Dear Colleagues,
ChangeScale is proud to partner with researchers at Stanford University to create this fifth issue of the Environmental Education Research Bulletin. These bulletins aim to bridge the gap between research and practice by summarizing recently reported research that may help educators improve their practice.
The most talented environmental educators we know are conducting place-based programs, collaborating with communities, and using hands-on strategies to make the critical link between environmental awareness, skill building, and informed action. Rarely do these committed professionals have time to keep up on the latest research and its beneficial findings, which may enhance the effectiveness of environmental education programming.
In this issue, we’ve pulled together relevant journal articles that relate to environmental education practice primarily in informal and field-based settings. We reviewed issues (published between January and June 2013) of the following journals: The Journal of Environmental Education, Environmental Education Research, Applied Environmental Education and Communication, Australian Journal of Environmental Education, Canadian Journal of Environmental Education, Journal of Experiential Education, International Journal of Science Education, Science Education, Visitor Studies, Journal of Interpretation Research, Environmental Research Letters, and the Journal of Environmental Psychology.
Because we are creating this document for you, we’re eager to hear your feedback.
Please let us know if there are additional topics or journals you’d like to see covered, or if there’s an alternative format that may be helpful. You can send suggestions to eeresearchbulletins@changescale.org. We’ll take your feedback into account at the beginning of each cycle and try to adapt accordingly. And for another take on these kinds of articles, you may also want to check out the research blog available from the North American Association for Environmental Education (eelinked.naaee.net/n/eeresearch). You may also be interested in the Relating Research to Practice effort of CILS and the Exploratorium, available here: www.exploratorium.edu/education/relating-research-practice.
We wish you all the best in your important efforts to integrate high-quality research into inspiring practice!
Nicole M. Ardoin, Ph.D.
Project Lead
Assistant Professor
Stanford University
Elizabeth C. Babcock, Ph.D.
Chief Public Engagement Officer & Roberts-Wilson Dean of Education
California Academy of Sciences
Kirk Anne Taylor
Director, ChangeScale
