Conception of public school teachers in São José do Egito, Pernambuco, about Environmental Education

Robson Victor Tavares,Edevaldo Silva,Anna Beatriz Amorim Cavalcante,Habyhabanne Maia Oliveira,Elzenir Pereira Oliveira Almeida

doi:10.14808/sci.plena.2016.121701

Robson Victor Tavares, Edevaldo Silva + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.14808/sci.plena.2016.121701

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Abstract

The inclusion of environmental issues in formal education is recent. In this reality, the present study aimed to analyze the conception that teachers from public schools in São José do Egito, Pernambuco - Brazil, have on relevant issues and actions for Environmental Education. We interviewed 22 teachers through a structured questionnaire consisting of 10 questions focusing on environmental matters. We found that 95.5% of the interviewees showed interest in studying environmental issues and considered themselves as responsible for any environmental damage occurring. They all stated that environmental damage worries them and 72.7% have already tried to change this situation. They (72.7%) believe that there can be economic and social development without causing environmental impacts. Half of them consider the citizens as the main responsible for the damage to the environment and at the same time as the most involved with its protection. In addition, 40.9% said that the school where they work treats environmental issues superficially and 59.1% said the textbook as insufficient material to address environmental issues. The low school performance and the lack of teacher training in Environmental Education compromise the critical education of students regarding environment preservation.

Highlights

Environmental Education (EE) is a process for reflection on human presence as part of the natural environment. It contributes to the intellectual development of individuals and critical position in face of political, socioeconomic, cultural and environmental discussions [1]
The environmental issue has gained ground in the educational institutions late for fear that the discussions about the losses inherent to human activity could undervalue the economic expansion in evidence since the Industrial Revolution [2,3]
The objective of this research was to analyze the conception of public school teachers in São José do Egito, Pernambuco, on relevant issues and actions for EE

Summary

Introduction

Environmental Education (EE) is a process for reflection on human presence as part of the natural environment. The environmental issue has gained ground in the educational institutions late for fear that the discussions about the losses inherent to human activity could undervalue the economic expansion in evidence since the Industrial Revolution [2,3] Initiatives such as the book "Silent Spring" published in 1962, in which the author, Rachel Carson, warned about the effects of pesticide use and the Club of Rome, founded in 1966, served as a starting point; the Conference on the Environment, held in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1972, brought out the implications of human intervention in the natural environment on a global scale [4,5]. The inclusion of the subject in the school was not dealt with, which only materialized at the beginning of the 21st century due to the intervention of the United Nations [7]

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