Christina Wild, a 2023 graduate of the PhD Program in Leadership and Change Program, published her dissertation entitled Teaching Without Walls: A Portraiture Study of Nature-Based Educators in Duluth, Minnesota.
In an effort to better understand teacher turnover and attrition exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, Wild’s study examined how teachers got into teaching and why they remained at their jobs. This was done by exploring the lived experiences of nature-based educators in Duluth, Minnesota, with portraiture serving as the methodological framework.
Findings from this study offer key lessons from educators who stay in teaching, such as those who perceive better working conditions are less likely to leave the profession. While past research in nature-based education has shown positive influences, only students have been looked at rather than teachers.
For Wild, this dissertation topic is related to her career as an educator and her passion for the outdoors. She has a teaching career that spans 16 years across Minnesota, Vermont, and New Hampshire.
Read more about Wild and her dissertation, Teaching Without Walls: A Portraiture Study of Nature-Based Educators in Duluth, Minnesota, here.
