Preparing Teachers as Environmental Change Agents: A Longitudinal Study of Experiential Learning in a Master’s Program

This study examines how graduates of a Master’s degree program in Environmental Education describe the long-term impact of experiential learning on their professional development, educational identity formation, and willingness to act as social–environmental change agents. A qualitative phenomenological design was employed, involving in-depth interviews with 24 alumni (17 women and 7 men), conducted on average 8 years after graduation. Data were analyzed using a two-stage coding process to identify emergent themes. Findings indicate five central themes: personal growth and professional self-efficacy, practical environmental engagement and connection to nature, integration of environmental values into educational practice, emotional bonding and collective belonging, and systemic challenges tempered by enduring optimism. The study is distinctive in tracing the impact of a longitudinal, 2-year program through retrospective accounts gathered years after graduation, focusing on professional identity and change agency, dimensions still underexplored in environmental education research.