2023 heralds the 39th year of publication for the Australian Journal of Environmental Education (AJEE). In the first Issue of the volume, we publish some excellent research and provide reviews that offer insights into recently published books. Initially, we share some updates about the AJEE community.
The Editorial Executive has changed a little and we say goodbye to Dr. Blanche Verlie and thank her for contributions as a Guest and Associate Editor. Blanche now joins the Editorial Board. A corresponding change sees Dr. David Rousell join the Editorial Executive and rescind his Editorial Board position (for now).
Our Editorial Assistant Jorja McKinnon is stepping down for this year, and Dr. Kathryn Riley is stepping up (for a time) as we welcome Amrita Kamath to take on this important role. Thank you to Jorja for her deeply appreciated and important contribution to AJEE.
In Volume 39, we will publish four issues, each with high quality and interesting contributions in important ways to our field. This includes research articles, reviews (books and film, etc.), thesis and report synopses, and communication pieces. Issue 3 will showcase our special issue: Indigenous Philosophy in Environmental Education: Relearning How to Love, Feel, Hear, and Live with Place with Guest Editors: Anne Poelina, Yin Paradies, Sandra Wooltorton, Mindy Blaise, Libby Jackson-Barratt, and Laurie Guimond. Manuscripts are in development and review.
AJEE has recently announced a new special issue call: Relational Ontologies and Multispecies Worlds: Transdisciplinary Possibilities for Environmental Education with Guest Editors: Kathryn Riley, Scott Jukes, and Pauliina Rautio. Please see the AJEE website for more details (https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-file-manager/file/63dbc982469bea0d0d74d586/Relational-Ontologies-Special-Issue.pdf) and send your proposals to Dr. Kathryn Riley kar598@mail.usask.ca.
AJEE also has an ongoing and open call for special issue proposals. We are looking for innovative or contemporary ideas that stretch and consolidate our field as one of importance in these challenging times. A successful proposal will provide an invitation that many colleagues can take up to showcase their research and its application in environmental education. Please forward your ideas or proposal to the Editor-In-Chief (peta.white@deakin.edu.au).
AJEE is now publishing Gold Open Access. This means that all of our published manuscripts are accessible by everyone (via the AJEE Cambridge University press site https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/australian-journal-of-environmental-education). This is an important shift in academic publishing and AJEE was pleased to be nominated by our publishers Cambridge University Press and supported by the Australian Association of Environmental Education (AAEE) (the journal host organisation). Gold Open Access results in all manuscripts being subject to the article processing charge (APC). It is important to note that the APC can be waived for all manuscripts and should not be a reason to not publish in AJEE. Please contact the Editor-In-Chief (peta.white@deakin.edu.au) if you have questions.
AAEE (https://www.aaee.org.au/) is holding the National Biennial Conference “Listening to Country, learning together, transforming the future” which is being held this year at Wollongong 25-27 September. The Research Symposium will be held on the first day, and the program promises inspiration and connection for all participants. The call for abstracts is now open and closes on the 28th April (https://aaeeconference.org.au/program/call-for-abstracts-2023/). AJEE will be present and is looking forward to connecting with colleagues.
We are pleased to share with the AJEE community news that one of our esteemed colleagues recently received significant recognition. This year Professor Emerita Annette Gough (RMIT University) was acknowledged with the Order of Australia Medal for her service to tertiary and environmental education. Congratulations Annette Gough (OAM)!
We invite you to consider publishing your research in AJEE and please share this invitation with your colleagues and graduate students. The Editorial Executive is working on quick returns for all manuscript reviews while also providing high-quality feedback. We enact our Diversity, Inclusivity, and Equity policy (https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/australian-journal-of-environmental-education/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-policy) and can offer proofreading support to non-English speaking colleagues writing for our journal. You might also enjoy reviewing for AJEE.
Volume 39 – Issue 1
This first issue of Volume 39 showcases eight articles and four reviews.
Article 1: Investigation of environmental awareness and attitudes of children attending nature centered private Kindergartens and public Kindergartens by Biber, Cankorur, Güler, Demir. A group of 5-6-year-old children was invited to take 2 surveys to determine the variability between environmental awareness and attitudes due to their school. The schools were nature-centred and public kindergartens in the Balikesir province of Turkey. The results suggest that early learning programmes importantly influence environmental awareness and attitudes.
