Teachers’ belief and practice in environmental education: evidence from an Indonesian Islamic primary school

Abstract

ABSTRACT Environmental education (EE) has been extensively implemented in various education settings for decades. However, a study investigating the belief and practice of EE in Islamic school contexts is rare. Thus, this interview study examines how Islamic primary school teachers’ belief of EE impacts on their pedagogical content knowledge and practices in promoting environmental literacy. Anchored in education for sustainability framework [Warwick (2016). “An Integrated Leadership Model for Leading Education for Sustainability in Higher Education and the Vital Role of Students as Change Agents.” Management in Education 30 (3): 105–111. https://doi.org/10.1177/0892020616653463], an interview protocol was designed. Three female teachers of an Islamic primary school in East Java, Indonesia, were recruited and interviewed to examine their beliefs and practices in the enactment of EE. The findings of the study show three key themes: (1) holistic education and experiential learning; (2) environmental literacy development; and (3) character formation and values education. This study provides practical contributions on how EE can be enacted to foster primary school students’ environmental literacy for sustainable school and community.