Canadian Journal of Action Research
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"It\u27s From a Fresh Perspective": Children\u27s Reflections on Participation in Ecological Research and Action
No full textEnvironmental education looks to motivate and empower positive environmental actions that respect the complexity of natural systems. It follows that related educational research takes up a multiplicity of voices, and possibilities for exploring ecological curriculum and practice. Participatory action research (PAR) does this as it brings together theory, inquiry, and social justice, and PAR that includes children as researchers is transformative for both young researchers and the community. There is, however, limited research on the experiences of young learners in PAR in environmental education. This paper shares the reflections of the Eco Research Organization, a group of grade six researchers, and Susan Jagger, their adult co-researcher, on their engagement in PAR in a longitudinal study of their school garden and nature in their community
Children as Agents of Change: Research Reflections on the Practice and Possibilities of Participatory Eco-justice Research
No full textThis article takes the form of a conversational text in which we as five adult educational researchers reflect on our varied and intersecting experiences in conducting eco-justice education research with elementary school students as co-researchers. Drawing on a theoretical and rhizomatic foundation of children’s rights, sociology of childhood, and eco-justice, we describe our engagement with a Grade 5/6 class on a participatory research project centered on vermicomposting. We situate ourselves within the action research spiral of ‘plan-act-reflect’ as we dialogue and think together about our experiences as co-researchers with students and look ahead to future opportunities to fully realize children’s rights and justice in environmental education and research. We center our discussion on three guiding questions: 1) What is eco-justice education and what might it look like within the context of participatory research with children? 2) How can adult researchers empower children’s autonomy and active citizenship in ecological research while engaging as co-researchers with them? 3) What are the strengths, challenges, and possibilities for children’s participation as eco-justice and climate action researchers? Our reflective text contributes to a body of knowledge around the meaningful engagement and empowerment of children in eco-justice and climate action explorations and activism
Gallagher, K., & Balt, C. (2025). Global climate education and its discontents: Using drama to forge a new way. Routledge.
No full textMapping Climate Change Education: Reflections from an Education Design-Based Research Project from Northern British Columbia, Canada
No full textClimate change education poses significant challenges for K-12 teachers in northern British Columbia (B.C.) due to the complexity of the challenges of climate change and limited support for integration into teaching practice. In response to the 2022 Accord on Education for a Sustainable Future, the Climate Education in Teacher Education (CETE) project was initiated at the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC). CETE aims to address an urgent need to respond to the changing climate of northern B.C., where warming is occurring 2-3 times faster than in southern B.C., by equipping teachers with practical and tailored approaches and supports. Using the methodology of Education Design-Based Research, CETE employs the conjecture mapping method to develop educational interventions and refine trajectories to be responsive to local realities. Over three years (2022-2025), CETE has engaged in strategic collaborations with climate change education experts, resulting in the generation of seven high level conjectures that guide research and action. This paper examines patterns around roles of community cooperation and iterative design, through action research aimed towards empowering northern B.C. teachers and researchers to respond climate change education demands by considering agency, creative pedagogy, educational leadership, and climate change adaptation, in hopeful and intentional ways
Action Research for Transformative Climate Change Education: Rethinking Sayings, Doings, and Relatings at One Canadian School
No full textThis paper documents the action research process at a secondary school in Québec, Canada. Our goal was to rethink sayings, doings, and relatings towards transformative climate change education (TCCE). For schools to play a role in climate action, climate change education must move beyond information-based learning approaches, yet how to practice more transformative approaches remains a question. To pursue this question, this study focuses on action research as a methodology for intervening in different layers of school systems to promote TCCE. This paper applies the theory of practice architectures as an analytical lens to identify the enablers and constraints for holistic change. The study surfaced a complex web of interconnections between individual teacher practices and institutional structures, illuminated challenges of teacher-led school transformation, and demonstrated the promise of participatory action research as a methodology for moving schools towards TCCE
Huber, M., Jabot, M., & Heath, C. (2024). Experiential learning and community partnerships for sustainable development: A foundational model for climate action. Routledge.
No full textI Hate the Global Warming Factory! Caring for Tadpoles During the Climate Emergency
No full textIn this paper we share the story of our participatory action research project to create a lunchtime program to support elementary school students in building reciprocal relationships with the land, enhancing collective wellness. An emergent pond that suddenly dried up due to unseasonably warm temperatures, leaving tadpoles stranded, became the focus of much of our learning. The children worked tirelessly to restore the pond and care for the tadpoles. Through this research, we learned how impactful environmental education can be when it is guided by love (verses logic), involves thinking with (rather than thinking about) more-than-human kin, and when children actively participate in knowledge creation and mobilization through digital storytelling. Our study illustrates how action-research serves as a generative approach to participatory planetary health, inspiring both individual and collective action to address the multifaceted environmental crisis
Impact of Air Pollution on Health: A Neighbourhood Level Study Led by Grassroot Women Leaders in Rural Jharkhand, India
No full textJharkhand state in India has high levels of air pollution posing severe health and environmental hazards especially in mining districts. Ten grassroots women leaders undertook community-participatory research to track air quality in their neighbourhoods. Through this research, they assessed people’s perceptions on neighbourhood sources of air pollution, health impacts and responsiveness of the government health system to ailments linked to that air pollution. Their findings reveal poor air quality in places frequented by women, children, and vulnerable populations and further highlights adverse health impacts and the inadequate capacity of the government health system. This research enabled the women to initiate dialogues with different stakeholders on severity of the issue and corrective action needed, leading to initiation of measures to tackle air pollution at the neighbourhood level
