Integrating EcoJustice pedagogy with social justice pedagogy in children's literature courses

This mixed methods study examined students' perceptions of EcoJustice and Social Justice curriculum in an undergraduate children's literature course. Data included beginning-course and end-course Likert scale questions and open-ended responses, student reflective writings, and assignments. This study also examined survey responses from faculty teaching children's literature. Results showed that students, primarily preservice teacher candidates, want EcoJustice topics in the curriculum and believe such teaching is more important than educators do. Students and teachers viewed Social Justice and EcoJustice pedagogy as separate and had much less understanding of EcoJustice topics and pedagogy compared to those of Social Justice; however, after experiencing an EcoJustice inclusive curriculum, the end-course results demonstrate that students had a much better understanding and a stronger belief in the importance of EcoJustice topics. Student participants reported a better understanding of how connected justice topics and pedagogy are and how they could incorporate such pedagogy into their own K-12 teaching using children's literature. The author made her children's literature courses more ecologically inclusive and justice-focused and provides brief recommendations for incorporating EcoJustice pedagogy in undergraduate children's literature courses.