Effective Environmental Education Research Articles

РЕСУРСНОЕ ОБЕСПЕЧЕНИЕ И КАДРОВЫЙ ПОТЕНЦИАЛ ЭКОЛОГИЧЕСКОГО ПРОСВЕЩЕНИЯ В СОВРЕМЕННОЙ РОССИИ: СОЦИОЛОГИЧЕСКИЙ АНАЛИЗ

This article attempts to evaluate the resource provision and personnel potential of environmental education implemented in the organizations of additional education in modern Russia. The authors present the results of a sociological study, carried out in the form of an expert survey of teachers and administrators in twenty educational institutions, implementing environmental education programs. The authors conclude that the main barriers that prevents effective environmental education is the lack of a systematic approach to the organization of educational processes and the uneven distribution of resources and material and technical support.

Using project-based learning in an environmental education course and revealing students’ experiences: A case study

Effective environmental education can contribute to the preservation of the natural world. It is difficult to give effective environmental education to students who are passive in the lessons. The traditional method of teaching boring too many students, which results in passive learning. Project-Based Learning (PjBL) presents students with a more pertinent and efficient learning environment that provides hands-on, practical, and interesting possibilities. This study is aimed to understand the student experiences in the course of environmental education using PjBL. Data about students’ PjBL experiences were collected from undergraduate prospective elementary education students through an end-of-semester survey consisting of open-ended questions. Students’ responses were examined using qualitative content analysis. Student responses revealed that PjBL creates an active learning environment and fosters students’ cognitive outcomes (knowledge) and behavioral outcomes (awareness). The findings offer insights into the course of environmental education which is using PjBL.

Problem and Project-based Learning as an Effective Environmental Education (EE) Methods: A Case of Textbook Development in Medan City Schools

Environmental education (EE) is a tool for educating people about the environment, and EE textbooks are an essential resource for this purpose. This book was created by a group of elementary, middle, and high school teachers in the Medan City area who had yet to gain experience in textbook writing. A combination of problem and project-based learning (PBL and PjBL) by triggering teachers to develop a textbook for EE was carefully conducted. The project took three years, during which the teachers worked on conceptualizing and setting goals, selecting themes, creating the content, and designing teaching materials. Initially, the teachers conducted a poll which acted as a PBL approach to identify the most pressing environmental issues faced by the people of Medan City. This poll showed that waste management was the most crucial issue, followed by problems related to rivers, wastewater, waste disposal, and floods. The teachers then wrote chapters as a part of the PjBL approach for the EE book based on the identified issues and aligned with the EE curriculum. Over three years, the teachers tested the book with their students, evaluated the results, and revised it accordingly. The final questionnaire results showed that the experience of creating an EE book was valuable to the teachers and inspired them to consider making more EE resources in the future.

Effective environmental education for sustainable development beyond the Plastic Age in South Korea

The skyrocketing single-plastic demand during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic proved the limitation of top-down environmental policies in accomplishing sustainable consumption and waste management. Nevertheless, ‘smart consumers’ can make smart choices for sustainable development. However, a review of the South Korean environmental education curriculum reveals that the current structure heavily leans towards the elementary level and does not enlighten the public on ‘what’ and ‘how’ to live sustainably. This study uses a quick survey to suggest that the effectiveness of environmental education may be enhanced if: (1) guidance on how to live with the natural environment in harmony for collective cooperation towards resilient and sustainable community building is incorporated with a clear purpose, (2) environment-friendly culture-building activities are enforced to institutionalise a new paradigm of sustainability to replace today’s consumerism, and (3) contents are updated regularly to include Earth and environmental science knowledge in the state of art.

Environmental education in public libraries

PurposeThis research aims to investigate effective public library environmental education interventions in order to inform the development of a framework for public libraries.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative research method was developed incorporating surveys and follow-up interviews with librarians working in USA public libraries, who were known to have been involved in environmental education initiatives.FindingsThe research determined which environmental education interventions were most likely to lead to action and behaviour change in public library users. The resulting discussion has allowed for the creation of a framework which establishes factors useful for successful implementation of environmental education programmes and activities. These elements include partnership, institutional commitment, inclusion and outreach and practical activities linked to a larger vision.Research limitations/implicationsThe research participants were limited to those libraries in the USA which were all affiliated with the American Library Association (ALA) Resilient Communities programmes and had received grants.Practical implicationsThe paper concludes with a framework for implementing environmental education programmes in public libraries. Effective interventions are also shared which provide practical ideas and strategies.Social implicationsProviding structure and considerations for establishing an environmental programme enables libraries to build on experiences of other libraries. As climate change action becomes a more pressing issue, providing these interventions supports action.Originality/valueThe paper discusses the concepts of environmental education and the role which public libraries can play in this arena, concluding that sustainable development should be treated as a new tenet of librarianship and environmental education as a new research field of library and information science.

Development and Application of an Environmental Education Tool (Board Game) for Teaching Integrated Resource Management of the Water Cycle on Coral Reef Islands

To solve resource issues on coral reef islands, an understanding of the water cycle is essential. Water resource management is intricately linked to diverse occupational industries and coral reef ecosystems on these islands. To effectively promote sustainable natural resource management, we developed a board game as an environmental education and communication tool for school students and people of all ages. The concept of the game is that “clean water will always be available if it is used properly”. The board game was designed based on an island with an underground freshwater lens as its main water resource. Role-playing was used to enhance islander livelihoods such as with vegetable and livestock farming, fishing, and tourism. Players, while working collaboratively, have to use the island’s groundwater adequately and conserve it for future generations. The game was developed through a transdisciplinary process in collaboration with scientists, administrative officers, civic groups, and students. Additionally, the board game was tested in diverse communities. In this study, we elaborated on the board game after it was played by students at an elementary school on Tarama Island. We observed that participants learned that cooperation is important for the sustainable use of water resources. Moreover, the participants proposed two methods for cooperation: joint discussion and ‘assembly decisions’. The board game has the potential to be used as an effective environmental education tool to promote sustainable water resource management on coral reef islands.

Carving out a Niche in the Sustainability Confluence for Environmental Education Centers in Cyprus and Greece

Given the environmental issues that today’s societies confront, such as climate change, waste management, ecosystem deterioration, etc., environmental education is becoming increasingly important. Adoption of environmental education as an integral part of the educational system is required for the Environmental Education Center (EEC) to be able to provide knowledge, skills, and values so that society can become active and environmentally responsible through awareness-raising. According to the scholarly published research, EECs can positively affect local communities and create an environmentally friendly culture. In addition, given that EECs can even play a significant part in the development of lifelong learning activities at the education and sustainable development nexus, it is considered critical to establishing future potentials and dynamics. Thus, aiming to analyze EECs’ strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT analysis) within our complex and ever-evolving world, educators, students, and other fellow citizens in Cyprus and Greece participated in a survey in which they were asked to fill in a questionnaire, specifically developed for each group category. The findings of this study provide a deeper understanding of the implications arising as a result of effective environmental education absence, as well as the importance of a holistic approach through EECs. Moreover, it offers the research community a solid framework for future innovation in citizen engagement and training.

An Examination of Primary School Teachers' Opinions on Environmental Education and the Activities They Use to Teach Related Issues

This research aims to examine the activities used by primary school teachers to create environmental awareness in students based on awareness, knowledge, attitude, skill, and participation, which are the aims of environmental education, according to teachers' opinions. In the research, an instrumental case study, one of the qualitative research models, was conducted to determine the opinions of primary school teachers on environmental education. The convenience sampling method was preferred in determining the study group. The study group of the research consists of 24 different primary school teachers working in primary education institutions affiliated with the Ministry of National Education. What activities and opinions of primary school teachers were used in the formation of environmental awareness in children and their opinions were taken using the semi-structured interview form developed by the researchers. The responses given to the interview form were analyzed using content analysis. The findings obtained from the opinions of primary school teachers about the activities they use in environmental education are classified based on the aims of environmental education and presented under categories. The prominent results of the research regarding the activities applied in environmental education, it is seen that the classroom teachers mostly implement in-class activities. According to the results of the research, it is recommended to give environmental education as a separate course to provide more effective environmental education.

Profile of Students’ Environmental Literacy: A Hypotetic Model to Perform Effective Environmental Education

Environmental literacy is a measurement of the people’s knowledge about environment and its interaction with human life. One of the efforts to achieve environmental literacy is implementing environmental education. The research is focused on efforts to know 1) environmental literacy profile of students in green open space; 2) Hypothetical models for effective environmental learning based on student profile findings. This research is a type of descriptive research. The research subject is students of Junior High School (SMPN) 2 Suayan in the 2020/2021 school year. Total sample is 70 students. Test is used to measure students’ environmental literacy for the domain of knowledge. Non-tests is used to measure attitude and behavior domains. The number of questions/statements is 45 items with 15 questions/ statements for each domain. The average score for environmental literacy for these 3 domains is 77,1 % and is interpreted high. Based on literature and interview, high environmental literacy scores of students are at least influenced by two factors, namely 1) the implementation of environmental education in schools 2) students who are always exposed to green open spaces. Furthermore, based on this result, it is proposed a hypothetical model for the effective implementation of environmental.

