Title: The evolution of the concept of environmental education in North America and Europe

Authors: Arjen E.J. Wals

Addresses: Environmental Education Research, Department of Agricultural Education, Agricultural University, Hollandseweg 1, 6706 KN Wageningen, The Netherlands

Abstract: The main thesis of this paper is that there should be room for diversity in conceptualisations of environmental education to allow for each school and community to give its own meaning to the concept, but at the same time there should be a core or essence of environmental education which justifies labelling education |environmental| and justifies combining environmental with |education|. The paper goes on to discuss some roots, meanings and new directions of environmental education, and ends with some common challenges.

Keywords: behaviouristic approaches; environmental education; Europe; learning enhancement criteria; North America; USA; United States.

DOI: 10.1504/IJCEELL.1997.030233

International Journal of Continuing Engineering Education and Life-Long Learning, 1997 Vol.7 No.1, pp.5 - 14

Published online: 12 Dec 2009 *

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