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Science and Technology Education Promoting Wellbeing for Individuals, Societies and Environments pp 523–537Cite as

“I Had to Take Action Straight Away.” Preservice Teachers’ Accounts of Pro-environmental Action

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Part of the book series: Cultural Studies of Science Education ((CSSE,volume 14))

Abstract

This chapter focuses on actions at the heart of the STEPWISE framework. Utilising a discursive psychological perspective less usual in science education than cognitive psychology, this chapter investigates preservice teachers’ sense of responsibility for education for sustainability (EfS) or pro-environmental action. Unlike cognitive psychology, the discursive approach acknowledges cultural and relational aspects of any action in the social world and no distinction is made between social and psychological phenomena. Using a coding system developed around the Grammar of Agency, we present findings from our preservice teachers’ development as applied scientifically literate citizens to show how their pro-environmental engagement is limited to individualistic positioning . There may be implications for EfS studies, STEPWISE and other sociopolitical and STSE projects self-reflecting about the cognitive psychological assumptions that depict individual minds and knowledge as separated from their social realisation.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Dr. Caroline Smith originally designed the Eco Challenge in 2008. It has since been adapted.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Education and Arts, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Lyn Carter & Jenny Martin

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  1. Lyn Carter
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  2. Jenny Martin
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Correspondence to Lyn Carter .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Larry Bencze

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Carter, L., Martin, J. (2017). “I Had to Take Action Straight Away.” Preservice Teachers’ Accounts of Pro-environmental Action. In: Bencze, L. (eds) Science and Technology Education Promoting Wellbeing for Individuals, Societies and Environments. Cultural Studies of Science Education, vol 14. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55505-8_24

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55505-8_24

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-55503-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-55505-8

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