Investigating critical community engaged pedagogies for transformative environmental justice education

Effective environmental justice education poses unique challenges to both educators and students. For students, this pursuit is cognitively challenging at best and emotionally paralyzing at worst. It requires deconstruction of culturally produced narratives that uphold privilege, conceal complicity, and promote individual-level response to systemic problems. In this paper, we explore critical approaches to pedagogy, place, and community engaged learning, as well as their specific resonance with the challenges inherent in environmental justice education. We then thematically analyze student responses to two critically oriented community-engaged learning projects. Student experiences proved transformative as students came to see the structural elements that maintain environmental racism more clearly, demonstrated systems thinking, expressed feelings of agency, and articulated their own positionalities in thoughtful and constructive ways. From these data, we offer critical community-engaged pedagogy as transformative practice for environmental justice education.

TRAINING OF FUTURE PROFESSIONALS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The aim of the research is to develop the educational recommendations for acquiring environmental knowledge of future specialists on the basis of the analysis of the educational state of ecology in the theory and practice of higher education. Materials and methods: During the research, a group of methods was used. It consisted of the theoretical (specific search) methods i.e. analysis, comparison and generalization of scientific literature on the problem of research to systematize and summarize the facts, information, materials on the problem under study and determine the essence of basic concepts; structural and functional methods i.e. analysis of the content of curricula, textbooks, manuals, dictionaries, directories, etc.). Results: Future experts were interviewed to evaluate their environmental and professional orientation and level of environmental knowledge. The questionnaire was aimed at clarifying the following problems: determining the level of environmental knowledge of future specialists for sustainable development; attitude of students to environmental problems; determination of the level of ecological consciousness, environmental activity of students. The questionnaire was created on the Google Forms online resource and was used both online and in the standard standard face-up form in the test form filling at the classrooms. The respondents were students receiving engineering, biological and pedagogical education. The age of the participants in the experimental study reached 18-22 years. The ratio of men and women at this stage of the experiment varied within the following limits: 34.66% of male and 65.34% of male (150 persons in total). Conclusions: The great responsibility for the environment and the future gene pool of the nation rests not only on state structures but also on educators, the public, the church and other factors. We suggest, the path to the ecological culture lies through effective environmental education, through the greening of citizens’ consciousness. Therefore, in time, the reorientation of the educational system content in the dimension of sustainable development, which envisages its greening in the first place i.e. the development of environmental thinking, the acquisition of environmental knowledge, the formation of environmental behaviors so that children and adolescents can nowadays and in the future be able to satisfy their needs in safety of nature, without harming it, took care of the environment, about their own health and safety, acted in the environment and made appropriate decisions not as consumers but as conscious citizens.

Informational Support of Journalist’s Environmental Education in the Context of Sustainable Development

Introduction. The article is devoted to informational support for environmental education of journalists through electronic educational resources. Any product, in particular, educational, needs informational support. Promotion of an educational product is no less important than its creation.Methods. A number of general scientific and linguistic methods were used in the research. In particular, the methods of analysis, synthesis, deduction and induction, the descriptive method are used to justify the theoretical base of the research and generalize our own observations. The terminological analysis is applied to the definitions of the "ecological education" concept that functions in the scientific discourse and media space. The statistical method was used to determine the level of awareness of students about the available educational resources in the Internet space.Results and discussion. The concept of "ecological education" was studied, and its refined definition was proposed. Attention was drawn to the fact that effective environmental education is not the transmission and assimilation of information, it is the formation of a system of knowledge and values of nature conservation, as well as the skills of joint implementation of effective environmental actions. It is noted that formal, non-formal and informal environmental education will increase the level of functional literacy of journalists, reduce the inflation of environmental knowledge, which will allow journalists to correctly understand environmental problems, interpret and apply appropriate approaches and methods to solving environmental issues arising in local, regional, national and global contexts, as well as apply their creative and aesthetic skills within the space of environmental journalism.It has been established that information support expands access to education for anyone and removes geographical, spatial and time frames for learning, saves time and money, helps to navigate formal education offers, choose programs and/or platforms for non-formal and informal education. Educational and scientific sites for the exchange of environmentally oriented information were considered. It was emphasized that lifelong learning of a journalist is important for his long-term success in the career and is a mandatory condition for the successful implementation of the fourth goal of sustainable development of Ukraine. The components of the informational support of the journalists’ eco-education were distinguished and the level of awareness of students about the available educational resources in the Internet space was determined. We see the prospects for further research in the following: to develop the concept of a platform where information about formal, non-formal and informal environmental education, etc., would be accumulated.