Continuing with research in and about schools, Article 2 considers the importance of school leadership.
Article 2: Climate change and the assemblages of school leaderships by Everth and Bright. Responding to the climate crisis requires agency in leadership, especially in schools. This research explores school leadership from the perspective of climate activist students and teachers in Aotearoa New Zealand. Findings suggest that deterritorialisation and decoding of educational institution leadership practices promote cultural transformation.
The curriculum connections and teacher practices regarding water education are considered in Article 3.
Article 3: Water education and water culture in curricula for Primary, Middle, and Upper Secondary school levels by Khiri, Benbrahim, Rassou, Amahmid, Rakibi, El Guamri, Itouhar, Mrabet, Yazidi, Razoki, and El Badri. Water culture and the connection with water education in schools in Morocco are assessed in this research along with investigations as to the implementation of water education from surveys and interviews with 95 teachers. Findings indicate that while some water learning occurs there are important omissions proving innovative learning opportunities regarding water law, its accessibility, aesthetics, and water-related professions.
Continuing with climate impacts, Article 4 explores energy conservation behaviours in the Philippines.
Article 4: Science literacy promotes energy conservation behaviours in Filipino youth via climate change knowledge efficacy: Evidence from PISA 2018 by Aruta. PISA data (from 15-year-olds) were used to examine the positive influence of science literacy from climate change knowledge regarding energy conservation at home in the Philippines. The findings indicate a positive association and discusses the importance of environmental considerations in science education, parenting, and community programs.
The impact of the climate crisis continues to be examined in Article 5.
Article 5: 'Over to you’: considering the purpose of education through a student-centred sustainability project by Jackson. A student-centred sustainability project with year 4 students in Brisbane, Australia, considered learning outcomes that mapped to Biesta’s three domains: Qualification, Socialisation and Subjectification. The point of education was explored from the student’s perspective.
Article 6 explores Turkish university students’ connectedness to nature and the implications for degree design.
Article 6: The effects of closeness to nature, connectedness to nature and eco-friendly behaviours on environmental identity: A study of public university students in South-eastern Turkey by Atik, Sari, and Doğan. The environmental identity (connectedness to nature, eco-friendly behaviour and closeness to nature) of 518 university education students was examined and considerations were given to the degree design.
Continuing explorations about being connected to nature leading to environmental activism, Article 7 considers the contributions from John Sinclair OA.
Article 7: A passionate partnership: Understanding the origins and significance of John Sinclair’s connection with K’gari (Fraser Island) by Bissett. John Sinclair OA is an important figure and model in the history of environmental activism in Australia. His connection to Country, respect for traditional custodians, and political expertise as an environmental activist are described in this article.
Shifting our focus back to school education, Article 8 considers the application of sensors to enable problem solving of environmental case studies.
Article 8: A didactic model to support the use of senses and sensors in environmental education problem solving by Silva. Set in Portugal, this research considered year 4 students’ explorations with sensors through problem solving in environmental case studies. The EcoSolvingS model presents theoretical and practical perspectives.
Issue 1 also includes 4 book reviews:
Teaching climate change in primary schools: an interdisciplinary approach Edited by: Anne M. Dolan, England, U.K.: Taylor & Francis, 2022 Reviewed by Efrat Eilam, the College of Arts and Education, Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia.
Researching early childhood education for sustainability: challenging assumptions and orthodoxies Edited by: Sue Elliott, Eva Ärlemalm-Hagsér, and Julie Davis. Routledge, 2020, London and New York. Reviewed by Christopher Speldewinde, School of Education, Deakin University, Waurn Ponds, Victoria, Australia.
Protest as Pedagogy: Teaching, Learning and Indigenous Environmental Movements Gregory Lowan-Trudeau, New York: Peter Lang, 2019. Reviewed by Bronwyn A. Sutton, School of Education, Faculty of Arts and Education, Deakin University, Australia.
Arts Programming for the Anthropocene Bill Gilbert & Anicca Cox, Oxfordshire, England, UK: Routledge, 2018. Reviewed by Shelley M Hannigan, School of Education, Faculty of Arts and Education, Deakin University, Australia.
AJEE is pleased to present to Issue 1 of Volume 39.
Open access
