Can transformative learning experiences promote environmental stewardship? A study of the Lesser Kestrel conservation program.
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| Title: | Can transformative learning experiences promote environmental stewardship? A study of the Lesser Kestrel conservation program. |
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| Authors: | Gal, Adiv1 (AUTHOR) adiv.gal@smkb.ac.il |
| Source: | Environmental Education Research. Feb2026, Vol. 32 Issue 2, p343-364. 22p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Transformative learning, *Environmental education, *Experiential learning, *Conflict (Psychology), *Fifth grade (Education), Environmental management, Kestrels, Ecosystem dynamics |
| Geographic Terms: | Israel |
| Abstract: | This study explores how Lesser Kestrel conservation curriculum provides transformative learning experiences through a disorienting dilemma that develops fifth-graders' perceptions of others, which may encourage their commitment to environmental stewardship rather than merely raising awareness. The disorienting dilemma arose from students' emotional confrontation with the threat of extinction faced by the Lesser Kestrel, a bird they studied and came to care deeply about. The research, in a rural school in northern Israel, with participants aged 10-11, used a hermeneutic phenomenological approach with data collected through comic analysis, reflection analysis, and focus group discussions. The findings highlight five central themes: fostering responsibility, promoting involvement through creative learning, moving from awareness to action, empathetic conversations leading to action, and understanding the role of interdependence in nature. These findings suggest that experiential, creative, and reflective learning experiences may lead to significant developments in students' perspectives of others that encourage them to become active environmental stewards. However, the case study's limitations on a single school at a specific time may not fully capture these developments. Despite this, the research contributes valuable insight into the essential role of local, conservation-based activities and the potential role of a youth-based transformative learning theory in structuring environmental education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: | Education Research Complete |
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| Abstract: | This study explores how Lesser Kestrel conservation curriculum provides transformative learning experiences through a disorienting dilemma that develops fifth-graders' perceptions of others, which may encourage their commitment to environmental stewardship rather than merely raising awareness. The disorienting dilemma arose from students' emotional confrontation with the threat of extinction faced by the Lesser Kestrel, a bird they studied and came to care deeply about. The research, in a rural school in northern Israel, with participants aged 10-11, used a hermeneutic phenomenological approach with data collected through comic analysis, reflection analysis, and focus group discussions. The findings highlight five central themes: fostering responsibility, promoting involvement through creative learning, moving from awareness to action, empathetic conversations leading to action, and understanding the role of interdependence in nature. These findings suggest that experiential, creative, and reflective learning experiences may lead to significant developments in students' perspectives of others that encourage them to become active environmental stewards. However, the case study's limitations on a single school at a specific time may not fully capture these developments. Despite this, the research contributes valuable insight into the essential role of local, conservation-based activities and the potential role of a youth-based transformative learning theory in structuring environmental education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 13504622 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/13504622.2025.2518318 |
