Education and Training For Effective Environmental Advocacy Author Whelan, James M. Published 2002 Thesis Type Thesis (PhD Doctorate) School Australian School of Environmental Studies DOI https://doi.org/10.25904/1912/1828 Copyright Statement The author owns the copyright in this thesis, unless stated otherwise. Downloaded from http://hdl.handle.net/10072/365775 Griffith Research Online https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au NOTE Some images have been removed from the digital version of the thesis for copyright reasons. EducationEducationEducation andandand TTTrrrrainingainingaining forforforfor EEEffectiveffectiveffectiveffective EnvirEnvirEnvironmentalonmentalonmental AAAAdvocacydvocacydvocacydvocacy James M. Whelan Bachelor of Arts (UQ) Graduate Diploma of Teaching (QUT) Masters of Education (UNE) Australian School of Environmental Studies Faculty of Environmental Sciences Griffith University Thesis Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY at Griffith University August 2002 AAbstrbstractact Research on environmental advocacy has tended to focus on outcomes and achievements rather than the processes through which these are achieved. In addition, minimal research has attended in detail to the complexity of environmental advocacy, or explored measures to through which to enhance advocates’ prospects of success. The environment movement itself has given scarce attention to promoting the skills, abilities and predispositions that contribute to effective advocacy. Indeed, most environmental non-government organisations (ENGOs) in Australia appear to believe that scientific or expert knowledge will be sufficient to influence environmental decision-makers and consequently provide minimal training or education to enhance advocacy. This thesis is a response to these problems. It seeks to develop an understanding of, and model for, activist education and training in the Australian environment movement. The two main bodies of literature that inform the study are social movement and i adult education literature. The former provides the context for the study. Social movement theorists present various explanations of how and why environmental activists work for change. These theorists also discuss the organisational structures and modes of operation typically adopted by activists. The second body of literature is utilised in this thesis to provide a synthesis of relevant educational orientations, traditions and practices. Popular, experiential and adult environmental education offer promising strategies for advocacy organisations that seek to enhance activists’ skills and abilities. The research questions posed in this study lie at the convergence of these two bodies of literature. Two empirical studies were undertaken during this inquiry. The first was conducted with the Queensland Conservation Council, an environmental advocacy organisation where the researcher was employed for five years. The study drew on methods and techniques associated with ethnography and action research to identify, implement and evaluate a range of interventions which aimed to educate and train advocates. Three cycles of inquiry generated useful insights into environmental advocacy and identified useful strategies through which advocacy may be enhanced. The second study, a case study based on interviews and observation, explored the Heart Politics movement. The ethnographic research methods utilised in this case study resulted in a rich description and critical appreciation of the strengths and weaknesses of Heart Politics gatherings as activist education. These two studies contributed to the development of a grounded and endogenous theory of education and training for environmental advocacy. This theory is based on a set of observations concerning the provision of activist education: (1) that most activist learning occurs informally and unintentionally through participation in social action such as environmental campaigns; (2) that this learning can be assessed according to a five-category framework and tends to favour specific categories including the development of social action and organisational development skills rather than alternative categories such as political analysis and personal development; (3) that this ii informal learning can be harnessed and enhanced through strategies which situate learning in the context of action and promote heightened awareness of the learning dimension of social action; and (4) that a key obstacle to education and training in the environment movement is a conspicuous lack of professional development or support for the people involved in facilitating and coordinating activist education activities and programs. These people are often volunteers and infrequently possess