Environmental health: a pathway to STEM-health integration for middle school teachers

Applied Environmental Education & Communication 2026 Open access

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Authors: Andreia Figueiredo Dexheimer, Jennifer L. Zuercher, Carol E. Colaninno, Charlie K. Blake, Ben K. Greenfield, Madeline Jones, Candice L. Johnson, Georgia L. Bracey, Sharon Locke
DOI: 10.1080/1533015x.2026.2616396
Cited by: 0
References: 50

Abstract

We examined the impact of an environmental health-focused professional development (PD) on middle school teachers. We used a mixed-methods approach to measure teachers’ pre- and post-perceptions of environmental health, and how they conceived the integration of environmental health into their science curriculum. We identified three categories: teachers (a) found the PD and curriculum on environmental health beneficial; (b) emphasized that the material and curriculum promoted multiple scientific connections for their students; and (c) had increased confidence in teaching the topic. Environmental health PDs can help teachers develop new skills that support their students to communicate their concerns about environmental health.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Science Education and Pedagogy Environmental and sustainability education Environmental Education in Latin America

Publication details

Journal / source
Applied Environmental Education & Communication
Volume
25
Issue
1
Pages
14–29
Publication date
2 January 2026
Language
EN