Simon Fraser University. Education

How should 21st century youth be educated to meet the challenges of work, life and citizenship that will lead to environmental, social and economic sustainability? This is a question many educators have been trying to address for a long time. Although the importance of an education system attempting to address 21st century needs is recognized, it is not clear how to achieve this. This dissertation’s research addressed this issue, asking, “What are the perceptions of a group of alumni from a Grade 10 integrated curriculum program (ES 10) with regard to the effects of the program on their citizenship activities?” A retrospective study utilizing mixed methods determined the long-term effects of ES 10 relating to active citizenship and identified key learning environment program features that alumni believed to be important. Quantitative instruments measured student’s perceptions of their ES 10 learning environment relating various active citizenship components. Qualitative data collection included an open- ended survey and a group interview. The major findings of this study show that alumni believe ES 10 affected their current disposition toward and engagement with citizenship activities, identifying various program elements as having influenced their overall development. Environments where group cohesion is high with regular engagement in student-relevant, hands-on activities and experiences followed by a reflective process were identified as important. Also identified as important in helping students gain skills, beliefs and attitudes that have influenced their adult years were allowing students to have a voice in how the schedule is arranged, what sorts of activities they might choose or how their work may be assessed.

The research conducted for this dissertation examined the learning environment of a specific high school program that delivered the explicit curriculum through an integrated experiential manner, which utilized field and outdoor experiences. The program ran over one semester (five months) and it integrated the grade 10 British Columbian curriculum in five subjects. A mixed methods approach was employed to identify the students’ perceptions and provide richer descriptions of their experiences related to their unique learning environment. Quantitative instruments were used to assess changes in students' perspectives of their learning environment, as well as other supporting factors including students’ mindfulness, and behaviours towards the environment. Qualitative data collection included observations, open-ended questions, and impromptu interviews with the teacher. The qualitative data describe the factors and processes that influenced the learning environment and give a richer, deeper interpretation which complements the quantitative findings. The research results showed positive scores on all the quantitative measures conducted, and the qualitative data provided further insight into descriptions of learning environment constructs that the students perceived as most important. A major finding was that the group cohesion measure was perceived by students as the most important attribute of their preferred learning environment. A flow chart was developed to help the researcher conceptualize how the learning environment, learning process, and outcomes relate to one another in the studied program. This research attempts to explain through the consideration of this case study: how learning environments can influence behavioural change and how an interconnectedness among several factors in the learning process is influenced by the type of learning environment facilitated. Considerably more research is needed in this area to understand fully the complexity learning environments and how they influence learning and behaviour.