Purpose Of Environmental Education Research Articles

Ecocentric and anthropocentric worldviews: are they incompatible?

The dialectic between ecocentrism and anthropocentrism has become the central discussion around the growing ecological crisis we live and the purpose of environmental education. This study seeks to clarify the compatibility between these two worldviews and reflect on the extent to which they are in opposing camps on the concern about the ecological crisis. The New Ecological Paradigm Scale was applied to two independent samples of Portuguese students (9th grade and higher education students’) with which subscales for ecocentrism and anthropocentrism worldviews were selected through factor analysis. Our results show that more than 40% of those that agree with ecocentrism does not rejects anthropocentrism, being mostly neutral to that worldview and some even agreeing with it. In face of this, we purpose further studies on the different anthropocentric facets to selected those that may be included in environmental education effort to help, together with ecocentrism, to fight back ecological crisis.

Sensitivity of Vanessa cardui to Temperature Variations: A Cost-Effective Experiment for Environmental Education.

Temperature increases mediated through climate change threaten the survival of species. It is of foremost importance to engage citizens and future generations in understanding the mechanisms through which temperatures impose their effects. For educators, this is not straightforward, as tools for examining the impact of temperature over the lifetime of an animal are prohibitively expensive. At the same time, environmental educators need guidance on the appropriate study systems to use with a balance between the species having an obvious response and ensuring the outcomes are ethical and sustainable. In our study, we created and tested a cost-effective experiment meant to be used for environmental education purposes. More specifically, we tested the sensitivity of the painted lady butterfly Vanessa cardui to temperature variations using a homemade incubator. We describe the design of this experiment and report findings on survival rate, morphological variations, development time of various stages and wingspan of adults across a range of biologically relevant temperatures. The information provided gives educators options for testing a variety of hypotheses with regards to the impacts of temperature using an affordable and flexible set-up. Furthermore, the findings can be used by students to develop an understanding of the ramifications of the butterflies' responses in an ecological context.

A Research Study on the Process of Creation of Awareness and Sensitivity to the Total Environment

Environmental Education is therefore the process of creation of awareness and sensitivity to the total environment, acquisition of knowledge, creation of appropriate attitudes and acquisition of skills for solving the environmental problems. The International conference recommended that "A basic aim of Environmental Education is to succeed in making individual and Communities understand the Complex nature of environment and to acquire the Knowledge values and attitudes which will help in the management of quality of environment.

Organizational and legal principles of environmental education in higher education institutions

This article is devoted to the definition of organizational and legal bases for environmental education in universities. The introduction actualizes the problems and prospects of professional environmental education, defines its object, the relationship of the subject of professional activity with the environment and the subject, organizational and legal foundations of establishing the relationship of the subject of professional activity with the environment. In the course of description of materials and methods of research the conclusions are made that ecological education is realized actively at all educational stages. As a consequence, the entrants have formed an ecological culture and the corresponding ecological experience of the subject. Each educational level is completed and is a springboard for the formation of ecological consciousness and ecological thinking. The main results of the research in the article are presented by the description of the model of environmental education in higher education institution, which includes target, methodological and methodological blocks. The purpose of environmental education is the definition of organizational and legal conditions for establishing the relationship of the future subject of professional activity with the environment. The methodological basis of environmental education is represented by a set of principles of axiological, activity and system approaches. The methodological block reveals and substantiates the most appropriate forms and methods of environmental education in higher education. Forms - conferences and forums, among the many methods mentioned in the article the project method takes a priority place. The discussions formulate organizational and legal conditions for establishing the relationship of the future subject of professional activity with the environment.

Entorno virtual de aprendizaje como recurso para capacitación sobre temas de educación ambiental

The present study aims to design a virtual learning environment as a training resource on environmental education issues, considering that the purpose of environmental education is that individuals and communities understand the complexity of the environment, both natural and artificial. Therefore, the article presented is aimed at the community in general, so that through a virtual learning environment it is possible to access the information inherent to the subject and give a message of sensitization to visitors, a sense of environmental awareness, as well as having updated material available. Within the methodological mechanisms, the Weebly platform, YouTube, image design and other applications were used to strengthen the development of the web page. In the methodological field, the research was framed within the quantitative paradigm and a Google form was used for the diagnosis, which allowed determining through the survey technique aspects concerning the results of the summative evaluation of the participants of the study, in addition, interviews were applied to expert professionals, to obtain experiences regarding environmental education and their valuable contribution to enrich the knowledge of the students. The data were tabulated and presented for the generation of conclusions. At the end of the virtual teaching and learning environment, 96,8% of the students surveyed were satisfied with the results. It was concluded that the visitors obtained information and consolidated current knowledge of great importance, facilitating their downloading, visualization and comparison of the topics.

