Developing Environmental Action Competence in High School Students: Examining the California Partnership Academy Model

Although there are multiple avenues through which environmental literacy may be increased, most scholarly understanding emerges from studies of environmental education (EE) that most frequently take place outside of the formal K-12 curriculum. A substantial body of research now documents the importance of addressing students' leadership and social skills as part of developing environmental literacy, or what has been termed "environmental action competence", however there is a gap in studies that address how these constructs of environmental literacy are addressed in schools. The confidence and the ability to take action on an issue in one's environment is the ultimate goal of EE, yet it is difficult to nurture these abilities in the structure of a typical school day.;The development of environmental action competence in youth involves much more than the teaching of content knowledge. It requires the ability for students to interact with one another, adults, and community members in a variety of settings. To better understand how learning occurs in diverse populations, this research examined the multiple contexts in which environmental learning occurs, addressing the physical, social, and personal dimensions, both in-school and out-of-school and at various levels of formality, or what researchers have referred to as "hybrid space". The goal of my research was to explore how one particular approach to high school reform, the California Partnership Academy (CPA) model, is (or is not) creating the conditions and mechanisms for hybrid spaces, and how these hybrid spaces contribute to the development of environmental action competence in students. My research was carried out using a nested case study design during the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 school years. Using secondary source data obtained through CPA reports to the California Department of Education and follow-up phone interviews with 12 CPA coordinators, I examined 18 CPAs with an environmental theme for similarities and differences in their approaches to developing environmental literacy in students. I then conducted a close case study on one particular school, following students and teachers in multiple settings over the two-year period. Using secondary source data, participant observations, and semi-structured interviews with 26 youth and adult participants, I analyzed learning scenarios through the lens of hybridity theory for how they contributed to the development of environmental action competence in youth.;In Chapter One, I provide a rationale and motivation for undertaking this study and provide and overview of each of the three chapters that have been written in the format of individual journal articles. In Chapter 2, I used the lens of hybridity theory to examine how hybrid spaces offer more opportunities for students to develop the dispositions associated with positive youth development, thus supporting their ability to take action toward issues that concern them. Chapter 3 is a review of the literature on how frameworks for environmental literacy have evolved since the 1977 Tbilisi Declaration in light of more recent research into the understanding of behavior. I build upon the theoretical framework for environmental action competence and examine scenarios for how an environmental action competence framework can be implemented in schools. I discuss the implications for research in this area, including pedagogical practices, assessment, and large-scale implementation of programs that support environmental action competence. Chapter 4 represents the triangulation of data collected in the comparison study of the 18 CPAs with data from the in-depth case study school to look for evidence of environmental action competence in students. The evidence suggests that hybrid space supported the development of many of the constructs of environmental action competence, however younger students were not always able to ground their actions in accurate conceptual understanding. In addition, students' motivations for taking action frequently focused on community health rather than the natural environment, suggesting the need for environmental educators to consider the broader range of experiences of youth living in increasingly urbanized settings. Finally, Chapter 5 provides the summary and analysis of my findings, and discusses their implications in the context of current educational legislation and policies. By examining the organization and instructional strategies of the 18 CPAs, this study contributes to the environmental education research field by linking program elements to the development of environmental action competence in youth, while also providing recommendation for schools, teachers and administrators to apply.