How Nature Schools Cultivate Ecological Responsibility
A Socio-Institutional Perspective from Indonesia
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22046491 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Loula Maretta (Universitas Pamulang), Sri Utaminingsih (Universitas Pamulang), Nuryati Djihadah (Universitas Pamulang), Andante Hadi Pandyaswargo (0000-0002-0045-5916, Waseda University) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 883 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-03 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Education Sciences (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2227-7102 • E-ISSN: 2227-7102 |
| Publisher | MDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT) |
| DOI | 10.3390/educsci16060883 |
| OpenAlex | W7163393101 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 21 |
Environmental sustainability has become an increasingly important concern within education systems worldwide, yet many initiatives remain centred on knowledge transmission rather than the everyday practices through which environmental responsibility is learned. This study examines Indonesian nature schools (Sekolah Alam), defined here as alternative schools that integrate the national curriculum with outdoor, experiential, character-based, and community-oriented environmental learning. Using a qualitative multi-case study of three schools in an urban and peri-urban Indonesian context, we interviewed 24 stakeholders, including principals, vice principals, teachers, and parents, to examine how ecological responsibility is understood, enacted, and perceived across school communities. Thematic analysis identified six interrelated dimensions: green education philosophy, experiential learning, ecological character formation, institutional support, community engagement, and perceived behavioural outcomes. The findings suggest that ecological responsibility is not produced by a single lesson or programme, but is perceived by stakeholders as emerging through mutually reinforcing institutional, pedagogical, and social practices. School leaders establish enabling conditions, teachers translate environmental values into daily experiential learning, and parents report reinforcing these practices in household contexts. The study contributes a socio-institutional framework for understanding environmental education as an embedded school cultures, while also acknowledging that claims about behavioural change are based on stakeholder perceptions rather than direct observation of students
Curriculum · Environmental adult education · Environmental education · Experiential learning · Qualitative research · Stakeholder · Sustainability · Thematic analysis · Environmental Education and Sustainability · Outdoor and Experiential Education · Sustainability in Higher Education
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| Highly cited | No |
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