SCHOOL BASED ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PROGRAMMES IN THE SCENARIO OF ASSAM, INDIA: KEY TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The present world is facing serious environmental issues, such as climate change, ozone layer depletion, global warming etc. which create threats to the entire ecosystem. In this connection, Environmental Education has been emerged as measuring tool to such environmental issues which has in turn established Environmental Education as the need of the hour. The sole purpose of Environmental Education is to attain Sustainable development. Considering this, the Government of India started promoting Environmental Education with various initiatives in the formal system of education. In this direction, the Government of Assam has also initiated School Based Environmental Education Programme. The present paper is an attempt to highlight the background of initiating the elevation of Environmental Education in India to attain sustainable development for the 21st century. In this paper, the authors have tried to explore various school based Environmental Education programmes undertaken by Government schools with special reference to the State of Assam, India. In exploring these programmes, the syllabi and academic calendar prepared by SCERT, Assam, Board of Secondary Education, Assam and Assam Higher Secondary Education Council have been taken as basis. Also, this paper will provide insight into the endeavour towards the school based environmental education programmes under Eco-Clubs in Assam, India. In the conclusion, suggestions are put forwarded for furthering sustainability through environmental education. KEYWORDS: Environmental Education, Sustainable Development, Formal Environmental Education Programmes, Non-formal Environmental Education Programme, National Green Corps, School Eco Clubs.

Results of the geological description of the tourist route in the Salair national park (Russia)

The article presents the results of a geological survey of a part of the Chumysh River valley, and an analysis of published state geological maps. The study area «Chumysh» crosses the main watershed of the Salair Ridge. A basis has been created for the adaptation of geological data for tourism and environmental education purposes at borders of the Salair National Park.

A better place for whom? Practitioners’ perspectives on the purpose of environmental education in Finland and Madagascar

Calls for a common environmental education (EE) vision imply imposing certain values as universal. Nevertheless, there is a lack of knowledge on the extent to which EE reflects universalities versus diverse sociocultural realities. We explored practitioners’ perspectives on the purpose of EE by interviewing practitioners in Finland and Madagascar using a theory of change approach. We classified EE goals into eight categories following the framework of Clark et al. (2020). We found signs of universal patterns, with commonalities such as the importance of the cognitive domain and de-emphasis of sociocultural aspects. Yet, differences arise: the connection to nature was central in Finland, whereas economic and bridging strategies were more common in Madagascar. Our results reflect the tradition of EE in post-industrial countries and suggest the influence of the colonial legacy and Western epistemologies in Madagascar. Questions remain about the extent to which those differences are culturally grounded.

Designing Immersive Virtual Reality Simulation for Environmental Science Education

Recently, severe environmental changes, such as global warming, climate change and environmental pollution, have become expected, and thus environmental education is becoming essential. The purpose of environmental education is to instill awareness in students to recognize and solve environmental problems. Virtual reality provides students with a spatial and temporal experience similar to reality, and it can increase their understanding of knowledge through immersion and interaction compared to traditional learning. In previous studies, virtual reality for education has mainly focused on experience, but it is difficult to find examples for environmental education. Hence, this research proposed an immersive virtual reality simulation for environmental education based on the virtual ecosystem model. It also presented two applications developed based on this simulation. This research aims at encouraging students’ active participation and motivation to solve the environmental problems while experiencing the results of interaction related to environmental factors in a virtual environment.

Construction of a matrix for analyzing children’s literature for scientific and environmental education purposes

Resumo A Literatura Infantil (LI) tem papel importante na formação do sujeito e pode contextualizar aspectos da Educação Ambiental (EA), contribuir para o Letramento Científico (LC) e Alfabetização Científica (AC), pois estimula a criticidade e a reflexão. Na perspectiva de ampliação cultural da criança, acreditamos na possibilidade de buscarmos literaturas que possam auxiliar na iniciação ao processo de LC/AC e EA; no entanto, como saber se aquela ou outra literatura pode ajudar nesse processo? Com essa finalidade, construímos uma Matriz para análise de literatura com esse viés. Entendemos que, ao fazer a análise do texto, o professor consiga reconhecer que, à medida que tenha interesse em estimular a compreensão sobre a Ciência e o reconhecimento dela no meio social, pode se valer do recurso da LI, sem ainda a necessidade do uso didático dela, como uma possibilidade de ampliação do acesso dos alunos à cultura, incluindo a científica.

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.

