ERIC Number: EJ1308412
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2021
Pages: 21
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1350-4622
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Available Date: N/A
Using Social Network Analysis to Explore and Expand Our Understanding of a Robust Environmental Learning Landscape
Wojcik, Deborah J.; Ardoin, Nicole M.; Gould, Rachelle K.
Environmental Education Research, v27 n9 p1263-1283 2021
Environmental learning occurs through an interconnected web of opportunities. Some arise via organizations with sustainability- or environmental learning-focused missions, while others are facilitated by organizations focused on impacts and outcomes in a range of areas, such as health, social justice, or the arts. To better understand the richness of the community environmental learning landscape, we pursued a social network analysis in one place, the greater San Francisco Bay Area, California, USA. We collected quantitative and qualitative data from 256 organizations, resulting in a network of 950 organizations connected to environmental learning opportunities within the region. Our findings demonstrate that, although self-identified environmental learning providers may comprise the network's core, the network also includes less-expected providers, primarily around the edges. Those providers often connect with related fields, such as youth development, public safety, or the arts, among others, forming a complex environmental learning landscape. We suggest opportunities to daylight and enhance the efficacy of collaborations among organizations to advance diverse and reinforcing interests. Moreover, we suggest that a network analysis approach is useful for understanding how organizations relate to each other through their connections and collaborations, providing community members with a robust ecosystem of lifelong learning supports.
Descriptors: Social Networks, Network Analysis, Environmental Education, Ecology, Lifelong Learning, Community Involvement, Community Organizations, Organization Size (Groups)
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
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Language: English
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Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: California (San Francisco)
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