EFFECTIVENESS OF ALTERNATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PROGRAM IN PROMOTING CONNECTEDNESS WITH NATURE AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS OF GOA

Abstract: Environmental Education (EE) has traditionally been grounded in a cognitive–instrumental paradigm that prioritizes the transmission of ecological knowledge, scientific facts, and pro-environmental skills with the assumption that awareness will naturally translate into responsible environmental behaviour. However, mounting global ecological crises and the persistent gap between environmental knowledge and action have prompted a paradigm shift within EE scholarship toward the affective domain particularly the concept of Connectedness with Nature (CWN). CWN refers to the extent to which individuals emotionally, psychologically, and experientially perceive themselves as part of the natural world rather than separate from it,(Hungerford & Volk, 1990). Contemporary research increasingly demonstrates that values, emotions, identity, and lived experiences play a decisive role in shaping long-term environmental attitudes and behaviours, especially during adolescence, a critical developmental stage for identity formation. This shift challenges purely classroom-based, exam-oriented environmental instruction and calls for pedagogical approaches that cultivate empathy for nature, sensory engagement, place attachment, and ethical responsibility. Within this emerging paradigm, Alternative Environmental Education Programs (AEEP) have gained attention for their ability to move beyond formal curricula and foster deeper, relational connections between students and their ecological surroundings.