THE ROLE OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION IN SOCIETY’S DEVELOPMENT

Long time ago the world realized that the intellectual potential of a country determines its place and role on the international level. Accordingly, its value in the economic exchange of developed countries is close to the value of the amount of goods, and the main factor of which is education. Education should become a priority area of activity in Ukraine, and environmental education – a prestigious, effective basis for active and vital research in various fields: social, technical, and medical. There are all prerequisites for this – a deep social crisis of society, the problems of the Chornobyl zone, the need to implement knowledge to protect the population.
 The main purpose of environmental education is environmental awareness formation as a specific form of interaction with the environment regulation. On this basis, ecological thinking, ecological culture, and worldview are formed.
 Eco-education is one of the main factors in the formation of a harmonious society. It is a way to improve and organize manufacturing efficiently. Environmental education is about the consumption of biosphere resources in accordance with its capabilities. It is a system of knowledge about the global conditions of living things existence. Environmental education is a set of educational activities to form environmental awareness, and on its basis – motivation for action. The peculiarity of this study is the need to organize different social groups to understand the causes of global environmental changes and ways to overcome them. Simultaneously, education is a form of socialization of the individual, in which the transfer of skills, abilities, ideals, and norms is implemented. It is impossible to form a new generation with the appropriate convictions, consciousness, and guidelines for the preservation of natural resources, and cultural heritage, without wide and intensive dissemination of knowledge.
 Of particular relevance is environmental education in the health study. It determines the choice of future work for young people, the possibility of their comprehensive development, influences the overall preparedness, social realization, spiritual and physical growth, future achievements in the sphere of professional activity. The system of education, which is reflected in the concept of sustainable development of society, ensures the willingness of a person to lead a healthy lifestyle and to accept health as the highest value.
 Environmental education includes common scientific, practical moral and aesthetic aspects. Its specificity is that humans assess conscientiously and constantly possible consequences of interfering with nature, which have a detrimental effect on health. The guiding principle of environmental education is as follows: think globally and act locally.
 Practical implementation of tasks in modern educational institutions is based on comprehensive disclosure of nature protection, the relationship between theoretical knowledge and practical activities in this area, the inclusion of environmental aspects in the structure of a subject, special generalizing topics, and integrated courses that reveal the interaction of society and nature, combining classroom activities with direct communication with nature. Therefore, ecological culture and consciousness are formed only through long-term and gradual learning about the environment.
 Environmental education equips a person with the necessary knowledge about the peculiarities of the impact of anthropogenic pressures and adverse effects.
 The trinity of environmental education, upbringing, and culture implies their consistent and interconnected development.

Framing effect of environmental cost information on environmental awareness among high school students

Environmental education (EE) deals with environmental issues that involve diverse values and perspectives. Environmental issues need to be explored within an integrated framework while considering the aim of EE, which is to achieve a sustainable society and life. However, EE has overlooked the economic aspects of environmental issues and the subjectivity of learners. This study compared two frames (economic, using monetary units, and environmental, using biophysical units) and measured their effects on variables related to perceived environmental awareness, i.e. awareness of the issue and decision making. The results showed that the economic frame was more effective at increasing awareness of the issue, whereas the environmental frame was more effective at improving decision making. These findings suggest that the economic frame is needed for delivering information about environmental issues and enhancing the desired outcomes of EE.

ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION FOR GIFTED STUDENTS

Bu araştırmanın amacı, özel yetenekli öğrencilerin nasıl bir çevre eğitimi almak istediklerinden yola çıkarak özel yeteneklilerin çevre eğitimi için bir çerçeve belirlemektir. Bu amaçla gerçekleştirilen araştırma durum desenine dayalı olarak yürütülmüştür. Araştırmaya 2019-2020 eğitim öğretim yılı birinci döneminde İç Anadolu Bölgesi’nde bir Bilim ve Sanat Merkezi’ne (BİLSEM) devam eden sekiz özel yetenekli öğrenci katılmıştır. Araştırmada veri toplama aracı olarak yarı yapılandırılmış görüşme formu kullanılmıştır. Görüşmelerle toplanan veriler içerik analizi tekniği ile çözümlenmiştir. Araştırma sonucunda elde edilen bulgular; özel yetenekli öğrencilere göre çevre eğitiminin amaçlarının bireylerde çevre farkındalığı oluşturmak ve bireylere çevre dostu davranış kazandırmak olduğunu, bu süreçte öğretmenlerin öğrencilere rol model ve sürecin lideri olması gerektiğini düşündüklerini ve öğrencilerin de sürece aktif katılımını önemsediklerini göstermektedir. Ayrıca katılımcıların teorik bir çevre eğitimi değil okul dışı ortamlarda uygulamaya dayalı yaparak yaşayarak, keşfederek öğrenecekleri bir çevre eğitimi arzuladıkları tespit edilmiştir. Elde edilen sonuçlara dayanarak; öğrencilerin doğa ile temaslarını sağlayacak ve yaparak yaşayarak öğrenmelerine imkân tanıyacak okul dışı öğrenme ortamlarının kullanımının yaygınlaştırılması, gerek okul ortamında gerekse okul dışı ortamlarda gerçekleştirilecek öğretimde uygulama ve araştırma eksenli öğretim yöntemlerinin tercih edilmesi gibi önerilerde bulunulmuştur.

