Evaluating Governing Documents for Environmental Education Centers in Spain

Environmental education centers (EECs) are essential locations for environmental education (EE) communities, programs, and learning. Research has shown that EECs are effective tools for EE, but there is limited research on how EECs are governed. Governing documents are resources that define the identity, context, practices, and goals of an institution. In Spain, governing documents for educational institutions are called Proyecto Educativo de Centro (PEC). PECs are important management tools for maintaining quality education and optimizing positive impact. Limited resources guiding the structure and content of PECs exist, especially for non-formal educational settings such as EECs. This study analyzed the PECs of 23 EECs in Catalonia, Spain, and made recommendations for what should be included in EEC governing documents.

The Catalan Society of Environmental Education (CSEE) identified a need for increasing cohesiveness among EECs within Catalonia. Similar PEC structures may promote communication among EECs and improve administration for umbrella organizations, such as CSEE. Umbrella organizations in EE may define the overarching goals in EE for specific regions, while providing support to individual and more local EE organizations. This research worked to create a resource for EECs to formulate high-quality PECs by guiding their structure and content.

This study collected PEC documents from 23 EECs in the Girona Province in Catalonia, Spain. The EECs were selected because they had been involved in a program called “Del mar als crims” (“from the sea to the mountaintops”) from 2007-2008. In order to be a part of this program and receive funding, the EECs submitted a variety of documents, including their PECs. The authors of this study adapted a rubric for evaluating PECs in formal education settings to apply to EECs. The authors read the 23 PECs and ranked each of the sections as 2 (well-described), 1 (poorly-described) or 0 (absent), depending on how well the PEC addressed that topic. The rubric included 4 sections:
1) Identity features: definition of the organization name, history, values, staff, and facilities;
2) Context analysis: analysis of the cultural and environmental surrounding of the organization;
3) Formulation of goals and position regarding EE or Education for Sustainability (EfS): description the purpose and intention of the organization, along with any assumptions made about EE and EfS;
4) Plan of action: definition of activities, programs, learning pedagogy, teaching materials and methods of evaluating the performance of the EEC.
Scores for the PECs were generated using the rubric and compiled in Excel. Graphs and charts were used to visually compare and analyze results.

This study found strengths and weaknesses within and among PECs. Many PECs lacked important definitions of concepts relating to EE and EfS and struggled to orient their goals in the context of sustainability and their local environment. In addition, many PECs lacked a strong description of their evaluation methods. Although PECs scored highly for some components of Section 4: Plan of Action (e.g., type of activities, learning pedagogy, teaching materials), only 7 PECs received the highest score of well-described for subsection 4.5: Evaluation. Those that were identified as well-described included examples of evaluation surveys in their PECs. Out of the remaining 16 PECs in subsection 4.5, 5 were rated as poorly described, while 11 PECs had nothing outlined in terms of EEC evaluation methods and materials.

The authors of this study acknowledged that the PECs may not reflect the day-to-day realities of EECs, meaning that a high-quality PEC does not necessarily translate into a high-quality EEC. The findings in this study are only representative of EECs in the Girona Province in Catalonia, Spain, and do not reflect the contents or structure of governing documents in other areas. The authors emphasized that this research is not intended to standardize the contents or structure of PECs.

This study can help EE organizations consider key elements when developing governing documents and indicates that additional consideration may need to be given to definitions and program evaluation in EE. Evaluation is critical in order to ensure that EEC programs are achieving the intended impact. The rubric formulated in this study can be a guide for incorporating important aspects of governing documents (identity, context, goals and assumptions, and plan of action).