Maria Hammarsten

Research

Maria is a PhD student at Gothenburg University, in the field of pedagogical work and science didactics. Her research concerns how children experience different outdoor environments that are associated with pedagogical activities. Hammarsten's licentiate thesis; Children’s Perspectives on Spending Time in a Forest Garden As Reflected in Walk-and-Talk Conversations, examined a range of topics relevant for outdoor education for children in early and middle childhood: the development of children’s ecological literacy, the phenomenon of plant blindness and the affordances of forest gardens as sites for outdoor education. The licentiate thesis also addressed the compensatory mission of Swedish education for children from urban contexts, and who in their daily life have limited opportunities to experience natural phenomena. Her current research touches on affordances offered by placemaking in outdoor spaces of a school and of a building playground. Maria's research interests are outdoor education, the design and use of outdoor spaces, and learning for sustainability.

Biography

Maria Hammarsten is a PhD student in pedagogical work in science didactics at the Department of Pedagogical, Curricular and Professional Studies [IDPP], University of Gothenburg. Maria has a Licentiate degree in pedagogy with focus on didactics (Jönköping University); a master´s degree in pedagogy with a focus on outdoor didactics (Linköping University); an undergraduate degree in children's and youth studies (Jönköping University); and a teaching license in subjects areas related to primary school and school-age educare. She has been an adjunct lecturer in education at Jönköping University (JU) since 2005, where she is a member of Sustainable Societies (SUS) research group. She has also taught at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, Norway, and supervised international master’s students at Linköping University, Sweden. Maria is the author of textbooks for outdoor educators that are used in teacher education programmes, and has collaborated with the Swedish Nature School in developing learning materials for outdoor education. She has also developed syllabi in mathematics and outdoor education for the Swedish National Agency for Education 

Maria is a member of the "Nordic Research Network for Environmental and Sustainability Education", as well as the Swedish research networks "Children and Youth" and "Pedagogy for Educare Centres". She has been chairperson of the Swedish national network for the promotion of outdoor-based learning, Utenavet, since 2020. Maria Hammarsten is engaged in international collaboration with Brooklyn College, City University of New York, Åbo Academy in Wasa, Finland, University of Akureyri, Iceland, and the University of Northampton, UK. In 2023, Maria visited Japan to conduct workshops and give lectures about outdoor education at Surugadai University, Hanno, at Gifu Academy of Forest Science and Culture, Mino, and at the University of Osaka. 

ORCID ID

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5432-6418