The goal of this study was to discover the nature of empowerment, if any, perceived by student participants, when a critical teaching methodology is used within an environmental studies unit of studies in religion. The research was conducted with Year 11 students at Rostrevor College. The research method selected for this thesis was an emancipatory action research methodology. This methodology is compatible with the ideological and political assumptions of critical social theory which formed the philosophical foundations of the thesis. The specific teaching method used in the environmental studies unit was the critical teaching model being developed by the University of South Australia (Underdale Campus), in conjunction with practising classroom teachers in several schools. Student perceptions of empowerment through the critical teaching model were coded into indicators of empowerment and empowerment outcomes which were derived from two sources. These sources were literature about empowerment in critical teaching and literature about empowerment in research in environmental education. The study was considered to be successful for three major reasons. First, four of the five student groups planned and implemented action for the environment. Second, students in the study perceived that they had experienced some empowerment during the learning process and as an outcome of the process. Third, the majority of students perceived some growth in the development of their learning skills and many students experienced some changes in their attitudes and belief systems. The learning process, however, did not appear to have substantial impact on the motivation of students to be involved in future action for the environment. This outcome may be attributed to the limited duration of the course (eight weeks/forty lessons) and because this unit was the first and only occasion the students had experienced the critical teaching process. A proposal for future research is described which would give greater insight into the nature and extent of empowerment of students through the critical teaching method.