Ellen Almers

Assistant Professor of Didactics
Department of Natural and Social Sciences , School of Education and Communication
Associate Professor of Didactics (Natural Sciences)
Leave of absence
Presentation Publications

Research

Almers dissertation was written within the research program Action Competence for Sustainable Development - stories of active youths, sponsored by Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning, Formas, 2006-2008. In her PhD project she studied how young people experience their acquisition and development of different aspects of action competence for sustainable development (i.e. in distance moral issues).

In the study, action competence for sustainable development includes both actions within the individual life style and actions on a more structural level with the aim to change life conditions. It also includes intergenerational and global responsibility. Respondents were found through Internet and through active participation in different kind of activities for sustainable development organized by young people.

The theoretical perspective of the project was based on life-world phenomenology and the methodology was inspired by ethnography and narrative tradition.

After the dissertation Almers initiated three research projects: Sustainability actions, Forest gardens in education and Multi-functional urban outdoor preschool settings and the promotion of health and ecosystem services: An investigation of collaborative processes. The latter project funded by The research council Formas. 

Ellen Almers is project leader for the research communication project Collaboration for multi-functional outdoor settings for play, learning and strengthened ecosystem services, in Swedish SMULLE, Samverkan för Mångfunktionella Utomhusmiljöer för Lek, Lärande och stärkta Ekosystemtjänster. 

Biography

Ellen Almers has a background as science teacher (biology and chemistry) in lower and upper secondary school since 1986. Since 1995 she has been educating student teachers in science education and Education for sustainability at the School of Education and Communication. In 2010 she became the coordinator of the research platform Sustainable Development at HLK, School of Education and Communication and in 2017 the research leader for the group Sustainability Education Research (SER). She is an associate professor in education, with specialization in natural sciences and sustainability. 

Article

Almers, E., Askerlund, P., Samuelsson, T. (2023). The perfect schoolyard for future children: Primary school children’s participation in envisioning workshops Children, Youth and Environments, 33(1), 101-121. More information
Richardson, T., Waite, S., Askerlund, P., Almers, E., Hvit Lindstrand, S. (2023). How does nature support early language learning?: A systematic literature review. More information
Askerlund, P., Almers, E., Tuvendal, M., Waite, S. (2022). Growing nature connection through greening schoolyards: preschool teachers’ response to ecosystem services innovations Education 3-13. More information
Almers, E., Askerlund, P., Samuelsson, T., Waite, S. (2021). Children’s preferences for schoolyard features and understanding of ecosystem service innovations – a study in five Swedish preschools Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning, 21(3), 230-246. More information
Askerlund, P., Almers, E. (2019). Det är den digitala kompetensen som måste utvecklas Jönköping: Hall Media . More information
Golino, H., Hamer, R., Almers, E., Kjellström, S. (2019). The structure of the epistemological development in teaching learning questionnaire Cogent Education, 6(1). More information
Hammarsten, M., Askerlund, P., Almers, E., Avery, H., Samuelsson, T. (2019). Developing ecological literacy in a forest garden: children’s perspectives Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning, 19(3), 227-241. More information
Almers, E., Askerlund, P., Kjellström, S. (2018). Why forest gardening for children? Swedish forest gardeneducators' ideas, purposes, and experiences The Journal of Environmental Education, 49(3), 242-259. More information
Kjellström, S., Sjölander, P., Almers, E., McCall, M. (2017). Value systems among adolescents: Novel method for assessing level of ego-development Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 58(2), 150-157. More information
Askerlund, P., Almers, E. (2016). Forest gardens – new opportunities for urban children to understand and develop relationships with other organisms Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 20, 187-197. More information
Kjellström, S., Golino, H., Hamer, R., Van Rossum, E., Almers, E. (2016). Psychometric properties of the Epistemological Development in Teaching Learning Questionnaire (EDTLQ): An inventory to measure higher order epistemological development Frontline Learning Research, 4(5), 22-54. More information
Almers, E., Askerlund, P. (2015). Gratis läromedel i biologi grumlar begreppen Lärarnas tidning. More information
Stagell, U., Almers, E., Askerlund, P., Apelqvist, M. (2014). What Kind of Actions are Appropriate? Eco-School Teachers' and Instructors' Ranking of Sustainability-Promoting Actions as Content in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) International Electronic Journal of Environmental Education, 4(2), 97-113. More information
Almers, E. (2013). Pathways to Action Competence for Sustainability - Six Themes The Journal of Environmental Education, 44(2), 116-127. More information

Doctoral thesis

Almers, E. (2009). Handlingskompetens för hållbar utveckling: Tre berättelser om vägen dit (Doctoral thesis, Jönköping: Högskolan för lärande och kommunikation). More information

