Defining Environmental Literacy: Perspectives on Environmental Education in the Galápagos Islands School System

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Abstract/Contents

Abstract: The Galápagos Islands are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a popular destination for international travelers and researchers. However, the islands have often been overlooked as a center of local education in the large school system on the islands for young residents of Galápagos. This study investigates educators’ perceptions of environmental literacy as an outcome in both schools and organizations, spanning informal and formal environmental education programs. Using an ethnographic research approach, I carried out participant observation and semi-structured interviews with administrators and leaders in schools and organizations. The research included on-site observation of environmental education programs in both informal and formal settings. Through these interviews, I investigate the complications of providing environmental education for students on the islands. I also review the current state of student environmental literacy and explore how it can be supported with collaboration between schools and organizations for more frequent, comprehensive environmental education programs. The implications for adult residents living alongside a National Park and World Heritage Site are explored as well, with emphasis on the importance of environmental literacy for continued conservation and protection of the islands.

Type of resource	text
Date created	[ca. May 2014] - May 20, 2015

Author	Farber, Amelia G
Primary advisor	Ardoin, Nicole M
Primary advisor	Durham, William H
Advisor	Diffenbaugh, Noah
Degree granting institution	Stanford University, Department of Anthropology
Degree granting institution	Stanford University Woods Institute for the Environment, Goldman Honors Program

Subject	Galápagos Islands
Subject	Ecuador
Subject	Environmental Education
Subject	Environmental Literacy
Subject	Goldman Honors Program
Subject	Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment
Subject	Stanford University Department of Anthropology
Subject	Qualitative
Subject	Schools
Subject	Formal Education
Subject	Informal Education
Genre	Thesis

Location	https://purl.stanford.edu/gr207rd0652

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License: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial No Derivatives 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-NC-ND).

Preferred Citation: Farber, Amelia G and Ardoin, Nicole M and Durham, William H and Diffenbaugh, Noah. (2015). Defining Environmental Literacy: Perspectives on Environmental Education in the Galápagos Islands School System. Stanford Digital Repository. Available at: http://purl.stanford.edu/gr207rd0652

Undergraduate Research Papers, Department of Anthropology, Stanford University.

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