Uncovering students’ environmental identity: An exploration of activities in an environmental science course

Environmental science course increases high school students' awareness and environmental identityThis case study was conducted in a Northeastern U.S. high school among students in grades ten through twelve (n=17) who participated in a high school level, semester-long environmental science course. The major purpose of the study was to determine the effect of activities within the course curriculum on students' environmental identity, including their sense of relevance and empowerment to effect change. Qualitative in nature, the author used ethnographic study methods including participant observation, interviews, narrative videos, and co-generative dialogues (i.e., group interviews examining past shared experiences). Students’ perspectives and experiences served as the center and focus of the study, while the teacher’s perspective was also included. In total, three series of student interviews (n=10) and three teacher interviews were collected and analyzed. All interview participants were Caucasian and the majority were male (n=7).

Over the course of a semester, students were presented with real-world environmental issues and problems paired with ongoing discussions and debates on the best approaches to addressing these issues. Through this process, students had to form opinions, challenge their own assumptions and understandings, and make arguments for one side or another. Additionally, the course was linked to local issues, layering on a sense of relevancy for students. Many students’ understanding of their consumerism changed over the course of the semester as well as their understanding for how each act of consumption or behavior has a positive, or negative, impact on the environment. The place-based nature of the course paired with action-oriented solutions empowered students to continue or to take on new positive pro-environmental behaviors. Through the process of environmental issue debate, students engaged in cooperative learning and were asked to collectively problem-solve the issues given each solution's strengths and weaknesses.