Environmental Education in Moroccan Primary Schools: Promotion of Representations, Knowledge, and Environmental Activities

Abstract

This research aims to clarify some aspects of the reality of environmental education in Moroccan primary schools, as well as to suggest possible methods for its improvement. We undertook a descriptive correlational study involving four schools belonging to different socio-economic contexts. The variables studied were representations, knowledge and activities related to the environment. The results obtained allowed us to identify the principal representations of students on the environment. Then, we founded a proposal to broaden the range of these representations. Furthermore, an environmental knowledge test revealed a significant positive correlation between the test scores and the student's socio-economic background. The study revealed the impact of the living environment, as well as some specific information relating to the local environment, on the quality of environmental education (EE) and the mastery of curricular knowledge. Based on this, we have recommended the contextualization of some of the general environmental concepts included in the school curriculum, such as ‘pollution’. This contextualisation of environmental concepts will allow, among other things, improvements in learning, and will give students access to meaningful content relating to the resolution of certain local environmental problems.