Environmental Education Support Research Articles

Option or necessity: Role of environmental education as transformative change agent

There is a consensus around the importance of environmental education in mitigating the ill effects of environmental problems and preserving the natural environment and promoting green behaviours. The present paper studies the role of environmental education based on transformative learning theory. It intends to present and test a model proposal using sequential mediation analysis of several constructs as the Environmental Education Support (EES) and Volunteer Attitude (VA). A quantitative study was carried out by using data obtained through online questionnaires from several Indian and Brazilian Higher Education Institutions. A multivariate statistical method was employed to analyse the data by using partial least squares structural equation modelling. The results demonstrated that environmental education positively influences students’ environmental concern, willingness to be environmentally friendly, and volunteer attitude. As a novelty, it reports that environmental education beliefs, concern for the environment and willingness to be environmentally friendly sequentially mediate the relationship between environmental education support and volunteering attitude.

환경교육 정책 제안을 위한 교사들의 환경 인식 조사

Objectives The purpose of this study is to investigate teachers' perceptions of environmental education and to use the results as basic data for establishing environmental education policies in Jeollabuk-do.
 Methods To achieve this purpose, a questionnaire was prepared with 4 teachers belonging to the Environmental Education Research Community. The survey was conducted online. The contents of the survey are about environmental issues, overall perceptions of environmental education, and education policies.
 Results As a result of the survey, teachers are highly interested in environmental issues and environmental education, and at the same time, teachers used to teach environmental education integrated with school life rather than establishing a separate guidance plan. Teachers recognized that the support for environmental education was insufficient, and preferred methods of support such as program development and dissemination and expansion of teacher training as a support of The Office of Education.
 Conclusions Based on the results, we would like to suggest the environmental education policies that the Office of Education should support. First, it is necessary to develop a variety of programs that can be used for environmental education and build an easily accessible platform. Second, training contents, methods, places, and opportunities for environmental education that reflect the needs of teachers should be provided. Third, it is necessary to create an environment that leads to daily practice. This study is meaningful in that it confirmed the needs of teachers, who are actually implementing policies, not from the point of view of policymakers. Now is the time to prepare for the next step to put the proposal into action as a policy.

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.

Survey and analysis of consumers’ behaviour for electronic waste management in Bangladesh

This paper aims to establish consumer's perception of electric waste recycling and management on a national scale in Bangladesh. The attitude, willingness to pay (WTP) and consumers' behaviour were explored by conducting a questionnaire-based survey. The conclusions are based on 915 valid responses out of 2000 online survey invitations. Interestingly, 37.9% of the respondents indicated that they would accept to pay for electronic waste recycling. Analysis also shows that the preferred WTP would cover 5–10% of the recycling cost. Factors like environmental awareness, monthly income, and education level affect the consumers' WTP. Nevertheless, most of the participants believe that the Government should share the recycling cost. The study suggests that e-waste recycling can be stimulated by promoting environmental awareness, educating the public about the benefits of recycling e-waste, and making e-waste recycling more convenient. However, additional measures will likely be needed to tackle the e-waste problem. Thus, support for environmental education is imperative in order to promote environmental awareness and increase the WTP of consumers. The study outlines key characteristics of consumer-focused e-waste management archetypes and proposes an effective road map for Bangladesh.