Book chapter

Almers, E. (2023). Review of existing literature about earlyl anguage development in nature. In: S. Waite & P. Askerlund (Ed.), Early language development in nature: Theoretical handbook (pp. 57 -59). Ljubljana: Center šolskih in obšolskih dejavnosti (CŠOD) More information
Almers, E., Wickenberg, P. (2008). Breaking and making norms - Young people’s stories of consumption actions for sustainable development. In: Johan Öhman (Ed.), Values and democracy in education for sustainable development: contributions from Swedish research (pp. 165 -186). Malmö: Liber More information

Conference paper

Gustafsson, M., Almers, E., Askerlund, P. (2019). Samverkan och urvalsprocess angående åtgärder med syfte att utveckla ekosystemtjänster på förskolegården. Forskningsbaserad undervisning – Teori och praktik i samverkan, 12 November 2019, Jönköping University, Högskolan för Lärande och Kommunikation i samarbete med Utbildningsförvaltningen i Jönköpings Kommun. More information
Golino, H., Hamer, R., Almers, E., Kjellström, S. (2018). Measuring epistemological development – a uni- or multidimensional structure?. European Society for Research on Adult Development (ESRAD), ​25th to 27th May 2018, University of Greenwich, London, UK. More information
Askerlund, P., Almers, E. (2018). Hur fungerar ekosystemtjänster som verktyg för hållbarhetsarbete på förskolor?. Nordisk forskningskonferens om miljö- och hållbarhetsutbildning, 25–26 oktober 2018, Örebro universitet. More information
Hammarsten, M., Almers, E., Askerlund, P., Avery, H., Samuelsson, T. (2018). The Forest Garden from Children's Perspectives. Childhood and Materiality. VIII conference on childhood studies, 7-9 may Jyväskylä Finland. More information
Hammarsten, M., Askerlund, P., Almers, E., Avery, H., Samuelsson, T. (2018). Barns perspektiv på att vistas i en skogsträdgård. Nordisk forskningskonferens om miljö- och hållbarhetsutbildning, 25–26 oktober 2018, Örebro universitet. More information
Hammarsten, M., Almers, E., Askerlund, P., Avery, H. (2016). School children's special places in a forest garden in Sweden. NERA 2016, 9-11 March, Helsinki Finland, NERA 44th Congress, Social Justice, Equality and Solidarity in Education. More information
Ramirez-Pasillas, M., Almers, E., Wagman, P., Stagell, U. (2016). Education for sustainability: Transformative processes, actions and systemic change in a Swedish university. EURAM 2016, "Manageable Cooperation", June 1-2-3 and 4, 2016, Paris, France. More information
Almers, E., Askerlund, P. (2015). Forest gardens - places for children to connect with nature in times of urbanization. 8th WEEC, Planet and People - how can the develop together, Gothenburg Jun 29 - Jul 2, 2015. More information
Ramírez-Pasillas, M., Almers, E., Kjellström, S., Wagman, P., Stagell, U. (2015). Towards Multiple Approaches on Education for Sustainability: A case study of a Swedish University. 8th World Environmental Education Congress – WEEC 2015, Gothenburg, 29th of June - 2nd of July, 2015. More information
Stagell, U., Almers, E., Askerlund, P. (2014). Action Competence - a private matter?. Presented at ECER 2014, The Past, the Present and the Future of Educational Research, University of Porto, Portugal, September 1-5, 2014.. More information
Stagell, U., Almers, E., Askerlund, P. (2014). ESD and citizenship in the private and public sphere: Eco-School teachers' and instructors' views on actions as teaching content in ESD. Paper presented at the NERA 42nd Congress, Education for Sustainable Development in Lillehammer, Norway, March 5-7, 2014.. More information
Askerlund, P., Almers, E., Hyltse-Eckert, Y., Avery, H., Kjellström, S. (2014). The Nordic forest garden: An educational opportunity for learning about ecological and emotional relationships between organisms. NERA 42nd congress: education for sustainable development, Lillehammer, March 5.-7. 2014. More information
Kjellström, S., Stålne, K., Hamer, R., van Rossum, E., Almers, E. (2014). A developmental questionnaire on knowing and learning. European Society for Research in Adult Development (ESRAD) IV Symposium, Helsinki, May 21-23, 2014. More information

Other publications

Hammarsten, M., Askerlund, P., Almers, E., Avery, H., Samuelsson, T. (2018). Developing ecological literacy in a forest garden: children’s perspectives. More information
Almers, E., Östklint, O. (2003). Naturvetenskap som allmänbildning - lärarutbildare prioriterar i stoffträngseln. More information

Report

Kjellström, S., Almers, E., Ramirez-Pasillas, M., Wagman, P., Stagell, U., Andersson, A. (2014). Högskoleutbildning för hållbar utveckling: En kartläggning vid Jönköpings högskola. Jönköping: Jönköping University, School of Health Sciences More information