Analysis of biology candidate teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs on environmental education

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate candidate biology teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs of environmental education in terms of different variables. The study was of descriptive survey design. The sample comprised candidate teachers studying in Gazi University, Gazi Faculty of Education, Biology Teaching Department in the educational year of 2010-2011. Data were collected through “Environmental Education Self-Efficacy Belief Scale” devised by Enochs & Riggs (1990), adapted to environmental education by Sia (1992) and adapted to Turkish by Savran & Çakıroğlu. The primary results obtained in the study might be summarized as follows: the candidate biology teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs on environmental education is at over medium level while environmental education beliefs did not vary significantly in terms of gender while they varied significantly in terms of class level. Environmental self-efficacy belief levels were found to increase as the class level increased.