IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i18p13558-d1237342.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Step by Step towards a Greener Future: The Role of Plogging in Educating Tomorrow’s Citizens

Author

Listed:
  • Carlos Martínez-Mirambell

    (Department of General Didactics and Specific Didactics, Faculty of Education, University of Alicante, 03690 Alicante, Spain)

  • Salvador Boned-Gómez

    (Faculty of Education, University Pontificial of Comillas (CESAG), 07013 Mallorca, Spain)

  • Mayra Urrea-Solano

    (Department of General Didactics and Specific Didactics, Faculty of Education, University of Alicante, 03690 Alicante, Spain)

  • Salvador Baena-Morales

    (Department of General Didactics and Specific Didactics, Faculty of Education, University of Alicante, 03690 Alicante, Spain
    Faculty of Education, Valencian International University (VIU), 46002 Valencia, Spain)

Abstract

The climate crisis remains a paramount challenge that contemporary society and forthcoming generations will grapple with. The significance of instilling sustainability awareness during formative years, particularly during adolescence, is underscored due to the potential for personality consolidation during this phase. In the educational context, physical education emerges as a valuable avenue to further the cause of a sustainable world by fostering student competencies across the three dimensions of sustainable development. Within this domain, activities such as plogging—an outdoor exercise that intertwines physical activity with litter collection—directly enhance environmental quality. However, a discernible gap exists in previous literature regarding high school students’ perspectives on this practice. Thus, this research aimed to integrate a plogging intervention within physical education lessons to assess student perceptions of this innovative activity. A cohort of 28 secondary school students (16 females and 12 males aged 15 ± 1.2 years) participated in this qualitative study. Semi-structured interviews consisting of nine questions were deployed to elicit narratives pertaining to their plogging experiences within an educational setting. Over four sessions, an active methodology rooted in plogging was employed, culminating in a hands-on excursion in a natural environment. The findings were bifurcated into two categories. The first pertained to reflections on the didactic experience, encapsulating its immediate impact and prospective implications. The second category offered a critical evaluation of plogging, underscoring predominantly affirmative views, especially those highlighting environmental benefits. Responses revealed high acceptance levels for plogging, a heightened awareness of littering, and a recognition of the tangible environmental benefits of such activities. For a sustainable future, it is imperative for adults to possess and impart profound environmental consciousness to younger generations. These insights can potentially catalyze further research on the integration of sustainability in physical education and the role of plogging as an instrumental classroom tool.

