The Healthy Waters science-based educational intervention programme: The potential of participatory approaches for developing and promoting students’ environmental citizenship

Authors

  • Joel Bruno da Silva CIIE-Centre for Research and Intervention in Education, Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto
  • Diogo Silva CIIE-Centre for Research and Intervention in Education, Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8371-2115
  • Marta Oliveira Barbosa Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8437-9078
  • Mariana Rodrigues CIIE-Centre for Research and Intervention in Education, Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4183-4805

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.11576/jsse-6394

Keywords:

Environmental education, environmental citizenship, educational intervention programme, participatory methodologies, community profiling

Abstract

- Schools reproduce scientific knowledge uncritically.

- Schools should provide educational opportunities for students’ action, reflection, and interaction.

- Participatory approach allows students to expand their agency around climate change.

- Participatory approach promotes students’ knowledge of their community’s environmental problems.

Purpose: This paper explores the potential of students’ participation in the HW educational intervention programme based on participatory methodologies in promoting their environmental citizenship.

Design/methodology/approach: Using a quasi-experimental design, 126 students were randomly assigned to the intervention and control groups and filled out questionnaires before and after the HW intervention to evaluate environmental citizenship dimensions.

Findings: The psychometric properties of a 16-item instrument to measure youth environmental citizenship were validated. After the HW intervention, the students’ intervention group had a significant improvement in their sense of environmental efficacy.

Research limitations/implications: The cross-sectional design of this study does not allow causal inferences to be made; further research should conduct longitudinal studies.

Practical implications: Schools must promote educational experiences where students have opportunities for reflection and action in interaction in a climate of openness to dialogue and diversity with the involvement of different actors.

Author Biographies

Joel Bruno da Silva, CIIE-Centre for Research and Intervention in Education, Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto

has a degree in Biology from the University of Taubaté and a master’s degree in Educational Sciences from the University of Porto. His research interests are environmental education, environmental citizenship, and participatory methodologies.

Diogo Silva, CIIE-Centre for Research and Intervention in Education, Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto

is currently PhD student in the Psychology Doctoral Program of Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences of the University of Porto. His research interests are political participation and political psychology.

Marta Oliveira Barbosa, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto

holds a degree in Environmental Engineering and a PhD in Chemical and Biological Engineering from the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto. She worked as a post-doctoral researcher at the Centre for Research and Intervention in Education of the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences of the University of Porto in the Healthy Waters project.

Mariana Rodrigues, CIIE-Centre for Research and Intervention in Education, Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto

holds a PhD in Education Sciences and is a researcher at the Centre for Research and Intervention in Education Sciences of the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences of the University of Porto. My CV includes research projects in the field of citizenship education, lifelong learning, and social and educational innovation through technology.

Downloads

Metrics
Views/Downloads
  • Abstract
    110
  • PDF
    32
Further information

Published

2024-03-26

How to Cite

da Silva, J. B., Silva, D., Barbosa, M. O., & Rodrigues, M. (2024). The Healthy Waters science-based educational intervention programme: The potential of participatory approaches for developing and promoting students’ environmental citizenship. JSSE - Journal of Social Science Education, 23(1). https://doi.org/10.11576/jsse-6394

Issue

Vol. 23 No. 1 (2024)

Section

Article

License

Copyright (c) 2024 JSSE - Journal of Social Science Education

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.