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From Voice to Action: Developing Environmental Care through curriculum Co-Design process

Fri, April 10, 7:45 to 9:15am PDT (7:45 to 9:15am PDT), Los Angeles Convention Center, Floor: Level One, Petree D

Abstract

Grounded in the concept of relationality and care between humans and “more-than-human” beings (McGowan & Bell, 2022), this study examines how students engage with and express concern for their local river through participation in the co-design of an environmental science and engineering curriculum. We ask:
What co-design practices support students in building relational understandings of the river?
How do these relationships inform student’s sense of care and responsibility toward the river and the broader community?

Theoretical framework
This study is based upon community-based science (CBS) as a theoretical framework, where learning is based within the learners’ community context (Gyles & Clark, 2024). CBS then becomes a medium to reconnect with the local environment, recognizing the mutual responsibilities that arise from living in interdependent systems (Bang et al., 2018; Vossoughi & Shea, 2019). Conventional science learning tends to center individual cognitive development and abstract scientific reasoning, while community-based learning shifts the focus toward learning by engaging in the relevant concerns of community (Gyles, 2024), grounded in relational care and responsibility (Cajete, 2000).

Methods and Data Analysis
Seven high school students, three teachers, three environmental educators, and seven university researchers participated in the co-design process. Throughout one school year, the co-design team met 11 times for three-hour sessions (Figure 1). There were organized activities to create diverse opportunities for the participants to engage with the river; During which youth was encouraged to share their lived experiences and community knowledge to build a shared understanding around the river. We conducted a qualitative analysis by developing annotated memos for each session, focusing on those where students discussed in-depth the challenges and its solution around the river. Three key themes emerged: Environmental Interdependence Knowledge, Everyday engagement with the river, and Collective Responsibility, through which students expressed their ideas and demonstrated a connection with the river.

Data Sources
Primary data sources include audio recordings of co-design sessions (small group and whole group discussions), interviews, field notes, artifacts and annotated memos.

Findings
The themes below in Table 1, reflect how students understand and relate to the Santa Ana River, revealing their ecological knowledge, everyday connection with the river and visions for action plans.
The themes reveal how students view the river as part of an interconnected ecological system, where humans and more-than-human beings are connected. They emphasize that relationships with the river are formed through ongoing engagement by local community members. Students describe responsibility toward the river as a shared, everyday practice that requires collective action. In doing so, they position themselves and their communities as active participants in sustaining the river, rather than passive observers.
Scientific significance of the study
This study contributes to the growing body of research in environmental science and engineering education by demonstrating how community-based and student-led curriculum co-design fosters relational thinking, and a sense of collective responsibility toward local ecological systems.

Authors