Socio-ecological care as the basis for situated learning: critical perspectives in environmental education

Socio-ecological care as the basis for situated learning: critical perspectives in environmental education

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5027/psicoperspectivas-Vol24-Issue3-fulltext-3501

Keywords:

care, learning progressions, local knowledge, situated learning, socioecological concerns

Abstract

In this study we analyzed progressions of situated learning, projects that follow the methodology of the four quadrants of the CARE Mexico Project. Progressions were designed by multigrade pedagogical guides (GPM) in Yucatán, Mexico, within the framework of an accompanied teacher training process. In the qualitative content analysis of the 20 progressions (11 preschool and 9 elementary), local socio-ecological concerns guiding their design were identified -food, health, pollution, community coexistence, water, plants, and animals- as well as the knowledge and practices of care, both local and school-based, that were integrated into them. The results show how the progressions enable students to build contextualized knowledge and actively participate in addressing community challenges, as they integrate community narratives and local care practices (gardens, traditional medicine, games, embroidery) with curricular content. The proposed actions -recipe books, gardens, cleaning campaigns, revival of traditional games and embroidery- illustrate the active dimension of situated learning. We conclude that the design of progressions constitutes a pedagogical tool that fosters critical environmental education on socio-ecological issues in multigrade schools, contributing to the transformation envisioned by the New Mexican School.

Author Biographies

Rosa Guadalupe Mendoza Zuany, Instituto de Investigaciones en Educación, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Veracruz, México

Dr. Mendoza is member of the National System of Researchers (SNI) and the Mexican Academy of Sciences (AMC). She holds a PhD in Policy from the University of York (United Kingdom) and a Master's degree in Anthropological Sciences from the Autonomous University of Yucatán. She is a professor and thesis supervisor in the Master's and Doctorate programs in Educational Research at the University of Veracruz. She has developed two national evaluations of educational policies for indigenous populations in basic education. She is the coordinator of the UNESCO Chair in Education for Eco-Citizenship and Sustainability and of the Sustainability Series published by the University of Veracruz Press.

Fabiola Itzel Cabrera García, Instituto de Investigaciones en Educación, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Veracruz, México

Bachelor of Hispanic Language and Literature, teacher, and Doctor of Educational Research from the University of Veracruz. Co-author of the book Situated Learning for Sustainability Based on Local Stories about Socio-Ecological Concerns, Knowledge, and Practices (2021). She is also part of the CARE-Mexico educational and research project at the University of Veracruz's Institute for Educational Research. She is a member of the Thematic Network for Research in Rural Education, a network registered under the theme of Education in the strategic national programs proposed by Conacyt in 2019. She has published several scientific and popular articles, book chapters, and reviews. She has also participated in conferences and seminars, as well as international research stays. Her areas of interest are educational processes in rural contexts and the possibilities for social transformation that favor ecofeminist thinking and action, critical environmental education, and pedagogy for social liberation.

Juan Carlos Antonio Sandoval Rivera, Instituto de Investigaciones en Educación, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Veracruz, México

Investigador en el Instituto de Investigaciones en Educación de la Universidad Veracruzana. Es doctor en investigación educativa y coordinador del proyecto colaborativo care-México, que se lleva a cabo con docentes de educación básica de varios estados del país. Miembro del sni. Es secretario técnico de la Cátedra unesco Educación para la Ecociudadanía y la Sustentabilidad de la uv. Es miembro fundador de la Red Internacional de Expertos en Educación para la Sustentabilidad (esd-Expert-Net) convocada por el Ministerio de Cooperación Internacional de Alemania, en donde participan académicos y educadores de México, Alemania, India y Sudáfrica. Ha sido profesor invitado en la Universidad de Leuphana y la Universidad Humboldt de Berlín, en Alemania, y en la Universidad de Rhodes, en Sudáfrica. Su último libro Handprints for Change se publicó en India en colaboración con el Centre for Environment Education y se está utilizando para capacitar docentes de educación básica en ese país.

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Published

2025-11-15

How to Cite

Mendoza Zuany, R. G., Cabrera García, F. I., & Sandoval Rivera, J. C. A. (2025). Socio-ecological care as the basis for situated learning: critical perspectives in environmental education. Psicoperspectivas, 24(3). https://doi.org/10.5027/psicoperspectivas-Vol24-Issue3-fulltext-3501

Issue

Vol. 24 No. 3 (2025): Territories in socio-environmental crisis

Section

Research Articles - ST

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Copyright (c) 2025 Rosa Guadalupe Mendoza Zuany, Fabiola Itzel Cabrera García, Juan Carlos Antonio Sandoval Rivera (Autor)

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