This paper argues that ecovillages are places where students can learn hands-on techniques to reduce their climate-anxiety and conclude by suggesting that HEI should initiate cooperation with local ecovillages to improve the problem of climate-anxiety among students.
Climate-anxiety is a growing mental health issue among the public and particularly among students in sustainability-related fields in Higher Education Institutions (HEI). The research field of climate-anxiety has emerged after 2007, and it also relates to other increasingly relevant mental health responses to environmental destruction, such as eco-anxiety. This study examines how HEI can better address climate-anxiety. Specifically, it investigates whether non-formal actors like ecovillages can help students to cope with climate-anxiety. In this context, climate-anxiety is party attributed to the way HEI teach about it. While education on climate change overly addresses cognitive learning, social and emotional learning are neglected.
Ecovillages are increasingly recognising their role in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and, through novel pedagogical approaches, can balance the shortcomings of HEI. Exploring the capacity of ecovillages for ESD and coping with climate-anxiety, the study includes five case studies of distinct ecovillages on three continents. The aim is on how educational tourism to ecovillages can help students to cope with climate-anxiety. This study found that lecturers do not sufficiently address climate-anxiety in HEI or Student Mental Health Services (SMHS) in Sweden.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Aim and Research Question
- Outline
- Theoretical Framework
- Experiential Learning Theory
- Transformative Learning Theory
- Environmental Ethics and Deep Ecology
- Literature Review
- Climate-Anxiety
- Definition and Types of Climate-Anxiety
- Research about Climate-Anxiety in ESD and HEI
- Coping with Climate-Anxiety
- The Ecovillage
- Definition and General Description
- Educational Tourism to Ecovillages
- Methodology
- Research Design
- Description of Research areas
- Questionnaire Design
- Research Ethics
- Data Analysis and Sampling
- Empirical findings
- Students
- Coping strategies for Climate-Anxiety among Students
- Students Perception of the Support for Dealing with Climate-Anxiety
- The Students' Motivation for Visiting an Ecovillage and the Outcome of the Visit
- Outcome of the Study Visit on Coping with Climate-Anxiety
- Student Mental Health Services
- Mental Health Problems of Students
- Experience with Climate-Anxiety among Students
- Treatment
- Lecturers
- Ecovillages
- Suderbyn Ecovillage
- Kibbutz Lotan
- Govardhan Ecovillage
- Lost Valley Educational Center at Meadowsong Ecovillage
- Sieben Linden Ecovillage
- Participant Observation at Sieben Linden Ecovillage
- Discussion
- Climate-Anxiety among Students in HEI
- Relation between Educational Tourism to Ecovillages and Climate-Anxiety
- Suggestions for Educational Tourism at Ecovillages for Addressing Climate-Anxiety
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This study investigates how Higher Education Institutions (HEI) can better address climate-anxiety, a growing mental health concern among students in sustainability-related fields. The research focuses on the potential of ecovillages as non-formal actors in educational tourism to help students cope with climate-anxiety. The study analyzes the shortcomings of traditional climate change education in HEI, which often neglects social and emotional learning, and explores how ecovillages can offer novel pedagogical approaches to balance these shortcomings. The research utilizes five case studies of distinct ecovillages on three continents to examine the capacity of ecovillages for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and its impact on student well-being.
- Climate-anxiety as a growing mental health issue in HEI
- The role of ecovillages in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)
- The potential of educational tourism to ecovillages for coping with climate-anxiety
- The shortcomings of traditional climate change education in HEI
- The effectiveness of hands-on learning experiences in ecovillages for reducing climate-anxiety
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Introduction: This chapter introduces the research topic of climate-anxiety in HEI and outlines the aim and research question of the study. It also provides a brief overview of the structure of the research.
- Theoretical Framework: This chapter explores relevant theories related to the research, including experiential learning, transformative learning, and environmental ethics and deep ecology.
- Literature Review: This chapter reviews existing research on climate-anxiety, including its definition, types, and impact on students. It also explores the role of ecovillages in ESD and educational tourism to ecovillages.
- Methodology: This chapter presents the research design, including the description of research areas, questionnaire design, research ethics, and data analysis and sampling methods.
- Empirical findings: This chapter presents the empirical findings of the study, including data from student surveys, interviews with Student Mental Health Services staff, and observations at ecovillages.
- Discussion: This chapter discusses the research findings and analyzes the relationship between educational tourism to ecovillages and climate-anxiety. It also provides suggestions for how educational tourism at ecovillages can be utilized to address climate-anxiety among students.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This study examines the intersection of climate-anxiety, educational tourism, and ecovillages. Key themes include: climate-anxiety in HEI, Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), experiential learning, ecovillages as destinations, coping mechanisms for climate-anxiety, and the impact of hands-on learning experiences on student well-being.
- Quote paper
- Lena Rothe (Author), 2021, Ecovillages as Destinations. Potential of Educational Tourism for Coping with Climate-Anxiety, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1402021
