Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 3533-3568 |
| Number of pages | 36 |
| Journal | Biodiversity and conservation |
| Volume | 32 |
| Issue number | 11 |
| Early online date | 18 May 2023 |
| Publication status | Published - Sept 2023 |
Abstract
There is a pressing need for transformative change, with a vision of long-term human well-being within planetary boundaries. The lack of progress—despite increasing awareness and action—illustrates how challenging it is to foster change in our complex global society. Education and learning are needed to enable change. Transdisciplinary learning, which meaningfully integrates diverse knowledge and perspectives, contributes to developing an integrative understanding—a necessity for tackling complex challenges. We explore how transdisciplinary learning for early-career researchers can foster transformative change and lead to increased biodiversity conservation. This paper focuses on a case study of the authors’ shared experiences during the 2021 Alternet Summer School, which focused on transformative change for biodiversity conservation and human well-being. In this introspective research, we gained insights through an online survey for participants and organizers of the summer school (n = 27). Using qualitative content analysis, we identify seven crucial elements of transdisciplinary learning which can lead to transformative change on (a) a personal level, as the learning process shifts values and helps researchers identify their roles; (b) a research level, by rethinking science and providing tools for transdisciplinary approaches, and (c) a societal level, by moving from the individual to the collective and constructing a shared vision for a sustainable future. Participants highlighted how changes on all these levels could benefit biodiversity conservation. These insights point to the benefit of transdisciplinary learning opportunities that empower young researchers to take up their part in fostering transformative change.
Keywords
- Biodiversity protection, Education for sustainable development, Lifelong learning, Qualitative research, Self-reflexivity, Transdisciplinary education
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Agricultural and Biological Sciences(all)
- Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
- Environmental Science(all)
- Ecology
- Environmental Science(all)
- Nature and Landscape Conservation
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In: Biodiversity and conservation, Vol. 32, No. 11, 09.2023, p. 3533-3568.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Head in the clouds, feet on the ground
T2 - how transdisciplinary learning can foster transformative change - insights from a summer school
AU - Atienza Casas, Sara
AU - Calicis, Camille
AU - Candiago, Sebastian
AU - Dendoncker, Nicolas
AU - Desair, Jomme
AU - Fickel, Thomas
AU - Finne, Eirik Aasmo
AU - Frison, Christine
AU - Haensel, Maria
AU - Hinsch, Malte
AU - Kulfan, Tyler
AU - Kumagai, Joy A.
AU - Mialyk, Oleksandr
AU - Nawrath, Maximilian
AU - Nevzati, Fiona
AU - Washbourne, Carla
AU - Wübbelmann, Thea
N1 - Funding Information: Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL. This work was supported by the Alternet Mobility Fund, which provided funding for a self-organized winter school to facilitate work on this paper.
PY - 2023/9
Y1 - 2023/9
N2 - There is a pressing need for transformative change, with a vision of long-term human well-being within planetary boundaries. The lack of progress—despite increasing awareness and action—illustrates how challenging it is to foster change in our complex global society. Education and learning are needed to enable change. Transdisciplinary learning, which meaningfully integrates diverse knowledge and perspectives, contributes to developing an integrative understanding—a necessity for tackling complex challenges. We explore how transdisciplinary learning for early-career researchers can foster transformative change and lead to increased biodiversity conservation. This paper focuses on a case study of the authors’ shared experiences during the 2021 Alternet Summer School, which focused on transformative change for biodiversity conservation and human well-being. In this introspective research, we gained insights through an online survey for participants and organizers of the summer school (n = 27). Using qualitative content analysis, we identify seven crucial elements of transdisciplinary learning which can lead to transformative change on (a) a personal level, as the learning process shifts values and helps researchers identify their roles; (b) a research level, by rethinking science and providing tools for transdisciplinary approaches, and (c) a societal level, by moving from the individual to the collective and constructing a shared vision for a sustainable future. Participants highlighted how changes on all these levels could benefit biodiversity conservation. These insights point to the benefit of transdisciplinary learning opportunities that empower young researchers to take up their part in fostering transformative change.
AB - There is a pressing need for transformative change, with a vision of long-term human well-being within planetary boundaries. The lack of progress—despite increasing awareness and action—illustrates how challenging it is to foster change in our complex global society. Education and learning are needed to enable change. Transdisciplinary learning, which meaningfully integrates diverse knowledge and perspectives, contributes to developing an integrative understanding—a necessity for tackling complex challenges. We explore how transdisciplinary learning for early-career researchers can foster transformative change and lead to increased biodiversity conservation. This paper focuses on a case study of the authors’ shared experiences during the 2021 Alternet Summer School, which focused on transformative change for biodiversity conservation and human well-being. In this introspective research, we gained insights through an online survey for participants and organizers of the summer school (n = 27). Using qualitative content analysis, we identify seven crucial elements of transdisciplinary learning which can lead to transformative change on (a) a personal level, as the learning process shifts values and helps researchers identify their roles; (b) a research level, by rethinking science and providing tools for transdisciplinary approaches, and (c) a societal level, by moving from the individual to the collective and constructing a shared vision for a sustainable future. Participants highlighted how changes on all these levels could benefit biodiversity conservation. These insights point to the benefit of transdisciplinary learning opportunities that empower young researchers to take up their part in fostering transformative change.
KW - Biodiversity protection
KW - Education for sustainable development
KW - Lifelong learning
KW - Qualitative research
KW - Self-reflexivity
KW - Transdisciplinary education
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85159723357&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s10531-023-02603-0
DO - 10.1007/s10531-023-02603-0
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85159723357
VL - 32
SP - 3533
EP - 3568
JO - Biodiversity and conservation
JF - Biodiversity and conservation
SN - 0960-3115
IS - 11
ER -