Aula prática sobre compostagem no ensino remoto emergencial: um relato de experiência

The pandemic caused by COVID-19 made social isolation necessary. Therefore classroom lessons were canceled and the emergency remote teaching was started. In this scenario practical laboratory classes were suspended, in many cases due to the difficulty of carrying them out at a distance. We are aware of the importance that practical classes have for effective learning, where students are able to visualize the phenomena in a concrete way and relate them to the reality in which they are inserted. The present work aimed to report the experience of teaching an online practical class on composting, for the 1st year class of an integrated technical course in Agriculture. The subject in question provides the students with a practical understanding of the importance of recycling organic wastes, as well as promoting effective environmental education in the high school context. For this an introductory class on the subject was given and then a class, showing the necessary steps to make a compost bin. The composting experiment was carried out by students participating at the Pedagogical Residency Program, CAPES. The participation of students and interest in the topic were observed, however many students were not present, due to technological problems or the need to work. This made it impossible to analyze the practice with the whole class, and highlighted some problems generated by the pandemic in education. It was concluded that the practical class on composting contributed significantly to teacher training.

A MULTI-PERSPECTIVE REFLECTION OF HIGH SCHOOL SCIENCE STUDENTS ON ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES: A CASE STUDY OF TWO URBAN AND TWO RURAL SCHOOLS IN GHANA

The environment humans live in is unstable and variable, making management extremely difficult. This has developed into one of the world\'s most pressing challenges. The environmental crisis is deteriorating. This crisis spans activities such as stone quarrying, water, air, and noise pollution, sand mining, and sanitation issues. This is primarily due to a lack of awareness, unfavourable attitudes and actions about land degradation and a lack of practical implementation of environmental expertise. Considering these, it is necessary to conduct a study to ascertain environmental literacy and elicit the diverse perceptions of senior high school students on environmental issues and literacy. The study employed a mixed-method research strategy. The primary data collection tools were questionnaires, interviews, and document analysis. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics and a framework for thematic content analysis. The finding demonstrates that Ghana\'s environmental challenges require significant attention. As a result, the study advocates for a more effective environmental education for all high school students to foster collaboration between humans and their environment, increasing their environmental literacy and advancing sustainability.\n\nKeywords: Environmental issues, high school students, Integrated Sciences, perception

Determinants of effective environmental education policy in South African schools

In recent years, environmental issues have dominated the global conversation. This has necessitated the inclusion of environmental content in educational curricula. The effectiveness and potency of educational initiatives are heavily reliant on their design. As a result, the purpose of this empirical study is to identify the elements that determine the efficacy of environmental education policy. The study's philosophical perspective was founded on policy cycle theory. A mixed-methods approach was used in the study. The study used a pragmatist paradigm and triangulation strategy to explore the opinion of 175 teachers and personal experience of 10 principals from Buffalo City Metro Education District. Descriptive statistics was used to harness quantitative data. Implementation of Environmental Education Questionnaire (IEEPQ), and semi-structured interview were used to collect data from 185 respondents. The findings revealed, amongst other things, that there is no practical and structured policy design for Environmental Education (EE) in schools, that few schools have school-level environmental education policies supported by the School Governing Body (SGB), and that teachers and principals do not understand the policy objective of environmental education as stated in the Curriculum Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS) document due to its obscurity. The study concludes that the phenomenal aspects that determine good environmental education policies are seldom present in school curricula. It was suggested that the broad goal of environmental education in the CAPS document be re-aligned to specifics rather than generality, and the Department of Basic Education should establish an environmental education directorate with a defined responsibility to develop environmental education policy documents, assess, and monitor their implementation.

Community Perception of the Value of the Ecosystems of the Bons Sinais Estuary, Mozambique, Southern Africa

Understanding the community’s perceptions of, and beliefs about, the value of ecosystems and natural resources is important for designing effective environmental education and awareness campaigns and for the adoption of sustainable natural resources management. The present paper examines the perceptions of the natural resource users in the Bons Sinais Estuary and gauges their willingness to contribute to mangrove ecosystem restoration and management. 169 natural resource users, including fishermen, farmers, and forest produce users, from five villages along the Estuary (Marrubune, Gazelas, Icidua, Chuabo Dembe and Inhangome), were interviewed. The interviewees assigned high value to the estuary as a source of fish, as agricultural land and as productive forest. They considered the estuary important for provision of clean water and air and for its potential for tourism development. There were strong similarities, across the region, with regard to the value of the estuary ecosystem (0.6 Keywords: Ecosystem services, natural resource management, livelihood activities, mangrove restoration, co-management.

