Environmental Education and Governance in California Community Colleges

1
Environmental Education and Governance in
California Community Colleges

• A thesis by
• Kristina Miller
• Graduate student, CSU, Chico
• Department of Geography and Planning

2
Statement of the Problem

• CCC largest system of higher ed (n109)
• CCC is expected to increase by 36 by 2010
• By 2010 72 of students will attend CCC
• Few studies documenting types of programs and
  courses offered
• Not known how CCC have responded to environmental
  issues

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Purpose of the Study

• Document CCC response to env. issues by altering
  curriculum and governance
• Specific teaching approaches (theoretical,
  action-oriented, research-action)
• Place-based
• Noticeable changes (e.g. env. club or recycling
  program)
• Relationship btwn. courses and clubs and
  recycling programs

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Limitations

• Public CCCs that offer intro. env. studies
  courses
• Limited by response rate
• 23 (n25) presidents
• 15 (n30) instructors
• Online course catalogs and class schedules Spring
  2005-Spring 2006
• Current course catalog
• One-year of class schedules

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Literature Review

• Universities need to realign their priorities in
  order to aid the nation in its most pressing
  social and environmental problems.
• Derek Bok Beyond the Ivory Tower social
  resposibilities of the modern university

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Literature Review

• If a practical end must be assigned to western
  university course, it is the training of good
  members of society
• -J. Pelikan (1992) The Idea of the University
• A reexamination.

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Literature Review

• Environmental destruction is not the work of
  ignorant people. Rather it is largely the result
  of work by people with BAs, BSs, LLBs, MBAs, and
  PhDs. More of the same kind of education will
  only compound our problems. This is not an
  argument for ignorance but rather a statement
  that the worth of education must be measured
  against the standards of decency and human
  survival. It is not education but (environmental)
  education of a certain kind, that will save us.
• -David Orr Earth in Mind On Education,
  Environment, and the Human Prospect

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Definition of Terms

• Environmental studies course
• substantially focuses on humans impact on the
  environment
• Theoretical course
• Analyzes environmental problems, but does not
  pose solutions to the problems
• Action-oriented course
• Focuses on teaching students to become
  solution-oriented by means of engaging in direct
  activity
• Research-action course
• Combines theoretical and action-oriented
  approaches to environmental problems
• Place-based course
• An experiential, multidisciplinary course that
  connects place with self and community

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Research Questions

• Intro environmental studies courses?
• Difference in number of course offerings between
  urban and rural campuses?
• Action oriented?
• Place-based?
• Campus-based recycling or Env. Club?
• Relationship between written declarations and
  of courses?

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Methods

• Online course catalogs and class schedules
• Survey mailed to the President
• Survey mailed to the teachers

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Online Course Catalogs and Class Schedules

• Sample -109 CCCs
• FTES (Full-time Equivalent Students)
• Most up to date course catalogs examined for
  presence ES courses (EXCEL)
• Most up to date class schedules were searched
  (EXCEL)
• of courses, of sections, of units,
  transferability, and applicability to AA/AS
  degree (EXCEL)
• Urban/suburban vs. rural (EXCEL)
• Urban (LA, SD, SJ, SF, LB, Oakland, Sac, Fresno,
  Santa Ana, Anaheim, Riverside, Stockton,
  Glendale, Bakersfield, and Fremont)
• Rural (not within 20 miles from any of the 15
  urban/suburban areas)

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Survey to President

• Adapted version of the State of the Campus
  Environment Questionnaire (2001)
• Response rate of 23
• 15 questions
• Sent Dec. 2005 by first-class mail
• No response an
• email or
• telephone contact

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Survey to Instructors

• 205 surveys sent bulk-mail Dec 2005
• Questions
• What type of teaching style do you use for the
  following course __________?
• Does the following course ________ have either a
  regional focus or is it place- based?
• Are there any campus based recycling programs?
• Are there any student run environmental clubs on
  campus?
• What are the primary causes of the abundance or
  lack of environmental courses?

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Data Analysis

• Statistical Package SPSS (2004) freq.
• Annova -simple one-way analysis of variance was
  used to assess group differences

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Results

• Online Course Catalogs and Class Schedules
• 656 sections of environmental studies courses are
  offered
• Avg. 6.04 sections offered per year.
• 12.75 (n14) did not offer any environmental
  studies courses in their current course catalog.
• 21.3 (n23) did not offer any environmental
  sections
• 88.6 (n ) of courses transfer

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Results contd.

• 58 (n14) of colleges claim to offer courses in
  environmental issues in more than one department.
  
• 75 (n18) do not require any students to take a
  course in env. issues.
• 90 (n18) of colleges do not plan to implement a
  campus-wide requirement that students take an
  env. issues course.

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Results contd.

• Over 75 (n19) independent research and
  community service projects.
• About half (n10,10,10, and 12 respectively) plan
  to offer courses
• - internship programs,
• - independent research
• projects,
• - campus service
• projects,
• - and community service
• projects.

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Results contd.

• Top 20 colleges ( of sections offered FTES)

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Results contd.

• Difference in number of course offerings between
  urban and rural campuses?
• No sig. difference (.090)
• Population data not sample data
• Significance test is irrelevant
• There is a difference
• Rural 1 section/ 1,104 students
• Urban 1 section/ 1,618 students
• Urban students are short-changed

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Results contd.

• Instructor Survey
• Low response rate 15 (n30)
• 60 (n18) claim to use a theoretical teaching
  style.
• gt76 (n23) use an action-oriented approach
• 78 (n21) use a regional or place-based approach.

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Results contd.

• Instructors
• 79 (n23) claim their college has a campus-based
  recycling program and
• 52 (n14) have a student-run environmental club.
  
• Presidents
• 92 (n23) claim to have a campus-based recycling
  program.
• Over two-thirds (n16) claim their college has a
  student-run environmental club.

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Results contd.

• 78 (n18) of colleges do not have a written
  declaration of commitment to environmental
  responsibility.
• of sections/1,000 students and written
  declarations of env. responsibility
• No sig. difference were found

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Results contd.

• Only 12 (n 3) of campuses have a written
  declaration supporting EE
• There is difference (sig. .02) in means between
  of sections offered/ 1,000 students and written
  declarations of EE
• Colleges with written declarations of EE offer
  more sections/1,000 students

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Conclusions

• 21.3 (n23) did not offer any environmental
  sections
• 88.6 (n141) courses transfer
• gt76 (n23) action-oriented
• 78 (n21) place-based approach.
• Urban students are short-changed
• Colleges w/ written dec. supporting EE have more
  ES sections

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Thank you!

• Any Questions???
• For more information
• Kristina Miller
• kaleida_at_animail.net
• [phone]