Created for the Curriculum & Instruction: Nature-based and Place-conscious Practices MEd program, this guide provides suggested resources on place-based education as well as relevant research methods.

 Getting help

Research help. Contact Melissa Smith for research help by email/phone or to schedule an research consultation over Skype: mnsmith@sfu.ca | 778.782.7419.  For self-service help, see the other tabs in the Education Resources guide.

Writing help. A Writing Services Coordinator and a team of Graduate Writing Facilitators are available to work with graduate students at any stage of the writing process. Learn more about their services.

More services. Here's what you need to know about using the library and services available to grad students. Students in the Faculty of Education are also eligible for Telebook; that is, free delivery of library books to your home. ​​​

Sources to start your research with

Generally, it’s best to start broad with sources that provide a summary or overview of the topic. 

Encyclopedias

Encyclopedia articles summarize the issues, perspectives and history related to a topic, giving you the “big picture.”

Find encyclopedia articles in the Library Catalogue, filtering by resource type Reference Entries.

Examples:

• "Place-based teaching and learning" in Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning 
• "Place-based education" in Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning
• "Place-conscious education" in Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning
• "Place-Based Education" in Green Education : An A-to-Z Guide 
• "Place-Based Education" in Encyclopedia of the Social and Cultural Foundations of Education 
• "Ecojustice and Social Justice" in Encyclopedia of the Social and Cultural Foundations of Education
• "EcoJustice Education" in Gender: Nature

For more suggested encyclopedias, see Background information: Education resources.

Handbooks

Handbooks provide "how to" information about research methods and professional topics. 

Use Sage Research Methods to find books & chapters that explain what's involved in the method(s) you're interested in.

Examples:

• Systematic self-observation by Noelie Rodriguez & Alan Ryave
• Participant observation edited by Danny L. Jorgensen
• "Autoethnography" in The SAGE Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods
• "Memory-Work" in Researching Social Change
• Handbook of the Arts in Qualitative Research: Perspectives, Methodologies, Examples, and Issues edited by J. Gary Knowles & Ardra L. Cole
• "Coding" in Key Concepts in Ethnography
• Discourse Analysis by Nelson Phillips & Cynthia Hardy
• "Seeking an Understanding of School Culture: Using Theory as a Framework for Observation and Analysis" in Theoretical Frameworks in Qualitative Research

Journal articles

Search for articles by database

Education Source [search tips]
A comprehensive Education database, covering all levels of education from early childhood to higher education as well as multilingual education, health education and testing. Includes journals, books, conference papers, book reviews and educational tests.

ERIC (EBSCO) [search tips] 
A comprehensive Education database, covering education research and practice. Includes journal articles, conference papers, curriculum guides, lesson plans, theses and dissertations and more.

ERIC (US Government Site) [search tips]
Searches same content as above. Note: This version of ERIC is open access.

See all our databases for Diversity in Curriculum and Instruction and Environmental Education.

Find articles by browsing journals

Browse our journals about Curriculum or Environmental Education. Search within the journal or browse its table of contents.

Examples:

• Journal of Curriculum & Instruction
• Educational Researcher
• Reflective Practice
• Journal of Sustainability Education
• Action Learning: Research & Practice
• Journal of Environmental Education
• Environmental Education Research
• Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning