ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the decade of the 1980s, characterised by a focus on science and technology but with a twist that gave citizenship science and participatory inquiry a more prominent role in later years. This followed the realisation that environmental issues required more than connecting with nature or the application of technological fixes and scientific solutions – it required people of all walks of life to become involved. Citizenship and learner participation grew as a learning strategy thanks to NGOs and the engagement of social science educators who were connecting development issues with environmental concerns. An educational paradigm shift also occurred in this decade as researchers and educators started to critique the appropriateness and value of the instrumentalist approaches applied in Environmental Education. Many commentators saw an understanding of socio-political and economic contexts as vital to get to the root causes of contemporary issues. This led to adjectival education and critical inquiry approaches entering the frame as educational practices sought to question the worldviews that led to the exploitation of the environment. These innovations served to strengthen the pedagogical processes underpinning environmental learning and brought the agenda to an increasing number of schools, colleges, and universities.
