Environmental Education: a Delineation of Substantive Structure. PUB DATE 76 NOTE 284P.; Ph.D
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II 2 0 8 .25 I 4 I 6 I DOCUMENT RESUME ED 134 4.51 SE 021 924 AUTHOR Harvey, Gary D. TITLE Environmental Education: A Delineation of Substantive Structure. PUB DATE 76 NOTE 284p.; Ph.D. Dissertation, Southern Illinois University; Not available in hardcopy due to marginal legibility of original document EDRS PRICE MF-$0.83 Plus Postage. HC Not Available from EDRS. DESCRIPTORS *Conceptual Schemes: Curriculum; *Elementary Secondary Education; *Environmental Education; *Higher EducatiCn; *Literature Reviews; t-Model, Philosophy IDENTIFIERS Research Reports ABSTRACT This study was concerned with twc things: (1) to determine whether a generally accepted definitionof environmental education was extant; and (2) to determine whether a generally accepted substantive structure of environmental educationwas extant. It was determined that no single generally accepted definitionwas extant. The key words and phrases used most frequentlywere synthesized into a mediating definition of environmentaleducation. It was also determined that a generally accepted substantive structure for environmental education was not extant in the literature. It was the author's opinion thata structure could be constructed utilizing the components of philosophy,precept, and expected outcome. Criticisms of the past literaturewere identified. Paradigms were designed to illustrate the structuresidentified. (RH) *********************************************************************** Documents acquired by ERIC include many informal unpublished * materials not available from other sources. ERIC makesevery effort * * to obtain the best copy available. Nevertheless, items of marginal * * reproducibility are often encountered and this affects thequality * * of the microfiche and hardcopy reproductions ERIC makes available * * via the ERIC Document Reproduction Service (EDRS). EDRS isnot * responsible for the quality of the original document. Reproductions* * supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made fromthe original. *********************************************************************** U S DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION WELFARE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPRO. DUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIGIN- ATING IT POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRE- SENT OFFICIAL NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION POSITION OR POLICY Environmental Education: A Delineation of Substantive Structvre WHOM., L.111,'TP:ALLLA'L RUN 0:AWL IL, G.a.ry 0.fiarv.ev ;0, AP1.1 ')RGANIZA .NG 'LL E'OEN'S LVITH 'HE NATIONAL ,N 't OTF Otr.a'ON EAITE4EFi PEW.," THEERIC Tim TIT , cp .Hk PEEIT.TH,T.EGT4 by Gary D. Harvey BA Harris Teachers College, 1966 MS Ed Southern Illinois University, 1971 A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Media in the Graduate School Southern Illinois University August 1976 AN ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION OF Gary D. Harvey, for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Education, presented on July 28, 1976, at Southern IllinoisUniversity at Carbondale. TITLE: Environmental Education: A Delineation of Substantive Structure Major Professor: Dr. Harold R. Hungerford There are two areas of concern in this dissertation: (1) to deter- mine whether a generally accepted definition of environmental Rducation was extant; and (2) to determine whether a generally accepted substantive structure of environmental education was extant. The research questions stated that a mediating definition and/or substantive structure would LI=., constructed if they were not extant in a generally accepted form. The researcher reviewed the history and background of environmental education in order to provide a historical context for the remainder of the study. Definitions of environmental education were compiled and arranged by year of publication. It was determined that no single generally acCepted definition was extant. Key words and phrases were identified in each cited definition and tallied. The most often used key words and phrases were synthesized into a mediating definition of environmental education. Attempts to identify and delineate the substantive structure of environmental education identified in the professional literature were 3 compiled in five categories or approaches: position papers, paradi4ms, concept lists and curricula, course(s) approach, and supplemental and other approaches. After an extensive review,it was determined that a generally accepted substantive structure tor environmental educationwas not extant in the literature. Key words and phrases were identified in the approaches and tallied to indicate relative use by writers in the field. A review of the key words and phrases led the researcher to the conclusion thata generic substantive structure of environmental education could be constructed by utilizing three basic components which encompassmany of the others. The components are philosophy, precept, and expected'outcome. The philosophy (or first major component) was perceived to be "Spaceship Earth" with a "lifeboat" concept frame of reference. "Spaceship Earth" utilizes man, eovironmont, and relationshipas major components while the "lifeboat" concept provides a values/ethical orientation. The precept (man-environment relationship), or second major component, operating in a values context, is perceived to operationalize the philosophy and lead to expected outcomes. The researcher perceived, and resolved, four areas of inconsistency or incompleteness in the literature. The first such area relates to the discrepancy between the name "environmental education" and the referpnces to "man-environment relationship." The researcher concluded that "environmental education" is a misnomer and that consistency with the literature dictated theuse of "man-environment relationship education"or "MERE" instead of "environ- mental education" as the name for this area of study. (The researcher suggested the use of the parallel terminology "people-environment 4 3 relationship education" or "PERE" in his recommendations.) Two criteria were established to discriminate between MERE(i.e., "environmental education") and non-MERE topics. This led the researcher to the second area of inconsistency or incompleteness inthe literature, i.e., MERE and non-MERE topics are intermixed in the "environmental edu2ation" litefature. Many of these non-MERE topics were perceived to be prerequisite, or complementary, to MERE and were termed man- environment relationship foundations or MERF. (In his recommendations, the researcher suggested the parallel terminology"people-environment relationship foundations" or."PERF.") A third perceived area of inconsistency was the interchangeable use of the terms multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary. These two terms were defined and MERE (i.e., "environmentaleducation") was determined to be interdisciplinary while MERF could be disciplinary,multidisci- plinary, or interdisciplinary. A fourth area of incompleteness was perceived in the areaof expected outcome, or the third major component of substantive structure of "environmental education." The expected outcome most often ex-ressed in the literature, environmental literacy, was perceived to be aequate to describe the totality of expected outcomes for"environmenta_ education" as conceptualized in this study. The researcher proposed and operationalized two additional levels of expected outcome, environmental competence, and environmental dedication. The ...hree components (philosophy, precept, and expected outcome) were cumbinvd into a paradigm (Figure 57) of the genericsubatantive structure of "environmental eduCation." This was followed by a paradigm which included references to specific substantive structure components' 4 beyond the scope of the study. The second paradigm (Figure 58) represents the researcher's conceptualization of the substantive structure of "environmental education." A final paradigm (Figure 59) combines the substantive structure with its more generic bases. Conclusions, implications and recommendations were made. The major recommendation is application of the substantive structure of "environ- mental education" to theory and practice. Dissertation Approval The Graduate School Southern Illinois University at Carbondale July 28 , 1976 I hereby recommend that the dissertation prepared under my supervision by Gary D. Harvey Entitled Environmental Education: A Delineation of Substantive Structure be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY d .. In Charge of Disse /6%.1rY 611 Recommendation concurred in , --71.c',7;,2;we. //i, Committee t--71ttX/\/Nil9 for the Final Examination 1,44t t 7 Environmental Education: A Delineation of Substantive Structure by Gary D. Harvey BA Harris Teachers College, 1966 MS Ed Southern Illinois University, 1971 A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree Department of Curriculum, Instruction, and Media in the Graduate School Southern Illinois University August 1976 , ' ( I Vita Graduate School Southern Illinois University Name: Gary D. Harvey Home Address: 1121 Dauphine Lane Manchester, Missouri 63011 Date of Birth: May 15, 1944 Educational Background: 1962-1966 Harris Teachers College, BA, Elementlry Education 1969-1971 Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, MS Ed, Conservation and Outdoor Education 1971-1976 Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, Ph.D., Education Special Honors or Awards: Member of the