FULL REFERENCE: Hughes, F. (2019). Researching pedagogies for sustainability in Australian bush kinder: A reflective analysis on a framework and methodologies. NZ International Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, 22(1), 1-14.
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ABSTRACT: While there is a growing awareness of the need for children to spend more time in natural settings, the pedagogical link between education for sustainability (EfS) and nature requires further investigation. The assumption that children’s connection with nature equates with EfS is a key issue, as is educators’ understandings of their own pedagogical roles in relation to a nature-sustainability nexus. This article is a reflection on the framework and methodologies used in a doctoral study which explored how the links between nature and sustainability are perceived by early childhood educators in bush kinder settings in Australia, and the implications for their pedagogy. Data was collected over an eight month period where insights into the perceptions of the educators about sustainability and nature pedagogies were gained. Guided by a social constructivist theoretical framework, a methodology based upon Participatory Action Research (PAR), Appreciative Inquiry (AI) and Case Study was employed. In particular, PAR and AI are methodologies that supported the educators’ agency in transformative change. Data collection methods included individual interviews, focus groups, educator reflective journals and researcher participant observation field notes. The focus of this paper is to report on an analysis of the study methodology and process of data collection.
Key words: Education for sustainability, nature, bush kinder, PAR, AI, case study, pedagogy
INTRODUCTION
“It’s our ordinary. It’s what we do every day. I know it’s extraordinary when I say ordinary … The essence of everything we do. It wasn’t what we expected it to be. We thought, we are going to go out, just go on an excursion through the gate, and we are going to have a fabulous time. Now it’s different. We have realised the benefits are far outweighing the negatives. That whole idea of critical thinking has made us believe that what we do every day is normal” (Preschool 1).
The framework and methodologies discussed in this paper were implemented in a study in 2016/17 that sought to answer the question: How might an awareness of the nexus between nature and sustainability influence the pedagogies of early childhood educators in bush kinder settings?
The study evolved from my concerns about how slowly the early childhood sector has addressed environmental sustainability issues and the lack of curriculum guidance around Early Childhood Education for Sustainability (ECEfS). Australian policy requirements for early childhood education (Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority [ACECQA], 2017) promote stewardship, respect and care for the environment, but often the ‘romanticised’ sensory, immersion nature discourse is promoted and taken by educators.
This study explored how the links between nature and sustainability are perceived by early childhood educators in bush kinder settings in Australia, and the implications for their pedagogy. Given the newness of the bush kinder approach, it is important for educators to reflect on their pedagogical roles in nature settings. As there has been little research into Early Childhood Education (ECE) pedagogy in outdoor nature settings in Australia and specifically its relationship with ECEfS, there is a need to investigate this gap. With the rapid growth of Australian bush kinder programs, I propose that the time is right to question whether Education for Sustainability (EfS) is being implemented, or are educators assuming that connections with nature are sufficient to develop strong approaches to EfS and subsequently convey this to children. The focus of this paper is an analysis of the study methodology and process of data collection in investigating this issue.
Contextualising the study