Suggested Citation

  • Carlos Martínez-Mirambell & Salvador Boned-Gómez & Mayra Urrea-Solano & Salvador Baena-Morales, 2023. "Step by Step towards a Greener Future: The Role of Plogging in Educating Tomorrow’s Citizens," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-15, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:18:p:13558-:d:1237342
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/18/13558/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/18/13558/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Salvador Baena-Morales & Daniel Jerez-Mayorga & Pedro Delgado-Floody & Jesús Martínez-Martínez, 2021. "Sustainable Development Goals and Physical Education. A Proposal for Practice-Based Models," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-17, February.
    2. Pedro Vega-Marcote & Mercedes Varela-Losada & Pedro Álvarez-Suárez, 2015. "Evaluation of an Educational Model Based on the Development of Sustainable Competencies in Basic Teacher Training in Spain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(3), pages 1-20, March.
    3. Takumi Nakagawa & Ibuki Koan & Chong Chen & Toshio Matsubara & Kosuke Hagiwara & Huijie Lei & Masako Hirotsu & Hirotaka Yamagata & Shin Nakagawa, 2020. "Regular Moderate- to Vigorous-Intensity Physical Activity Rather Than Walking Is Associated with Enhanced Cognitive Functions and Mental Health in Young Adults," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(2), pages 1-14, January.
    4. Wanyoung Lee & Yoonso Choi, 2023. "Examining Plogging in South Korea as a New Social Movement: From the Perspective of Claus Offe’s New Social Movement Theory," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-15, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Chahid E. Fourali, 2024. "The Case for Multidisciplinary Frameworks for Developing Effective Solutions to Complex Human Problems: An Illustration Based on Development Education, Corporate Social Responsibility and Social Marke," Challenges, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-20, May.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Rocío Valderrama-Hernández & Fermín Sánchez-Carracedo & Lucía Alcántara Rubio & Dolores Limón-Domínguez, 2019. "Methodology to Analyze the Effectiveness of ESD in a Higher Degree in Education. A Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-27, December.
    2. Chen Liao & Liying Nong & Yu-Feng Wu & Yu-Tai Wu & Jian-Hong Ye, 2023. "The Relationships between University Students’ Physical Activity Needs, Involvement, Flow Experience and Sustainable Well-Being in the Post-Pandemic Era," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-17, May.
    3. Mercedes Varela-Losada & Azucena Arias-Correa & Uxío Pérez-Rodríguez & Pedro Vega-Marcote, 2019. "How Can Teachers Be Encouraged to Commit to Sustainability? Evaluation of a Teacher-Training Experience in Spain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-12, August.
    4. Gratiela Dana BOCA & Lindita MUKAJ, 2016. "Barriers in Sustainable Knowledge Management Model in Education," Economics and Applied Informatics, "Dunarea de Jos" University of Galati, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, issue 3, pages 19-28.
    5. Kifah Imara & Fahriye Altinay, 2021. "Integrating Education for Sustainable Development Competencies in Teacher Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-17, November.
    6. Patricia Esteve-Guirao & Mercedes Jaén García & Isabel Banos-González, 2019. "The Interdependences between Sustainability and Their Lifestyle That Pre-Service Teachers Establish When Addressing Socio-Ecological Problems," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-18, October.
    7. Silvia Albareda-Tiana & Salvador Vidal-Raméntol & Maria Pujol-Valls & Mónica Fernández-Morilla, 2018. "Holistic Approaches to Develop Sustainability and Research Competencies in Pre-Service Teacher Training," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-20, October.
    8. Carmen Solís-Espallargas & Hortensia Morón-Monge, 2020. "How to Improve Sustainability Competences of Teacher Training? Inquiring the Prior Knowledge on Climate Change in Primary School Students," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(16), pages 1-17, August.
    9. Olalla García-Taibo & Isabel María Martín-López & Salvador Baena-Morales & José Eugenio Rodríguez-Fernández, 2023. "The Impact of Service-Learning on the Prosocial and Professional Competencies in Undergraduate Physical Education Students and Its Effect on Fitness in Recipients," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(20), pages 1-16, October.
    10. Arantza Rico & Elena Agirre-Basurko & Aritz Ruiz-González & Igone Palacios-Agundez & Daniel Zuazagoitia, 2021. "Integrating Mathematics and Science Teaching in the Context of Education for Sustainable Development: Design and Pilot Implementation of a Teaching-Learning Sequence about Air Quality with Pre-Service," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-21, April.
    11. Sílvia Albareda-Tiana & Esther García-González & Rocío Jiménez-Fontana & Carmen Solís-Espallargas, 2019. "Implementing Pedagogical Approaches for ESD in Initial Teacher Training at Spanish Universities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(18), pages 1-19, September.
    12. Paula Botella & Salvador Baena-Morales & Olalla García-Taibo & Alberto Ferriz-Valero, 2022. "Effects of Self-Construction of Materials on the Ecological Awareness of Physical Education Primary School Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-13, October.
    13. Lichun Mo & Jiancheng Chen & Yi Xie, 2021. "Ecological Approach for the Evaluation of Structure and Sustainability in the Tourism Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-13, December.
    14. Xavier Francisco-Garcés & Celina Salvador-Garcia & María Maravé-Vivas & Oscar Chiva-Bartoll & María Luisa Santos-Pastor, 2022. "Research on Service-Learning in Physical Activity and Sport: Where We Have Been, Where We Are, Where We Are Going," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(11), pages 1-20, May.
    15. Jean de Dieu Habyarimana & Etienne Tugirumukiza & Ke Zhou, 2022. "Physical Education and Sports: A Backbone of the Entire Community in the Twenty-First Century," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(12), pages 1-19, June.
    16. Vicente Morales-Baños & Francisco José Borrego-Balsalobre & Arturo Díaz-Suárez & José María López-Gullón, 2023. "Levels of Sustainability Awareness in Spanish University Students of Nautical Activities as Future Managers of Sports and Active Tourism Programmes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-22, February.
    17. Jana Dlouhá & Raquel Heras & Ingrid Mulà & Francisca Perez Salgado & Laura Henderson, 2019. "Competences to Address SDGs in Higher Education—A Reflection on the Equilibrium between Systemic and Personal Approaches to Achieve Transformative Action," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(13), pages 1-23, July.
    18. Ronald Venn & Paquita Perez & Valerie Vandenbussche, 2022. "Competencies of Sustainability Professionals: An Empirical Study on Key Competencies for Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-22, April.
    19. Salvador Baena-Morales & Daniel Jerez-Mayorga & Pedro Delgado-Floody & Jesús Martínez-Martínez, 2021. "Sustainable Development Goals and Physical Education. A Proposal for Practice-Based Models," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-17, February.
    20. Samantha Moss & Xiaoxia Zhang & Ziyad Ben Taleb & Xiangli Gu, 2024. "The Associations of Physical Activity and Health-Risk Behaviors toward Depressive Symptoms among College Students: Gender and Obesity Disparities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(4), pages 1-11, March.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:18:p:13558-:d:1237342. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.