This literature review focused on place-based education and sociocognitive mindfulness with special attention to possible overlaps between the two constructs. Place-based education (PBE) is described as a dynamic learning process in the context of the local community. Outdoor PBE, an experiential and interdisciplinary approach to learning, includes an analysis of relationships involving people and natural resources. Four related themes are often included in the PBE framework: critical thinking and problem-posing education; engagement through community connection; environmental justice; and social justice. Environmental justice pertains to the fair treatment of people and places as society responds to current and impending environmental degradation. Social justice addresses the unequal distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society and attempts to rectify such inequalities. Social justice in the context of PBE identifies injustices at a local level and promotes compassion within the community.
While mindfulness in the current literature includes both meditative mindfulness and sociocognitive mindfulness, this review focuses on just the one category, that of sociocognitive mindfulness which is achieved without meditation. Sociocognitive mindfulness draws on novel distinctions and can improve an individual's sensitivity to context and perspective. This literature review found four overlapping elements between PBE and sociocognitive mindfulness: environmental justice, problem-posing, social justice, and engagement. Problem-posing seemed to be the most important area of overlap. One aspect of problem-posing encourages students to question authority, to construct their own realities, and to address authentic problems.
This research supports the idea of incorporating elements of mindfulness in PBE. Mindfulness can strengthen PBE by helping students and teachers be more attentive to their local environments and related environmental and social justice concerns. The integration of mindfulness in PBE can help students view their communities with greater sensitivity and openness to new information, including information related to power structures operating around them. Making mindfulness a part of PBE doesn't discount the value of the place-based experience; it raises the value of the place and the context in which it is situated.
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