Bringing environmental identity research into the classroom context: examining the theoretical foundations influencing its current use in the literature

ABSTRACT

A theoretical review of the literature was conducted to understand how environmental identity is currently being interpreted and applied so the construct can be extended to the classroom context appropriately. The review found three key foundational philosophies contributing to the interpretation of environmental identity in the field of education: Eriksonian identity theories, Meadian identity theories, and those grounded in the conservation movement that revolve around understanding and promoting environmentally responsible behaviours. As expected, these foundational theories were inconsistent in the emphasis given to the social versus physical context within which environmental identities develop. Social network analysis was used to analyse the network of literature reviewed. This revealed that Susan Clayton’s interpretation of environmental identity had greatly influenced the educational research reviewed. However, her definition of environmental identity and the environmental identity scale she developed greatly emphasise the physical context. This commonly referenced interpretation recognises nature as the social ‘other’ and leaves little room to recognise the human social ‘other’ in environmental identity development. The author calls for the consideration of both social and physical contexts in environmental identity research, as well as transparency in the interpretation of the construct for research purposes.

KEYWORDS:

• Environmental identity
• review
• classroom
• science education
• social network analysis

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Dr. Marie-Claire Shanahan for her valuable insight and guidance throughout all aspects of my doctoral research on environmental identity. I would also like to thank Dr. Gabriela Alonso Yanez, Dr. Bonnie Shapiro, and Dr. Maria Varelas for their feedback during the preparation of this manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Wendy Simms

Wendy Simms is a faculty member at Vancouver Island University (VIU) in Nanaimo, British Columbia where she teaches in the Faculty of Education. She is involved in diverse science and sustainability outreach initiatives through collaboration with local science centres and school districts. Her research focuses on citizen science initiatives within a classroom setting, with an emphasis on the design of learning environments that foster identity exploration and development.