qualifications as educators or facilitators but are more likely to be seasoned activists. They tend to work in isolation as activist education activities are sporadic, geographically diffuse and ad hoc. These observations along with other insights acquired through participatory action research and ethnographic inquiry led to a set of conclusions, some of which have already been implemented or initiated during the course of this study. The first conclusion is that strategies to promote the professional development of activist educators may benefit from the development of texts tailored to the tactical orientations and political and other circumstances of Australian environmental advocacy groups. Texts, alone, are considered an inadequate response. The study also concludes that informal networks, formal and informal courses and other strategies to assist collaboration and peer learning among activist educators offer considerable benefits. Other conclusions pertain to the benefits of collaborating with adult educators and tertiary institutions, and professionals, to the relative merits of activist workshops and other forms of delivery, to the opportunities for activist training presented by regular environment movement gatherings and conferences and to the significant merits of promoting and supporting mentorship relationships between novice and experienced activists. iii CContontentsents Abstract i Contents iv List of Figures viii List of Tables ix Statement of originality x Acknowledgement xi Acronyms xii The research problem 1 1.1 Significant life experience 3 1.2 Research objectives and questions 7 1 1.3 Approach to the study: Activist research 13 1.4 Significance of the study 14 1.5 Concepts and definitions 15 1.6 Scope 25 1.7 Literature overview 33 1.8 Thesis overview 38 iv Literature review - Social movements 42 2.1 Overview 42 2 2.2 Social movements 50 2.3 Environmental Non-government Organisation (ENGO) strategies 64 2.4 Social movements: Bureaucracy versus adhocracy 82 2.5 Conclusion 92 Literature review - Educational theory 94 3 3.1 Overview 94 3.2 The relationship between adult educators and the environment movement 95 3.3 Educational discourses related to environmental activism 103 3.4 Learning through social action: Informal, nonformal and incidental learning 109 3.5 Adult education traditions relevant to environmental activism 112 3.6 Adult education pedagogy and practices relevant to activist education 128 3.7 Dimensions of activist learning 140 3.8 Conclusion 171 The design and conduct of the study 173 4.1 Introduction 173 4 4.2 Research methodology 176 4.3 Interpretive and critical methodology and purpose 186 4.4 Research methods 194 4.5 Data collection techniques 204 4.6 Data analysis 215 4.7 The conduct of the study: Five phases 222 4.8 Ethical considerations, validity and reliability in insider research 231 4.9 Conclusion 236 Queensland Conservation Council action research study 239 5 5.1 Overview 239 5.2 The Queensland Conservation Council 242 5.3Cycle One: Situating the study, scoping and defining phenomena 248 5.4Cycle Two: Regional activist workshops 269 5.5Cycle Three: 1998 State Conservation Conference 281 5.6 Looking to the future: Catalytic outcomes 320 5.7 Conclusion 323 v Heart Politics ethnographic case study 325 6.1 Activist learning through Heart Politics gatherings 325 6.2 Movement inspiration: Fran Peavey and Interhelp 329 6 6.3 Heart Politics program and pedagogy 331 6.4 Profile of Heart Politics participants 349 6.5 Heart Politics 1998: systematic inquiry 350 6.6 Research design: Method and techniques 351 6.7 What is learnt? 355 6.8 What is not learnt? 362 6.9 Heart Politics pedagogy 363 6.10 The relationship between Heart Politics and skills-oriented learning 370 6.11 Digging deeper: 1998 Heart Politics focus group with activist educators 377 6.12 Conclusion and implications 380 Revisiting the research objectives and questions 382 7 7.1 Overview 382 7.2Factors that influence the provision of education in environmental advocacy groups 384 7.3Forms that environmental activist education takes 387 7.4 Outcomes of activist education 392 7.5 Contributing to the practice and development of education in the Australian environmental movement 399 7.6 Opportunities and recommendations 404 7.7 Looking forwards: Ideas for future research 410 7.8 Looking back: Drawing closure 413 Bibliography 416 AResearch Proposal 442 B Environment movement and activist education websites 445 CAcquiring political acumen (anecdote) 447 DMemo to QCC Executive and Staff October 1998 449 E Queensland Conservation Council interview questions 451 F Bill Moyer Workshop Flier 453 Appendices G Bill Moyer Workshop Evaluation 454 HNetworking Workshop 455 I QCC ‘Speaking Out’ training workshop flier 460 J State Conservation