TITLE:  Step into Place: A Qualitative Analysis of Environment-Based Pedagogies Using a Culturally-Sustaining Framework

ABSTRACT: This thesis uses the framework of culturally sustaining pedagogy (Paris, 2012) to evaluate four environment-based pedagogical practices: environment-based education, urban place-based education, critical pedagogy of place, and ecojustice. These approaches share a number of practices but also vary in the emphasis that authors and researchers put on pedagogical ideas like inclusion of social justice values, confrontations with dominant cultural and educational practices, and best practice recommendations. This thesis is seeking to answer this question: How does the theoretical intersection of culturally sustaining pedagogy and environment-based learning inform more equitable and engaged teaching practices in urban, standards-based education? A qualitative coding method was used to analyze the literature, which synthesized five themes from the literature that inform best practices for educators and schools seeking to implement environment-based pedagogy. Those themes are (1) educators foster their own environmental and community literacy, (2) co-developing knowledge of community and culture with students, (3) engage students through interdisciplinary problem-solving (4) fostering critical consciousness, and (5) educators create networks of stakeholders. The implications of these practices impact the toolkit that culturally sustaining educators could employ to respond to complex educational and societal needs today. Moreover, these iterative steps engage educators in reflective and actionable steps that disrupt inequitable practices in schools.

COMPLETED:  December 2025