Corrientes en educación ambiental en tesis de maestría y doctorado en tres universidades (Uninorte de la costa y Amazonía) de Colombia 2010-2020

Abstract

This research focused on analyzing the predominant currents in environmental education through the review of master's and doctoral theses conducted at three Colombian universities—Uninorte, de la Costa, and Amazonia—during the period 2010–2020. The problem investigated lay in the lack of agreement and clarity regarding the environmental currents used in graduate programs. EArte seeks to identify and select existing theses that focus on the relationship between the educational process and environmental issues, and this thesis aims to contribute to this objective. This is because each current not only presents a precise definition but also diversifies its objectives, content, and application purposes. In other words, the coexistence of multiple currents within this context is based on their own theoretical, philosophical, political, ethical, and pedagogical principles, which contributes to this lack of consensus on which are being applied in research. This situation therefore has the potential to generate confusion and challenges in educational implementation, as well as in the development of educational strategies and initiatives in the environmental field. Furthermore, inconsistencies between different currents can lead to disputes and inconsistencies, complicating the task of incorporating and cooperating with diverse approaches to environmental education. To this end, the general objective was to analyze the currents in environmental education reflected in these theses, with specific objectives that included recognizing the currents present, compiling the degree theses, and examining the research based on pre-established theoretical frameworks. The theoretical framework was based on the work of Sauvé (2005), which provided a conceptual structure for categorizing and understanding currents in environmental education. The methodology employed was qualitative, using content analysis, derived from the systematic review using the EArte (State of the Art) methodology, which allowed for a comprehensive and updated analysis of the state of knowledge related to environmental approaches and perspectives used in the educational field at the master's and doctoral levels.