TY - JOUR
T1 - Contextualising learning through the participatory construction of an environmental education programme
AU - Ruiz-Mallen, Isabel
AU - Barraza, Laura
AU - Bodenhorn, Barbara
AU - de la Paz Ceja-Adame, Maria
AU - Reyes-García, Victoria
PY - 2010/1/1
Y1 - 2010/1/1
N2 - Strengthening links between school and community is critical for improving people's participation in environmental issues. However, Mexican education programmes are generally unrelated to rural students' life experience and are planned without considering either teachers' or students' opinions. This article describes the participatory construction of a preparatory school environmental education (EE) programme in Ixtlan de Juarez, a Mexican indigenous community internationally recognised for sustainable forest management. The qualitative research methods used are based on the action research methodology. Results from interviews conducted with the preparatory school's headmaster, the coordinator, and nine teachers provided the needed documentation of the school site for contextualising learning activities. Feedback during focus groups with six students, three teachers, five local communal authorities, and two researchers highlighted that all participants perceived the need for creating an educational programme focused on local forest management. The contents and activities of the programme were designed by the focus group's participants. The programme has been continuously taught by teachers and forest workers since 2005 and was officially integrated with the preparatory school science curriculum in 2006. This participative educational experience has thus transformed the mandatory school curriculum in Ixtlan. © 2010 Taylor & Francis.
AB - Strengthening links between school and community is critical for improving people's participation in environmental issues. However, Mexican education programmes are generally unrelated to rural students' life experience and are planned without considering either teachers' or students' opinions. This article describes the participatory construction of a preparatory school environmental education (EE) programme in Ixtlan de Juarez, a Mexican indigenous community internationally recognised for sustainable forest management. The qualitative research methods used are based on the action research methodology. Results from interviews conducted with the preparatory school's headmaster, the coordinator, and nine teachers provided the needed documentation of the school site for contextualising learning activities. Feedback during focus groups with six students, three teachers, five local communal authorities, and two researchers highlighted that all participants perceived the need for creating an educational programme focused on local forest management. The contents and activities of the programme were designed by the focus group's participants. The programme has been continuously taught by teachers and forest workers since 2005 and was officially integrated with the preparatory school science curriculum in 2006. This participative educational experience has thus transformed the mandatory school curriculum in Ixtlan. © 2010 Taylor & Francis.
KW - Action research
KW - Contextualising as pedagogical technique
KW - Environmental education
KW - Mexico
KW - Participatory methods
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1080/09500690903203135
DO - https://doi.org/10.1080/09500690903203135
M3 - Article
VL - 32
SP - 1755
EP - 1770
JO - International Journal of Science Education
JF - International Journal of Science Education
SN - 0950-0693
ER -