleverna tycks ha ett behov av uteundervisning eftersom de ser fördelar med det, till exempel att de får frisk luft, får röra sig mer än i klassrummet men framför allt att det innebär en vardagsanknytning, en konkretisering av lärostoffet. När eleverna har uteundervisning vill eleverna ha uppgifter, de vill undersöka och upptäcka, inte främst att läraren står och pratar. Undersökningen visar också att eleverna vill vara delaktiga i undervisningen och i de beslut som gäller dem. Det är tre frågor som får eleverna intresserade: när eleverna får uppleva något nytt och lite oväntat, när frågor väcks som de vill ha svar på och när de sätts i rörelse med praktiskt arbete. Ett stort hinder för uteundervisning tycker eleverna är dåligt väder. Undersökningen visar också att eleverna har ett socialt behov. Den kritik som finns mot uteundervisning kommer främst från aktiva pedagoger, och jag gör ett försök att bemöta kritiken. / What part does outdoor education play in the compulsory school in Sweden, more specifically in school year 7? Can outdoor education be a tool/a process to get the pupils more interested in the natural sciences the way it is taught in school, as national and international studies show that this interest decrease with increasing grade in school, and this also applies to the knowledge. I investigate in more detail what part activities of problem solving, the availability of free choice for the pupils and the kind of the environment plays in determining the pupils- interest in the natural sciences. The study is based on literature study, observations and interviews, where hermeneutics - interpretation - fenomenografics - comparison of the different perspectives and views of the persons in the study - and empirical techniques - experiences made in the observations and during the interviews - are important parts in the study. The study shows that the pupils seems to have a craving for outdoor education while they see advantages with it, for example the possibility to get fresh air, the ability to move around more than the space in the classroom allow but utmost that it means a way to concretise, to tie school stuff to a reality that the pupils know about outside school. During outdoor education the pupils want tasks to do, assignments, which give them a chance to investigate, explore and to discover, not foremost that the teacher lectures. The study also shows that the pupils prefer to take an active part during the lesson, at least during part of it, and in decisions that applies to them. Three issues make the pupils interested: when they get to experience something new and a bit unexpected, when questions pop up in their head they want answers to and when they are put into action with some practical work. A great, massive obstacle to outdoor education, the pupils say is bad weather. The study also shows that there is a need among the pupils for socializing. The critiques that exist against outdoor education, primarily comes from active educationalists, and I try to meet this critique in a constructive way.

The purpose of this study is to examine how mobile and stationary pedagogues experience the cooperation between the two units and how the pedagogues perceive the organizational conditions for managing a dual unit. Furthermore is the study also examine whether there are any different perceptions of working methods in each other's activities and if this has an impact on the children at preschool. In order to be able to answer these questions, I have chosen to make qualitative interviews at two different stationary preschools and two different mobile units/buses. I have interviewed four pedagogues, two from stationary units and two from mobile units. In my study I can see patterns in that bus pedagogues perceive themselves as be an ”own preschool” or ”own island” where they express "take care" of themselves. Nor do they perceive that they need to adapt to what’s happening on the preschool, for example, in case of illness. But they have a need to belong to the "house" when it comes to getting help during planning times. The stationary pedagogues perceive as the bus pedagogues do not see the entire preschool as a common organization that the bus pedagogues only cares for their own needs. The stationary pedagogues perceive that the mobile pedagogues exclude themselves but the mobile pedagogues perceive that they get excluded. The result of this study points that management should be aware of the strong impact of previous traditions and approaches in a working group or individual. Without clear leadership, too much space is given to the pedagogues own "profit-making" purposes, which can have an impact on the children's opportunities and to become in the preschool environment.

An increasingly large body of literature sees disconnection from nature as central to the convergent social-ecological crisis, rooted in anthropocentric ontologies. This study explored the potential for embodied, sociomaterial nature-based activities to engender shifts in children’s perceptions of, and sense of connectedness with, nature. Equally it explored how children’s socio-cultural-historical value positionings (SCHVP) mediated their perceptions of, and connectedness with, nature. The nature-based activities, spread over five-day camps, were located at Hobbiton-on-Hogsback, a centre that has existed for decades to provide experiential learning and graded exposure to natural spaces, aiming to increase environmental knowledge and nature-connection. The experiences of two groups of children from wide-ranging socioeconomic and socio-cultural backgrounds in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa were explored using interpretive case study methodology. Through semi-structured interviews and focus groups with selected children (aged 10-14) and the Hobbiton staff members who worked with them, as well as participant observation, data were collected and analysed thematically. This study was guided by a layered theoretical framework that included Deep Ecology as an under-labourer, and Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) as a substantive, analytical framework. Interactions between participants’ SCHVP and the sociomateriality of the nature- based activities were analysed in relation to the children’s nature-perceptions and sense of Connectedness-With-Nature. The findings highlight both the importance of the children’s SCHVP and the sociomateriality of the nature-based activities in mediating their prior perceptions of, and connectedness with nature. The nature-based activities acted as a primary stimulus for developing environmental empathy, awareness and pro-environmental intentions. In essence, Hobbiton acted as a primary ‘seed planter’ towards greater feelings of Connectedness-With-Nature. However, recommendations are put forward for more decolonised, ethics-oriented and sociomaterial design of Hobbiton’s nature-based activities, with an emphasis on integrating children’s SCHVP into the pedagogical-design process in relation to the sociomaterial elements of the nature-based activities. Emically integrating the children’s multiplicities of knowing, doing, valuing and being into the pedagogical-design process could contribute to the decolonisation of nature-based experiences in such contexts cultural, socio and political diversity.

