Dialogic inquiry into problem-based learning in environmental education: A Ghanaian preservice teacher’s perspective

Despite increasing global attention to learner-centered approaches in environmental education (EE), there is limited research on how preservice teachers in Ghana make sense of problem-based learning (PBL), particularly through the lens of their lived experiences and sociocultural contexts. This study addresses that gap by exploring how one Ghanaian preservice teacher constructs his understanding of PBL and environmental education using Bakhtin’s concepts of Ventriloquism and Voice. Through a dialogic analysis of a semi-structured interview, the study uncovers the multiple voices; personal, institutional, and environmental, that shape his evolving teacher identity and pedagogical vision. The findings reveal how narrative becomes a site for negotiating meaning, expressing professional intentions, and imagining education as a vehicle for environmental and social transformation. This research contributes to a growing body of work using dialogic and narrative frameworks to examine teacher development and highlights the need for more contextually grounded studies in EE and PBL within Ghana’s teacher education system.