جامعه شناسی کاربردی (Mar 2024)
Analyzing Mashhadi Parents' Lived Experiences in Relation to Their Children's Environmental Education
Abstract
IntroductionAnalyzing pro-environmental and destructive behaviors is a critical issue in the field of environmental social sciences. In the literature of environmental sociology, these behaviors are defined in various ways, such as "actions that have a positive or negative impact on the environment" (Stern, 2000), "responsible or irresponsible behaviors to protect or harm the environment" (Thøgersen, 2006), and "actions that are friendly or hostile to the environment and align with the principles of sustainability" (Swanson et al., 2023; Lockie, 2023). At the social level, numerous studies on eco-friendly behaviors, including sustainable consumption (Istrate et al., 2020), waste reduction and recycling (Sharma et al., 2019), and sustainable transportation (Holden et al., 2019), have emphasized the crucial role of family environmental education, particularly in the early stages of childhood. Similarly, research on destructive and harmful environmental behaviors, such as the spread of environmental pollution (Waris et al., 2021), wildlife trafficking (Boroumand & Amiri, 2023), and climate change (McMichael et al., 2006), has revealed the direct and indirect effects of education as a significant root of contemporary environmental challenges. Given the importance of this topic, it is necessary to focus on the process of child socialization and their understanding of human-environment interactions through the process of "education" in the formulation and resolution of environmental crises. The new paradigms in sociology and environmental psychology prioritize environmental education, leading to a renewed emphasis on fostering a moral relationship between humans and their living environment during the socialization process (Barragan-Jason et al., 2023; Boroumand, 2023). The international research literature strongly suggests a significant relationship between children's environmental education by parents and their environmental knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors (Iwaniec & Curdt-Christiansen, 2020). However, no study has yet explored the environmental education of Iranian families and parents and its effect on children's cognitive, value, and behavioral systems. This study aimed to address this gap by studying and formulating parents' lived experiences regarding their children's environmental education. Materials and MethodsThis research employed a qualitative approach, utilizing the Grounded Theory method and semi-structured in-depth interviews, following the systematic approach of Strauss and Corbin (1997), which aligns with the socio-interpretivist paradigm.The researchers concurrently collected, classified, and analyzed the research data, creating a storyline from the relationships between the central category and other categories. Since in Grounded Theory, sampling cannot be planned in advance and is based on theoretical saturation, 22 parents (11 couples), who provided rich and comprehensive information to address the research questions, were interviewed using snowball sampling. This allowed for the enumeration of categories and dimensions, as well as the in-depth understanding of the relationships between the categories, enabling presentation of a comprehensive explanatory theory.The analysis of the interview transcripts was conducted in 3 stages: open, axial, and selective coding. In the open coding stage, the data were separated and categorized word by word with a code or concept assigned to each. During the axial coding stage, the raw codes related to each other in terms of characteristics and concepts were placed into subcategories. In this stage, the categories were connected in the form of a network. Finally, in the selective coding phase, the main categories and the core category emerged with the help of the coding results. Throughout the data collection and concept development, these steps were reviewed iteratively.At this stage, the researchers answered the fundamental questions and explained the strategies and consequences of the core phenomenon using the paradigm analysis of three parts of the condition (causal and intervening) and discussed their mutual influence over an extended period. In the final stage, this theory provided a framework that led to the emergence of the results through multiple arguments. The researchers then reconstructed and summarized their findings in a coherent manner to provide useful and informative information for the reader. Discussion of Results & ConclusionThe findings of the present study revealed that the causal conditions shaping parents' environmental education were their "reaction to environmental crises", "parental responsibility", "influence of children's interactions with nature in other areas of their lives", and "parents' commitment to the next generation". The background conditions included "parents' childhood experiences of interacting with nature", "ability to experience nature at home", and "parents' religious beliefs". The intervening conditions were "responsibility training for children", "children's health concerns", and "concerns about computer addiction and virtual spaces". The strategies employed by parents were "facilitating play and experimentation in nature", "interpreting nature and providing environmental education", and "encouraging pro-environmental behaviors and discouraging destructive ones". The consequences were "children's practical sensitivity to the environment", "their tendencies to participate more actively in environmental conservation as adults", and "individual development".The core phenomenon extracted from the analysis was "strengthening the children's ecological identity". This aligned with Schultz's (2000) assertion that parents' personal experiences of constructive interactions with nature in childhood and the ability to experience nature at home are crucial factors in the environmental education of children.The strategies identified in the present study's model of parental environmental education are consistent with the findings of previous research in the field of environmental education, such as the studies by Kahn and Kellert (2002), Sobel (2008), and Haj Hosseini et al. (2019), which emphasized the importance of facilitating play and experimentation in nature. Unlike the study results of Aguirre-Bilshuski et al. (2017) in New Zealand where parents reported a lack of sufficient knowledge and information to justify environmental behaviors, the parents interviewed in the present study did not express any self-statements indicating a lack of environmental knowledge. This difference might be attributed to the fact that the sample population in this research consisted of environmental activist parents, who likely had a higher level of environmental knowledge compared to the general population.In conclusion, this study provided a comprehensive understanding of the factors, strategies, and consequences involved in the environmental education of children from the perspective of parents. The findings contribute to the existing literature on environmental education and can inform the development of more effective programs and policies to promote environmental stewardship among children and families.
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