Anna/Akka Paulo Freire and other Green Heroes: How child-authors represent environmental educators in storybooks.
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| Title: | Anna/Akka Paulo Freire and other Green Heroes: How child-authors represent environmental educators in storybooks. |
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| Authors: | Jamal, Aneesa1 (AUTHOR) jamal20@graduate.utm.my, Jamal, Abubakr Mohammed2 (AUTHOR), Mohd Yusof, Sanitah1 (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Environmental Education Research. Sep2025, Vol. 31 Issue 9, p1818-1846. 29p. |
| Subject Terms: | *Environmental education, Postcolonialism, Literature, Children's literature writing, Decolonization, Anthropocene Epoch |
| People: | Freire, Paulo, 1921-1997 |
| Abstract: | This qualitative research uses an ecopedagogy and decolonial lens to explore how child-authors represented environmental educators as characters in ecofiction/climate fiction storybooks. Thirty storybooks authored by 10–15-year olds were thematically analyzed. Data from interviews, focus group discussions (FGD), reflections, and blogposts were used to confirm understanding. In 11 of the books, the young authors introduced protagonists, supporters, or minor characters based on environmental educators. The characters were Green Heroes, different from regular adults or teachers; Paulo Freires in that they aided the protagonists, and indirectly the readers, to critically understand environmental and climate injustices; and Anna/Akkas (elder brother or sister), profoundly Tamil. The representations broaden the colonial and adultist narratives about the Anthropocene by foregrounding childist voices from the Global South. The findings are also a call for adults to incorporate childist perceptions of adult educators into pedagogy, and more importantly into our adult selves to aid our formation and our re-formation. I recall imagining the educators, and believe it or not Ithought that they would have birds in their hair, and animals all around them! [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| Database: | Education Research Complete |
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| Abstract: | This qualitative research uses an ecopedagogy and decolonial lens to explore how child-authors represented environmental educators as characters in ecofiction/climate fiction storybooks. Thirty storybooks authored by 10–15-year olds were thematically analyzed. Data from interviews, focus group discussions (FGD), reflections, and blogposts were used to confirm understanding. In 11 of the books, the young authors introduced protagonists, supporters, or minor characters based on environmental educators. The characters were Green Heroes, different from regular adults or teachers; Paulo Freires in that they aided the protagonists, and indirectly the readers, to critically understand environmental and climate injustices; and Anna/Akkas (elder brother or sister), profoundly Tamil. The representations broaden the colonial and adultist narratives about the Anthropocene by foregrounding childist voices from the Global South. The findings are also a call for adults to incorporate childist perceptions of adult educators into pedagogy, and more importantly into our adult selves to aid our formation and our re-formation. I recall imagining the educators, and believe it or not Ithought that they would have birds in their hair, and animals all around them! [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
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| ISSN: | 13504622 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/13504622.2025.2491671 |
