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Calls for a common environmental education (EE) vision imply imposing certain values as universal. Nevertheless, there is a lack of knowledge on the extent to which EE reflects universalities versus diverse sociocultural realities. We explored practitioners' perspectives on the purpose of EE by interviewing practitioners in Finland and Madagascar using a theory of change approach. We classified EE goals into eight categories following the framework of Clark et al. (2020). We found signs of universal patterns, with commonalities such as the importance of the cognitive domain and de-emphasis of sociocultural aspects. Yet, differences arise: the connection to nature was central in Finland, whereas economic and bridging strategies were more common in Madagascar. Our results reflect the tradition of EE in post-industrial countries and suggest the influence of the colonial legacy and Western epistemologies in Madagascar. Questions remain about the extent to which those differences are culturally grounded.

Calls for a common environmental education (EE) vision imply imposing certain values as universal. Nevertheless, there is a lack of knowledge on the extent to which EE reflects universalities versus diverse sociocultural realities. We explored practitioners' perspectives on the purpose of EE by interviewing practitioners in Finland and Madagascar using a theory of change approach. We classified EE goals into eight categories following the framework of Clark et al. (2020). We found signs of universal patterns, with commonalities such as the importance of the cognitive domain and de-emphasis of sociocultural aspects. Yet, differences arise: the connection to nature was central in Finland, whereas economic and bridging strategies were more common in Madagascar. Our results reflect the tradition of EE in post-industrial countries and suggest the influence of the colonial legacy and Western epistemologies in Madagascar. Questions remain about the extent to which those differences are culturally grounded. Pour une vision commune de l'éducation à l'environnement (EE), il faut imposer certaines valeurs comme universelles. On observe cependant un manque de connaissances sur la mesure dans laquelle l'EE reflète les universalités par rapport aux diverses réalités socioculturelles. Nous avons exploré les perspectives des praticiens sur l'objectif de l'EE en interviewant des praticiens en Finlande et à Madagascar, en utilisant une approche de la théorie du changement. Nous avons classé les objectifs d'EE en huit catégories, selon le cadre de Clark et al. (2020). Nous avons trouvé des signes évocateurs de modèles universels, avec des points communs, comme l'importance du domaine cognitif et la désaccentuation des aspects socioculturels. Pourtant, des différences apparaissent: le lien avec la nature était central en Finlande, tandis que les stratégies économiques et de transition étaient plus courantes à Madagascar. Nos résultats reflètent la tradition de l'EE dans les pays post-industriels et suggèrent l'influence de l'héritage colonial et des épistémologies occidentales à Madagascar. Des questions demeurent quant à la mesure dans laquelle ces différences sont fondées sur la culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of pathways has been used in conservation (Balfour et al., 2019; Biggs et al., 2017) and specifically in EE to define the ways by which EE can contribute to the functioning of the environment, the community, and individuals (Krasny, 2020). This manifests the context of EE in Madagascar, and probably elsewhere in the Global South: many conservation organizations are implementing EE as one of their tools to achieve conservation success, with good intent. Keywords: conservation educators; conservation social sciences; environmental education; evaluation; Madagascar; organizations; outcomes; theory of change; ciencias sociales de la conservación; educación ambiental; educadores de la conservación; evaluación; organizaciones; resultados; teoría del cambio EN conservation educators conservation social sciences environmental education evaluation Madagascar organizations outcomes theory of change ciencias sociales de la conservación educación ambiental educadores de la conservación evaluación organizaciones resultados teoría del cambio 1 13 13 08/01/22 20220801 NES 220801 INTRODUCTION Education may be a tool for the transformative change needed to protect biodiversity (IPBES, 2019). We targeted practitioners working in conservation NGOs and other organizations that conduct EE programs throughout Madagascar. [Extracted from the article]

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Copyright of People & Nature is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)