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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
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. 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.
    2. 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.
    3. 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.
    4. 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.
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