How are forests represented in Australian senior secondary curricula?*

Abstract

Education is recognised as a fundamental tool to promote the transformative behavioural change necessary to address contemporary environmental and sustainability challenges, many of which stem from human activities. Forests, and the numerous important benefits they deliver, are under threat from a range of pressures. However, the nexus between education, behaviour and forests is not well understood. Previous research suggests that the relationship between education and behaviour is complex, with various influencing factors. A body of literature has addressed this topic in the context of pro-environmental behaviour. The research reported here investigates the relationship between education and a subset of pro-environment behaviour characterised as pro-forest behaviour. In a case study of the Australian upper secondary school curriculum, this study used qualitative methods to assess the representation of forests in the context of pro-forest behaviour. This was done through document analyses of curriculum texts at the national and state and territory level and interviews of teachers of forest-related courses. Forests were predominantly represented indirectly in Australian course curriculum texts. Forests were typically portrayed in narrow contexts and not necessarily in ways which might underpin pro-forest behaviour. Teachers were identified as critical elements of the education system, able to interpret and build on official course curricula to deliver classes that addressed forests and fostered pro-forest behaviour in greater depth and breadth. These results also suggest, consistent with the sustainability education literature, that education has the potential to foster transformative behaviour. However, this potential is not likely to be fully realised at present for the case of forests in Australian upper secondary education. Strengthening education to support pro-forest behaviour will likely require a broader understanding of pro-forest concepts in Australian education and greater teacher capacity and opportunities to deliver pro-forest learning more effectively.