We designed a collaborative course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) between an Analytical Chemistry course and an Environmental Toxicology course to engage students in a research project that cannot rely on one discipline alone. This study reports on 47 students' self-reported experiences with the course outcomes and their opinions…

Ecocentric education programs should include a method for the in-depth understanding of multi-scale ecological time concepts. To accomplish this, the common restriction that ecocentric education should pertain only to realistic nature may have to be removed. The purpose of this research was to confirm the validity of a program featuring phenology…

The field of environmental education (EE) strives to develop innovative practices to address emergent issues such as equity, climate change, and urbanization. Through facilitating workshops and ongoing networks for the exchange of ideas, professional development programs may foster innovation or practice change among environmental educators. This…

Critical thinking skills, as well as cognitive style, are important aspects that must be considered in assessments of the learning process. This research aims to describe the critical thinking skills of the students with reflective versus impulsive cognitive styles through an explorative study on conservation and environmental knowledge learning.…

This study aims to investigate preschool children's relationships with nature through drawings. To this end, a total of 212 preschoolers constituted the study group. This study employed a triangulation design, i.e. one of the mixed-methods approaches in which qualitative and quantitative processes were carried out. As a result of the analyses, it…

A three-stage professional development (TSPD) model for training experienced teachers to become teachers' leaders is presented here, along with a study assessing its value. The three stages of the model are: a "basic training" stage, a "master-teacher" stage, and an "independent implementation" stage. This qualitative…

In addition to the studies conducted regarding STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematic), which is a new approach in education and attract attention worldwide, researches also concentrated on the effectiveness of the partnership of this interdisciplinary approach with other disciplines. The aim of this study is to determine the effect…

As the role of zoos shifts from entertainment to environmental stewardship, many facilities are embracing new methods of achieving their goals. Recent studies indicate that people who feel empathy toward animals are more likely to engage in conservation actions, leading some zoos, aquariums, and nature centers to incorporate empathy-building…

Communities need to engage in initiatives that tackle environmental sustainability issues. However, the lessons communities learn from these initiatives may go far beyond the initial local project. This article presents findings from an empirical study investigating the experiences of 38 residents who began participating in on-site composting in…

Conducting a climate change presentation or workshop can be uncomfortable for adult educators because they do not want to alienate audiences or diminish their credibility among those who doubt climate change is a problem. Trust in the speaker is a key element for successful communication, and perhaps essential when conveying information about a…

New nature writing has been gaining popularity in the English-speaking world. Using participant observation of a book group, this article finds that reading such ecological writing can facilitate reader shifts in perceptions and the valuing of non-human organisms and the more-than-human world. Shifts are enabled when readers experience reading as…

This dissertation investigates the "Competence Model for Environmental Education" (Kaiser, Roczen, & Bogner, 2008), a theoretical environmental-behavior change model, for use in the United States with elementary-aged students. Paper #1 tests two new instruments developed for use with the "Competence Model," the Expanded…

Climate change and evolution are topics at the forefront of political discussions, debates, and the public sphere. Regardless of evidence on both topics, the public as a whole still believes they are under debate. It is imperative that the public have access to correct and easy-to-digest information on these topics to make informed environmental…

Over the last century human activities have resulted in a rapid accumulation of carbon dioxide (CO[subscript 2]) in the atmosphere, creating severe damages in the environment. This study investigates how the use of a digital tool, a so-called carbon footprint calculator (CFC), instrumental to calculating CO[subscript 2] emissions of human…

Complex global challenges and declining scientific literacy demand novel approaches to engaging students with science and the natural world. While evidence supports integrating creative and scientific modes of inquiry, these approaches are often separated in undergraduate education. We designed Ecology Through the Writer's Lens (ETWL) to allow…