Students’ decision-making process during a sustainable development project

Abstract

Environmental problems stem from inappropriate decisions made by individuals and groups. Due to the complexity of both environmental situations and the decision-making process itself, decisions are often difficult to make regarding the environment. Several researchers have, however, found that it is possible to improve the decision-making process among young people thanks to education. Ten- and 11-year-old students were asked to make several decisions regarding the ways of life of citizens in a sustainable residential neighbourhood while it was under construction. The study sought to describe the decision-making process of students before, during and after using pedagogical interventions, whose goal was to improve the decision-making process. Global simulation activities to get closer to nature, teaching three steps of decision-making, transmitting knowledge and writing in a reflexive journal were used to educate the students on how to make better decisions. The reflexive journals and one-on-one interviews were the main tools used to collect data. At the beginning of the project, the students had a hard time clarifying goals associated with their decisions, identifying alternatives, evaluating their disadvantages and structuring their decision-making process. Their choices were simple, and orientated towards egocentric rather than environmental goals. Before and after interventions, the students increased their ability to structure their decision-making process and to cogitate, progressively making compromises between their personal needs and certain environmental considerations.

Keywords:

• environmental education
• elementary school students
• critical thinking
• creative thinking

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the New Brunswick Environmental Trust Fund and Environment Canada (for financial support), the City of Dieppe and New Brunswick Department of the Environment (for technical support), as well as Véronique Gélinas and Monique Langis (for, respectively, being the classroom facilitator and analysing the data).