?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Adc&rft.title=Children+as+change+agents+for+sustainability+%3A+an+action+research+case+study+in+a+kindergarten&rft.creator=Stuhmcke%2C+Sharon+Marie&rft.subject=transformative+education%2C+early+childhood+education%2C+environmental+education%2C+education+for+sustainability%2C+co-constructivism%2C+critical+theory%2C+action+research+case+study%2C+young+children%2C+kindergarten%2C+project+approach&rft.description=At+a+time+when+global+consumption+and+production+levels+are+25+percent+higher+than+the+Earth%E2%80%99s+sustainable+carrying+capacity%2C+there+are+worldwide+calls+to+find+ways+to+sustain+the+Earth+for+this+and+future+generations.+A+central+premise+of+this+study+is+that+education+systems+have+an+obligation+to+participate+in+this+move+towards+sustainability+and+can+respond+by+embedding+education+for+sustainability+into+curricula.+This+study+took+early+childhood+education+as+its+focus+due+to+the+teacherresearcher%E2%80%99s+own+concerns+about+the+state+of+the+planet%2C+coupled+with+early+childhood+education%E2%80%99s+established+traditions+of+nature-based+and+child-centred+pedagogy.%0D%0A%0D%0AThe+study+explored+the+experiences+of+a+class+of+kindergarten+children+as+they+undertook+a+Project+Approach+to+learning+about+environmental+sustainability.+The+Project+Approach+is+an+adaptation+of+Chard%E2%80%99s+work+which+is+situated+within+a+constructivist+theoretical+framework+(Chard%2C+2011).+The+Project+Approach+involves+in-depth+investigations+around+an+identified+topic+of+interest.+It+has+three+phases%3A+introductory%2C+synthesising+and+culminating+phase.+The+study+also+investigated+the+learning+journey+of+the+classroom+teacher%2Fresearcher+who+broadened+her+long-held+co-constructivist+teaching+approaches+to+include+transformative+practices+in+order+to+facilitate+curriculum+which+embedded+education+for+sustainability.+While+coconstructivist+approaches+focus+on+the+co-construction+of+knowledge%2C+transformative+practices+are+concerned+with+creating+change.%0D%0A%0D%0AAn+action+research+case+study+was+conducted.+This+involved+twenty-two+children+who+attended+an+Australian+kindergarten.+Data+were+collected+and+analysed+over+a+seven+week+period.+The+study+found+that+young+children+can+be+change+agents+for+sustainability+when+a+Project+Approach+is+broadened+to+include+transformative+practices.+The+study+also+found+that+the+child+participants+were+able+to+think+critically+about+environmental+and+sustainability+issues%2C+were+able+to+create+change+in+their+local+contexts%2C+and+took+on+the+role+of+educators+to+influence+others%E2%80%99+environmental+behaviours.+Another+finding+was+that+the+teacher-researcher%E2%80%99s+participation+in+the+study+caused+a+transformation+of+both+her+teaching+philosophy+and+the+culture+at+the+kindergarten.+An+important+outcome+of+the+study+was+the+development+of+a+new+curriculum+model+that+integrates+and+has+applicability+for+curriculum+development+and+teacher+practice.&rft.publisher=Queensland+University+of+Technology&rft.date=2012&rft.type=Thesis&rft.format=application%2Fpdf&rft.relation=https%3A%2F%2Feprints.qut.edu.au%2F61005%2F1%2FSharon_Stuhmcke_Thesis.pdf&rft.rights=free_to_read&rft.relation=Stuhmcke%2C+Sharon+Marie+(2012)+Children+as+change+agents+for+sustainability+%3A+an+action+research+case+study+in+a+kindergarten.+Professional+Doctorate+thesis%2C+Queensland+University+of+Technology.&rft.id_number=https%3A%2F%2Feprints.qut.edu.au%2F61005%2F&rft.identifier=Faculty+of+Education