This thesis investigates culturally responsive teaching in the context of environmental education (EE) and is composed of an introduction (Chapter 1), one study intended for eventual publication (Chapter 2), and a personal reflection (Chapter 3). The introduction provides a brief overview of EE and explains why the topics of study included in this thesis are important to address. For Chapter 2, I conducted interviews to understand how environmental educators characterize culturally responsive EE, how they practice it, and what they identify are the key catalysts and challenges to providing culturally responsive EE. The results of this study indicate the importance of a multifaceted approach that incorporates EE content, educator practices, organizational practices, and a critically reflexive mindset. In Chapter 3, my personal reflection considers themes that were woven throughout the work, time, and thought spent on this project and as a master's student at Virginia Tech. This work is meant to provide ideas and guidance for EE practitioners as they seek out approaches for increasing relevance in EE programs, uplift equitable practices in the EE field, and progress along their journeys to awareness and action. / Master of Science / This study explores the framework for culturally responsive teaching in the context of environmental education (EE). Recognizing that the field has fallen short of providing relevant EE programming for students from communities who have been historically excluded from nature, practitioners seek education strategies that resonate with these groups. Terms such as culturally relevant and culturally responsive are touted as methods for reaching diverse learners on EE programs, but the field lacks clearly defined practices for implementing these approaches. This study examines culturally responsive teaching with the objective of identifying culturally responsive practices to increase the relevance and meaning of EE programs for the diversity of youth across the United States. We conducted interviews with EE educators and managers to answer main research questions: (1) How do EE practitioners characterize culturally responsive EE; (2) How do practitioners practice culturally responsive EE; and (3) What are key catalysts and challenges to being culturally responsive in EE? These questions seek to understand how EE practitioners achieve relevance and extend inclusion for more equitable EE programs. We explored ways that culturally responsive EE may be considered, integrated, and supported at the program content level, program delivery level, and the organizational level. This paper builds off of important work being done in EE research and by EE practitioners in the field to develop more inclusive programs and practices that reflect diverse experiences of learners.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/110887 |
| Date | 26 May 2022 |
| Creators | Pownall, Malia Ann |
| Contributors | Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, Stern, Marc J., Merritt, Eileen G., Powell, Robert B., Archibald, Thomas G. |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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