Tarah Wright

I have been a faculty member at Dalhousie University since 2001 and am currently a Full Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, and the Director of the Education for Sustainability Research Group. My research program over the past two decades has been highly collaborative and multidisciplinary. It has incorporated an interdisciplinary range of fields related to environmental education, nature exposure, sustainability science, the role of the Arts in creating a sustainable future, all with a focus on the emerging field of education for sustainable development (ESD). My research is guided by critical theory, which focuses on critique and transformation in inquiry, allows values and ethics to guide the development and execution of research, and sees researchers in the role of advocates or activists. I situate all of my work within a constructivist paradigm, meaning that my research findings are seen as a snapshot of one of several truths within a particular timeframe. Methodologically, the majority of my work employs a grounded-theory approach where theoretical insights come from the inductive analysis of data rather than in hypotheses. My research also relies on a number of theoretical approaches. First, my research is guided by community based social marketing (CBSM) from within the field of environmental psychology. CBSM is an approach to change management that maintains that in order to understand how to increase environmentally-positive behaviours, we must first understand the demographic we are studying, including the perceived barriers and benefits specific to the population. Further, cultures and structures are shaped by complex, often contrasting belief systems. Understanding a population or community’s nature is essential to developing contextually appropriate change strategies. As such, my research requires a working knowledge of change management and organizational behavior theory. Although I have held major administrative positions at the university since 2001 (Director of Environmental Programs, and Associate Director in the College of Sustainability), my research program has remained active and continues to expand.