ПРОБЛЕМА ВИХОВАННЯ ЕКОЛОГІЧНО ДОЦІЛЬНОЇ ПОВЕДІНКИ В ЧИННИХ ПРОГРАМАХ ДОШКІЛЬНОЇ ОСВІТИ

At the present stage of the development of society, the transformation of social consciousness, there is a transition from a «consumer» attitude to the environment towards an active eco-humanistic position, the nature of expedient activity. The ecocentric paradigm as a certain theoretical and methodological model allows to fill the educational process with a set of ideas, views, motivations that illuminate the ecological side of being, namely the practice of optimal relations in the dyad «nature – man». The problematic of this article is timely and relevant, which is confirmed by the activities of international organizations that promote the greening of education, and the documents of the regulatory legal support for environmental education in Ukraine. The article analyzes the results of research of modern conceptual and program documents of preschool education and current programs of education, upbringing and development of preschool children, such as: Basic component of preschool education in Ukraine, «Sunflower», «I am in the world», «Confident start» , «Child», «Child in preschool years», «Ukrainian preschool», «About yourself it is necessary to know, about itself it is necessary to take care» «Treasury of morality», «World of childhood», «Path», «Preschoolers – education for sustainable development» . According to the objectives defined in the programs, the identified problem is discussed mainly in the context of environmental education or greening of the educational process. Content analysis of the programs allows to conclude that in the current documents the problem of education of environmentally sound behavior in children is defined as key and relevant, but it requires further scientific substantiation, establishes preconditions for the study of the conditions and technologies of its practical implementation in the space of preschool education, and in the process of training specialists. Key words: environmentally sound behavior, preschool children, current programs.

Exploring the congruence between the Lesotho junior secondary geography curriculum and environmental education

In this article, we analyse the Lesotho junior secondary geography curriculum document with the purpose of exploring the congruence between geography and environmental education. The study is based on a curriculum reform process introduced by the Lesotho Environmental Education Support Project (LEESP) in 2001. we draw theoretical insights from Basil Bernstein's concepts of classification and framing to analyse environmental knowledge integration and structure of pedagogy as expressed in the geography curriculum document. For further analysis of relationship between geography and environmental education, we use a model of action competence. The analysis reveals that while the curriculum document is generally congruent with environmental education in terms of its content, it still retains traditional disciplinary knowledge of geography. The analysis also highlights some differences between the pedagogy intended for teaching geography and the learner-centred pedagogy envisaged in LEESP.

Geography teachers’ interpretation of a curriculum reform initiative: the case of the Lesotho Environmental Education Support Project (LEESP)

This article addresses how teachers in a specific developing world context interpreted a curriculum reform initiative. It is located within a broader interpretive study that investigated the integration of Environmental Education into the formal education system of Lesotho with particular reference to secondary school geography. More specifically the focus was on a Danish donor-funded project, known as the Lesotho Environmental Education Support Project (LEESP). Driven by a sustainable development imperative, the project was intended to assist Lesotho with the implementation of local action for Agenda 21 by introducing environmental education into the formal education system. It is widely accepted that teachers play an important role in implementing curriculum change. Using a previous framework, we generate insights for understanding how teachers’ epistemologies interact with contextual factors to impede the process of curriculum sense-making. Furthermore, guided by the notion of curriculum as a contextualised social process, we present the findings on the contextual/structural factors enabling or constraining implementation of the LEESP curriculum policy intentions as perceived by the teachers. Keywords: action-competency, curriculum reform, donor-funded projects, environmental education, learner-centred pedagogy, school geography

Influences on and Obstacles to K-12 Administrators’ Support for Environment-Based Education

The term environment-based education (EBE) describes a form of school-based environmental education that uses the environment as a context for integrating subjects and a source of real-world learning experiences. Because of the importance of administrator support in teachers’ use of EBE (Ernst, 2009), survey research was conducted to explore influences on and obstacles to administrators’ support for EBE implementation, as well as how those influences and obstacles differed from administrators’ supporting other forms of EE (environmental education). Results suggest positive environmental attitudes, environmental sensitivity, and receptiveness to EBE are important in efforts to encourage administrator support for EE, whether EBE or other forms of EE. Professional development, such as mentoring, observations, conferences, and self-study, as well as reducing the obstacle of safety/liability concerns appears to be of particular importance when encouraging administrator support for EBE.

Trends in Philanthropic Support: Foundation Giving in Environmental Education

Despite public support, environmental education (EE) is rarely a priority for funders, even those interested in the environment or education. We examined reasons behind the paucity of EE funding, focusing on U.S. foundations, which are one of the largest sources of support for environmental efforts. We analyzed historical giving data and interviewed a dozen funders. Over the 2003 to 2007 period, we found EE funding represented approximately 5% of overall environment funding in the United States. Reasons for the low level of EE support included definitional complexity, uncertainty about efficacy, and inclusion of EE funding within issue-specific grants, such as those focused on climate change.