The need for an effective environmental engineering education to meet the growing environmental pollution in Bangladesh

Globally, environmental engineering is the professional retort to the overwhelming environmental problems. From its historical development to formal recognition in universities, environmental engineering education has focused on mainly pollution prevention, environmental sustainability, and ensuring the goals of sustainable development. The objective of this education is embedded in human welfare and security. Bangladesh is currently suffering from incessant environmental pollution issues for decades. Although a significant number of legislation and environmental management plans have been enacted, a major gap remains in pursuing the engineering. Inadequate Environmental engineering education hinders in endorsing and devising these laws to be in effect. In contrast with the pressing environmental pollution of Bangladesh, this study particularly addresses the current scenario of environmental engineering education. The aim of this review paper is to convey the need for major amendments in the existing engineering curriculum. To develop a better environmental engineering curriculum and practice, a set of future directives have been discussed in length that would hone in on positive transformations. Ultimately, the appropriate educational changes discussed here should help turn the government's goal of sustainable environmental development into a reality. By preparing future environmental engineering graduates and professionals with befitting environmental engineering and management proficiency, the risk of the growing environmental pollution can be mitigated profoundly. • Discussion about the historical development of environmental engineering discipline. • Role of environmental engineering in mitigating environmental issues. • Major environmental issues of Bangladesh have been presented. • Future strategies for development in environmental engineering education have been discussed.

Overview of sea conservation policies in Brazil and social and environmental impacts in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

The ocean and its areas of influence are fundamental environments for life on the planet, harbor ample biodiversity and are the basis of support for many vulnerable families and communities, which justifies the implementation and effectiveness of laws and policies for the conservation of marine resources throughout the world. With the pandemic caused by the new coronavirus, many impacts have intensified in these environments, which emphasizes the importance of research that considers these effects and the political scenario in which the pandemic erupted. The objective of this discussion was to evaluate the social and environmental impacts associated with the resources of the sea, verifying the effectiveness of public policies and highlighting the importance of social inclusion, environmental education and shared responsibility. The study area was the Brazilian coast and the research methodology was based on the analysis of secondary data, analysis of official reports and documents, as well as a qualitative bibliographic review of scientific articles, presenting comparisons and interdisciplinary discussions between Brazil and other countries. in order to build a narrative review on the subject, presenting hypotheses for improvements in the post-pandemic scenario. The study reveals that there is a large gap between theory and practice with regard to sea conservation policies, which is enhanced by the political crisis in Brazil and its social, economic and environmental effects, generating impacts and externalities that affect national interests and international. It is concluded that, in the post-pandemic scenario, there will be a great need for joint actions to mitigate the intensified impacts of the pandemic, and it is up to the government to support the most affected and seek to ensure the practical effectiveness of the sea. conservation policies and effective environmental education actions.

A systematic evaluation of game elements effects on students\u2019 motivation

Motivation theory is indispensable when discussing processes of learning. Learners who are motivated can learn almost everything. Students’ motivation is probably one of the most important factors for teacher effectiveness both for engagement in the learning process and high academic performance. To have effective environmental education, it is not only necessary to inform the public about the ocean but also to involve and engage them is essential. Motivation and engagement are some of the most commonly mentioned concepts in gamification, thus, a gamified application seems to have the necessary features to improve the motivation of students in the learning context of Ocean Literacy topics. The main aims of this work were: i) to understand through a systematic evaluation, how game elements affect the different motivation layers; and ii) to compare them in terms of enhancing the motivation to recycle among secondary school students (11-14 years). To measure students’ motivation, a pre-test and a post-test using a recycling situational motivation survey were administered in a classroom environment in Portugal and the UK. Findings show a trend regarding the effect of game elements mainly on the most autonomous forms of motivation. The different game elements, each one with different degrees of effects, were shown to have potential to increase motivation.

Designing environmental storylines to achieve the complementary aims of environmental and science education through science and engineering practices

Environmental education is implemented in formal curricula in multiple ways, including K-12 science. In the United States, the adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) has provided a lens for considering how the goals of environmental education and formal science education may overlap and complement one another. Potential synergies emerge from similarities between NGSS science and engineering practices and the skills of questioning, analysis, and interpretation in the NAAEE Guidelines for Excellence. In this study, middle school students were engaged in an environmental storyline unit that supported their abilities to ask questions, design and conduct investigations, and develop model-based explanations, practices consistent across both fields. Participating students demonstrated positive gains in nature relatedness environmental attitudes. This study provides evidence that curricular design around the practices of science and environmental education connects the goals of each and may be a promising approach to broadening access to effective environmental education experiences. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.2021.1949569 .