As environmental educators, we often hear about the gap between research and practice. How can we ensure that valuable academic insights reach those working on the ground? The eeRESEARCH project, a collaborative initiative led by NAAEE as part of ee360+, has been working to address this challenge by making environmental education research more accessible to practitioners.

eeRESEARCH is a database of summaries of key research articles related to environmental education. With keyword and evaluation tool searches, it’s a valuable resource for students, practitioners, and evaluators looking to understand recent research findings relevant to their work. Articles are selected based on their significance to the field. What makes these summaries particularly valuable is their accessibility. Each summary includes a clear "Bottom Line" that distills complex research into actionable insights for practitioners. The summaries maintain academic rigor while presenting information in a format that busy educators can quickly understand and apply to their work.

Previously, eeRESEARCH has been hosted by Duke University and Stanford University in collaboration with NAAEE, and has involved extensive collaboration with the Children & Nature Network. Currently, the project is jointly managed by NAAEE and the University of Oxford, where I, Dr. Isobel Talks, and Dr. Bill Finnegan have been working on new thematic lists of research summaries that bring cutting-edge environmental education research directly to practitioners. These carefully curated collections focus on critical themes in our field, such as ‘Hope, Affect, and Emotion in EE’, ‘Multi-Generational Learning’, and ‘Agroecology and Education’. The new thematic lists do not replace the searchable summary database, but instead make a new contribution of pre-prepared starter kits of useful information on specific topics of interest for environmental education practitioners. The first set of themes were chosen because they are current ‘hot topics’ in environmental education. These were shared at the NAAEE annual conference in November 2024, and feedback from session participants helped to identify additional themes of interest.

The Hope, Affect, and Emotion collection addresses one of the most pressing challenges facing environmental educators today: how to help learners process their emotional responses to environmental crises while maintaining engagement and hope. These summaries reveal innovative approaches like the "Hope Wheel" model for climate education and highlight the importance of "critical emotional awareness" in helping students navigate climate anxiety. The research emphasizes that effective environmental education must balance honest acknowledgment of challenges with fostering constructive hope and agency.

The Multi-Generational Learning collection demonstrates  the powerful potential of intergenerational learning in environmental and climate education, revealing that knowledge transfer occurs bidirectionally between children and adults rather than flowing only from adults to children. The studies show that when children engage in participatory, hands-on environmental learning experiences they not only develop significant environmental knowledge and behaviors but also effectively communicate this learning to parents and educators, leading to measurable household behavior changes and professional development for teachers.

The Agroecology and Education summaries showcase innovative educational approaches that combine hands-on farming experience with social and political awareness. From La Via Campesina's farmer schools to university programs, these studies demonstrate how agroecology education can prepare the next generation to transform food systems. The research emphasizes the importance of experiential learning, community engagement, and the integration of traditional farming knowledge with modern sustainable practices.

Looking ahead, the eeRESEARCH team is preparing to release ten new thematic collections focusing on various settings, audiences, and topics. I encourage all environmental educators to explore these new thematic collections. Whether you're designing curriculum, developing programs, or seeking to enhance your practice, these summaries offer valuable insights and practical applications from the latest research in our field.

Visit the eeRESEARCH on the NAAEE website to access these research summaries and join the conversation taking place in the eePRO Research and Evaluation group about how research can inform and improve environmental education practice. We are keen to hear from you about ideas for future themed lists, or other ways that eeRESEARCH can support your work. You can get in touch by emailing isobel.talks@education.ox.ac.uk. Together, we can ensure that environmental education continues to evolve and adapt to meet the challenges of our changing world.