| This investigation explores the formative experiences and mental models teachers engaged in environmental education attribute to the development of their relationship with the environment, and how these factors might shape teachers' environment identity. Environment identity has been shown to be an important antecedent of environmental preferences, intentions and behaviors; yet, environmental education has taken only minimal efforts to include theories of identity into its research. This study suggests that teachers engaged in environmental education have an environment identity that is shaped by the experiences they consider formative to the development of their relationship with the environment and the mental models they use to conceptualize the environment. Participants of this case study included three teachers at an urban Early Childhood Education (ECE)-8 school who actively utilize some form of environmental education as part of their everyday classroom instruction. Identity theory was used as a theoretical framework to further understand how teachers' formative experiences and mental models might shape their environment identity, or the set of meanings they attach to themselves in relation to the environment. Methods used to elicit this information included online survey, autobiographical narrative, semi-structured individual interview, and focus group discussion. Data analysis followed an interpretive approach where relevant themes and categories were allowed to emerge from inductive coding processes. The findings of this study revealed similarities in the types of formative experiences and mental models teachers attributed to the development of their relationship with the environment. Furthermore, teachers' formative experiences and mental models shaped their environment identity by assigning significance to certain meanings for how they viewed themselves in relation to the environment. These shared meanings included being connected to, aware of, and responsible for the environment. The results of this study inform environmental education by illuminating elements and processes of environment identity development. Additionally, the theoretical and practical implications for supporting environment identity development through environmental education are discussed. |
