Sharing a world with wolves: perspectives of educators working in wolf-focussed education

Abstract

This paper outlines a qualitative investigation where wolf-focussed education was examined from the perspective of educators who work at programmes/centres around North America. Using a phenomenological methodology and a critical lens, methods involved semi-structured interviews with 17 educators from 15 different wolf centres, a brief content analysis of the centres’ websites, observations at two sites, and photographs. When it came to the experience of being a wolf educator certain motifs or essences emerged and these are discussed in light of the academic literature and their relevance to environmental education and research and include: the significance of personal, political, regional and cultural contexts; the key role that scientific knowledge and learning has for many wolf educators, the importance of ethics to the educators when teaching about and working with wolves, the significance of direct experiences with wolves, and engagement with conservation issues. This research highlights the importance of education as one strategy for wolf conservation, especially if it does not shy away from the messiness of controversial conservation issues and helps people grapple with the social, ethical, regional and cultural aspects of knowing wolves and our relationships as humans with them.

Keywords:

• Environmental education
• wolf education
• critical education
• conservation
• human–wolf relations

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank both Dr. Connie Russell and the reviewers whose suggestions were immensely helpful.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 All participants were offered anonymity, and in cases where they wished to remain anonymous, names have been replaced with pseudonyms.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported in part by a Social Sciences and Humanities Council of Canada (SSHRC) Doctoral Fellowship. Award No. 752-2011-113.

Notes on contributors

Gail J. Kuhl

Gail J. Kuhl is a contract lecturer and an adjunct in the Faculty of Education at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. Her research interests include critical environmental and animal education, and human-animal relations.