Year: 2026 | Month: August | Volume 17 | Issue 2
Transforming Learning Through Ecopedagogy: A Sustainable Approach for Fostering Environmental Behaviour
Swati
DOI:10.30954/2230-7311.2.2026.3
Abstract:
Environmental degradation has heightened the need for educational frameworks that boost environmentally responsible behaviour. Ecopedagogy provides a transformative, sustainability-oriented approach to education that integrates ecological principles into educational practice (i.e. teaching) to encourage and increase students’ sustainable behaviours towards their environments. To achieve this, the paper addresses three main objectives: to provide an overview of how ecopedagogy is understood; to identify and analyse pedagogical approaches for fostering environmental awareness and responsible behaviours; and to propose strategies for educators and policymakers for incorporating ecopedagogy into schools’ curricula. This review paper is based on a qualitative synthesis of secondary data from sources including peer-reviewed journal articles, policy documents, and scholarly books about ecopedagogy, environmental education, and sustainable practices, which were critically analysed. Thematic analysis was employed to highlight recurring themes in conceptual frameworks and pedagogical strategies in ecopedagogy. Findings reveal ecopedagogy’s potential to nurture critical consciousness, environmental consciousness, ethical responsibility, and behavioural change/shift among learners. Effective pedagogical strategies include experiential or real-world experiences, teaching across multiple disciplines, dialogical learning, and promoting critical reflection. The study concludes that ecopedagogy offers a meaningful educational approach for strengthening environmental behaviour and encouraging the development of sustainability-oriented learning environments. The findings of this study have major implications for environmentally responsible practices within educational institutions. Also, it points to the need for sustained institutional and policy support for successfully integrating sustainability into education systems to assist with long-term behavioural change.
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