ERIC Number: EJ1153818
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1350-4622
EISSN: N/A
Aesthetic Experiences in the Cerrado (Brazilian Savanna): Contributions to Environmental Education Practice and Research
Iared, Valéria Ghisloti; Torres de Oliveira, Haydée; Reid, Alan
Environmental Education Research, v23 n9 p1273-1290 2017
In this paper, we reflect on a study in Brazil's Cerrado that attempts to address a lack of attention to an aesthetic dimension in environmental education practice and research. We start by tracing this lack to the overvaluing of the cognitive sphere in the educational process, noting its echo in the low aesthetic value attributed to the Cerrado biome. Then, through reflecting on an empirical, interview based study of sensations, perceptions and feelings evoked by aesthetic experiences in the Cerrado, we draw on insights from a hermeneutic phenomenological approach to identify key themes for environmental education research and practice in this regard. These include: recognising the singularity of experience; attending to the qualities of experience; acknowledging the value/s of "lighter" and "darker" experiences; and deepening emotions and verbal communication. In our final considerations, we discuss the limitations of the study, alongside new directions in studies of perception, experience, aesthetics and pedagogy that may also advance attention to an aesthetic dimension in environmental education practice and research.
Descriptors: Aesthetics, Phenomenology, Environmental Education, Verbal Communication, Foreign Countries, Educational Practices, Educational Research, Teaching Methods, Geographic Regions, Biodiversity, Hermeneutics
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Brazil
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A