China's strategy towards environmental governance: An examination of the interaction between pedagogy and practice of environmental education in creating and achieving objectives for sustainable development

This thesis involves a case-study methodology that explores programs and initiatives undertaken in the fields of environmental education focusing on the elementary and middle school curriculum and teacher education programs in China. The major objectives of this research are (1) to study the status of environmental education in Chinese elementary and middle schools; (2) to study the commonalities in approaches to environmental education and education for sustainable development in the existing curriculum; and (3) to study the lived challenges of implementing environmental education in today's schools in China. The study will address the following question: How can elementary and middle schools integrate environmental education objectives into their existing school programs without radical curricula changes? The thesis suggests that environmental education programs can be combined naturally with a school curriculum by identifying points of overlap between existing curricula and environmental education goals to facilitate natural, unforced integration of these programs. I have investigated these programs and initiatives concomitantly with the proposals for curriculum reform developed in China. This investigation includes an in-depth examination of the impact of such programs on students, teacher education programs, school systems and local communities. Qualitative data was collected and used to describe the evolution of environmental education programs within schools in the country scrutinized in this study. Research was also conducted on the etiology, nature and potential of any program developed by Chinese school systems for the purpose of integrating environmental education within the teacher education programs and consequently within the regular classroom curriculum.