M.Ed. / Wildlife areas are considered by many to be "wilderness" islands, which do not have anything to do with the local communities surrounding them. These areas are seen as elitist. The Kruger National Park is no exception to these thoughts. Due to its immense size, many neighbours of the park have over the years been ignored. A questionnaire was given to 127 of the neighbours along the southern boundary of the park to determine the environmental literacy of these neighbours. The neighbours sampled were from informal and formal settlements and tourist destinations such as lodges and hotels. From the results it was found that there was very little difference between these neighbours in terms of their environmental literacy. An environmental education model was proposed in order to address the lack of knowledge or misconceptions that the neighbours held about the environment.

This project is designed for junior high school teachers who wish to initiate environmental issues-based education in Taiwan. It addresses the current education at junior high schools and important environmental issues in Taiwan, presenting instructional strategies for teaching controversial environmental issues. The appendix of the project is an original design for a systematic environmental issues curriculum, including student-centered and teacher-centered activities that could be integrated into curricula on related subjects. Lessons include the environmental awareness, ethics, skills for analyzing issues, research skills, debate practice, negotiation practice, and projects.

The purpose of this project is to help at-risk Latino youth through environmental education programs. An integral aspect of this project included hands-on and interactive experiences at several education sites throughout the State of California. These site visits included the following institutions: Yosemite Institute, Chapman Ranch, Orange County Outdoor Science School, University of Southern California, Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies, Catalina Island Camps, Camp Oaks, Wildlands Conservancy (Oak Glen), St. James Reserve, and Alvarado-Jensen Ranch.

This project is aimed at helping children in elementary grades 1-6 develop a deep awareness of and empathy for the environment through children's fictional literature. This project takes a selection of children's books that encourage feelings of love, respect, and concern for the environment, and pairs them with an array of activities that put children more in touch with our planet and its problems. This combination of shared stories and related activities may be influential in developing environmental sensitivity in young children.

Fieldtrips are established to bring many advantages for education. Even so, studies show that they are not implemented to a great extent in schools internationally. In Sweden fieldtrips are a mandatory part of the curriculum concerning geography for the junior high school. If they are not carried out in the way intended by the Swedish National Agency of Education, the duty to provide equivalent education to all Swedish children can be affected. Therefore, seven interviews with geography teachers in six junior high schools within the Stockholm area were conducted, to gain insight to their experience of geographical fieldtrips and the conditions surrounding them, to further help fill the knowledge gap concerning what might affect the implementation of fieldtrips. The results show that the teachers did not conduct geographical fieldtrips at all or to a low standard because of inhibiting conditions and a lacking understanding of its purposes. This combined with a belief that the curriculum being overfeed with content made the teachers feel forced to prioritize within the curriculum, causing them to deselect geographical fieldtrips in favor of other content. The results were discussed within a theoretical framework regarding field trips, outdoor education and equivalent education within a perspective of justice. / <p>Skriven inom kombinationsprogrammet för magisterexamen och lärarexamen med inriktning geografi.</p><p>Examensarbetet görs inom ramarna för forskningsprojektet Just Urban Green, lett av Annika Dahlberg och Sara Borgström.</p>

As cities expand globally, researchers must clarify how human activities and institutions shape biodiversity and conversely, how ecological processes shape human outcomes. Two features of contemporary cities motivate this thesis. First, urban residents, and especially children, are spending less time in nature and consequently, miss out on healthy and formative experiences with biodiversity. Second, residents with the least access to biodiversity tend to be those with the lowest socioeconomic status (SES). Together, these patterns convey a multi-layered environmental injustice: not only might urbanites become increasingly estranged from biodiversity, disinterested from its conservation, and disconnected from its benefits, but these outcomes may be most acute in communities already suffering from inequality in terms of exposure to hazards or limited economic opportunity. The first chapter explores how children’s behaviors and interests change after learning about animal habitats first-hand in an environmental education program. I conducted an evaluation of the ECOS program in Springfield, Massachusetts, in which I surveyed elementary school students about their memories of ECOS and their related environmental behaviors. Students with parents or peers that had participated in ECOS were more likely to repeat or discuss program activities after the program’s end. Findings will aid educators in Springfield and beyond in improving program impacts and sustainability. The second chapter explains under what conditions socioeconomic inequality becomes linked with biodiversity. I conducted a meta-analysis of published research that assessed SES-biodiversity relationships in 34 cities using fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis. I evaluated the contributions of study design and city-level conditions in shaping SES-biodiversity relationships for various taxonomic groups. The meta-analysis highlighted the contributions of residential and municipal decisions in differentially promoting biodiversity along socioeconomic lines. Further, we identified circumstances in which inequality in biodiversity was ameliorated or negated by urban form, social policy, or collective human preference. Findings will aid researchers and managers in understanding human drivers of biodiversity in their cities and how access to biodiversity may be unequally distributed. In sum, this thesis advances our knowledge about how biodiversity is structured in cities, who gets to experience it, and how such experiences influence our behaviors and interests.