Beyond Human-Centered Thinking: Shaping Students’ Ecological Awareness Through Education

Palau Fantail

06-11-2025

First, for birds immersed in all sorts of disputes, over millennia, making too much noise, Zhuang teaches:
“Birds don’t argue about the sky. They fly.”

In Kingfisherish Wandering [1]

© Wix

The accelerating ecological crisis calls for not just technological or political responses, but a fundamental shift in how we think about nature [2,3]. Recently, Laine and Ratinen [4] investigated how secondary students in Finland perceive the human–animal relationship, and how education can nurture a more ecologically balanced worldview.

Modern environmental degradation stems partly from anthropocentrism—the belief that humans are the central or most important entities in the world. This mindset has historically justified exploitative attitudes toward non-human life. However, emerging paradigms in environmental education advocate for moving beyond anthropocentrism toward more relational and ecocentric thinking [5,6]. The authors emphasize that rethinking the human–animal relationship is a key part of fostering sustainability and moral development in younger generations .

The researchers performed a content analysis of Finnish textbooks, exercises, and teaching materials used in history, social studies, environmental studies, religious education, and ethics for grades 5–6. The analysis revealed the presence of both anthropocentric and non-anthropocentric ethical views on animals. While anthropocentric and non-anthropocentric ethical perspectives were included, relational viewpoints—emphasizing emotional and ethical connections between humans and animals—were largely underrepresented. Furthermore, the extent and diversity of value discussions varied significantly across subjects and textbook series [4].

The study suggests that textbook publishers aim at increasing ethical reflection, relational perspectives, and a better integration of values and worldviews related to animals across subjects. Such approaches would allow students to confront contradictions in their beliefs, understand the ecological roles of animals, and consider moral obligations beyond the human sphere.

Moving beyond anthropocentrism is essential to developing high NQ traits like ecological empathy, relational awareness, and moral imagination. By encouraging students to see animals not merely as resources but as co-inhabitants of Earth, education can cultivate values of care, coexistence, and peace with nature—foundations for a truly sustainable society [7,8].

References

[1] Nguyen MH. (2025). Kingfisherish Wandering. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FVLLLXNW/

[2] Bowers, CA. (1993. Education, Cultural Myths, and the Ecological Crisis: Toward Deep Changes. SUNY Press.

[3] Lock I, Wonneberger A, Steenbeek P. (2024). Divergent views and common values: Comparing sustainability understandings across news media, businesses, and consumers. Environmental Communication, 18(7), 891-911. https://doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2024.2327063

[4] Rouhiainen H, Aarnio J. (2025). Beyond anthropocentrism: ethical pluralism and animal perspectives in Finnish primary school textbooks. Environmental Education Research. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2025.2579508

[5] Bonnett M. (2002).Education for sustainability as a frame of mind. Environmental Education Research, 8(1), 9-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504620120109619

[6] Kopnina H, et al. (2018). Anthropocentrism: More than just a misunderstood problem. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, 31(1), 109-127. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10806-018-9711-1

[7] Tran TT. (2025). Flying beyond didacticism: The creative environmental vision of ‘Wild Wise Weird’. Young Voices of Science. https://youngvoicesofscience.org/?p=1963

[8] Vuong QH, Nguyen MH, La VP. (2022). The mindsponge and BMF analytics for innovative thinking in social sciences and humanities. Walter de Gruyter GmbH.