東京都日野市における環境学習サポートグループ「ひの どんぐりクラブ」の活動

東京都日野市における環境学習サポートグループ「ひの どんぐりクラブ」の活動

Underlying Mechanisms Affecting Institutionalisation of Environmental Education Courses in Southern Africa

This paper discusses the underlying causal mechanisms that enabled or constrained institutionalisation of environmental education in 12 institutions in eight countries in southern Africa. The study was carried out in the context of the Southern Africa Development Community Regional Environmental Education Support Programme’s Course Development Network (CDN). This paper reports on part of the author's doctoral study and draws on critical realism as the ontological lens. Data analysis was done by means of a retroductive mode of inference, as articulated by Danermark, Ekstrom, Jakosben and Karlsson (2002). The paper demonstrates that there are a number of underlying causal mechanisms, which may enable or constrain institutionalisation of environmental education. They include factors at play at both national and institutional level; namely, responsiveness to national and institutional needs, recognition and ownership, accreditation and certification, institutional culture and politics, short course support structure and support from colleagues. As part of the discussions of the results of the study, I have advanced some retroductive theories that suggest causal mechanisms beyond the empirical data based on the participants’ experiences and events in the CDN.

Eco-Schools and the Quality of Education in South Africa: Realising the potential

Eco-Schools South Africa is increasingly being used by external partners as a framework for supporting environmental education in schools. This paper shares the findings of a recent evaluation of the programme in relation to the quality of education in South African schools. Do Eco-Schools activities help to improve the conditions of teaching and learning? Or do they take teachers and students away from their core focus? Evaluation of learner and teacher work in Eco-Schools found signs of the quality problems that currently plague the schools system, and there is evidence that the programme can add to the complexity to which many teachers struggle to respond. The evaluation also found, however, that the programme has significant potential to improve conditions for teaching and learning. The paper is an opportunity to reflect on how environmental education support for schools, in general, and Eco-Schools South Africa, in particular, can detract from and strengthen teaching and learning.

“Jägare talar naturens språk” (Hunters speak nature's language): A comparison of outdoor activities and attitudes toward wildlife among Swedish hunters and the general public

Human behavior has evolved closely with nature, but now the urbanization process tends to alienate humans from nature. Different usage patterns for outdoor activities among groups may have implications for how to communicate about nature, and for the future role of hunting as people's activities and consequently experiences differ. In a mail survey we compared outdoor related nature activities and general attitude toward animals contrasting the Swedish public with hunters. We received a 74% (public) and a 83% (hunters) response rate with four contacts. A larger proportion of the hunters had walked in the woods, picked berries or mushrooms, fished, gathered firewood, cross-country skied, camped in a tent or hiked in the mountains compared to the public. When the effects of age, current place of residency and gender are taken into account, a significant difference is observed with hunters participating more in consumptive activities. When the effects of current place of residency and age were controlled for, hunters still participated more in non-consumptive activities than the public. As fewer of the public will have experience of outdoor activities, they will speak nature's language based on feelings, whereas the hunters are the ones that speak nature's language based more on experience. A conclusion is that the Swedish society should increase its support for environmental education to introduce people to the outdoors, and most importantly, give hands-on experience of a variety of nature related activities — hunting being one such activity, but not the only one.

Ethiopian Wildlife and Natural History Society, the Important Bird Areas Programme and other projects

Nigussie. A.T. 2000. Ethiopian Wildlife and Natural History Society, the Important Bird Areas Programme and other projects. Ostrich 71 (1 & 2): 181–182. The BirdLife International Partner in Ethiopia is the Ethiopian Wildlife and Natural History Society (EWNHS), established in 1966. The aims of the society are mentioned and projects run by the EWNHS, within the framework of the ‘Conservation for Survival’ agenda, are described. These projects include the Important Bird Areas Project, the Environmental Education Support Publications, School's Environmental Education Project, Plant Locally and Nurture Trees project and The Indoor/Outdoors Activities project.

Environmental Education in Western Australian Secondary Schools

This paper reports on research carried out to investigate the extent of environmental education in Western Australian secondary schools. The research found: a high level of support for environmental education amongst teachers, that environmental education was being pursued to some extent in all responding schools, that there existed areas of neglect which were often politically controversial and divisive contemporary issues, and that city schools were generally more involved in environmental education than country schools and public schools more than private schools.Barriers to the further implementation of environmental education in schools are identified and recommandations made to improve the availability and standard of environmental education in Western Australian secondary schools.