Enseigner l'histoire de l'environnement en classe d'histoire au Congo (RDC) : obstacles, opportunités et projet

This article deals with the introduction of environmental history to secondary school history classes in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It presents a series of obstacles that make this project a real challenge, as well as the opportunities and resources that are available to make it possible. The article introduces pedagogical tools and materials developed within the framework of the inter-university cooperation project entitled «Environmental History Education in Kivu. Didactics and awareness raising » which aims to link the scholarly knowledge resulting from historiographical research, the aims of environmental education or historical education, and finally the operations inherent to the teaching and construction of knowledge in the school environment.

Environmental education of students as a factor in social capital development (through the example of the practice of household waste separate collection)

Introduction. Social capital is a set of resources for human social interaction – social ties, rules of social exchange and trust. As the most important part of human capital, social capital becomes an indicator of society cohesion mainly in the matters of implementation of socio-system values – the survival and integrity of society, care for current and future generations. In this regard, the implementation of environmental values is an important direction in the development of social capital and a key task of students’ environmental education. Students’ environmental education is possible by solving an urgent social problem – the separate collection of household waste. This problem is becoming more and more relevant and discussed both at the regulatory and public levels. There is no formed public opinion – the understanding of possibilities and threats of this problem, the readiness of the population to participate in its solution. The purpose of the article was to analyze the views of students regarding the prospects and possibilities of solving the problem of separate waste collection in society, their readiness to independently participate in this practice, as well as to assess the possibilities of using this practice for the purpose of environmental education and increasing social solidarity. Materials and methods: 1) a qualitative substantive analysis of 200 students’ essays on the topic “Environmental Problems of My Region”; 2) a survey of 400 students of the Vyatka State University. Results. Students’ high willingness to practice separate waste collection against the background of other environmental practices (up to 70%, mostly girls (χ2=24.1, p=0.001), senior students (χ2=70, p=0.0). High cognitive interest in this problem is shown – 53% of students would like to study it further. Students consider the purchase of goods in biodegradable packaging as a first step towards reducing the amount of garbage (97% of students are ready to do this to varying degrees). First of all, students are ready to collect non-perishable waste – paper, plastic, glass, to a lesser extent – organic waste, metal, clothes, and shoes. More than half of the students understand that the practice of separate waste collection is a promising direction in the development of a civilized society, contributing to the improvement of yard aesthetics, improving the quality of the environment, preserving valuable resources, forests and, in general, manifestations of care for future generations. The main directions of work on environmental education and social solidarity are outlined on the basis of the data obtained.

A portrait of environmental integration in United States K-12 art education

In recent years, scholars have increasingly recognized the value of the arts for furthering the aims of environmental education (EE). Likewise, art education scholars have noted the affinity between visual art and EE. Despite a long-standing environmentally oriented thread in art education literature, the extent to which United States K-12 art educators have embraced these pedagogies is unclear. We conducted survey research to examine how K-12 art educators in the US engage in environmental integration, including the extent, forms, importance of and preparedness for integration. While art educators’ overall levels of environmental integration were fair, their valuing of environmental art pedagogies was moderate, suggesting a need for additional resources and professional development. Given K-12 art teachers’ interest in environmental art pedagogies and acknowledged dearth of knowledge, we argue EE capacity-building efforts might target this field, aiming for comprehensive art teacher education experiences to sustained professional development opportunities.

Educators’ experiences and strategies for responding to ecological distress

AbstractResearch is increasingly identifying the issues of ecological distress, eco-anxiety and climate grief. These painful experiences arise from heightened ecological knowledge and concern, which are commonly considered to be de facto aims of environmental education. Yet little research investigates the issues of climate change anxiety in educational spaces, nor how educators seek to respond to or prevent such emotional experiences. This study surveyed environmental educators in eastern Australia about their experiences and strategies for responding to their learners’ ecological distress. Educators reported that their students commonly experienced feeling overwhelmed, hopeless, anxious, angry, sad and frustrated when engaging with ecological crises. Educators’ strategies for responding to their learners’ needs included encouraging students to engage with their emotions, validating those emotions, supporting students to navigate and respond to those emotions and empowering them to take climate action. Educators felt that supporting their students to face and respond to ecological crises was an extremely challenging task, one which was hindered by time limitations, their own emotional distress, professional expectations, society-wide climate denial and a lack of guidance on what works.

Ecological competence as a compulsory component of school geographical education and examples of its application in Khust raion of Zakarpatska oblast

Lack of education is one of the biggest obstacles to any development, environmental education is no exception. If people do not know what is harmful to the environment, they cannot recognise and avoid such harm. School plays a crucial role in forming a positive attitude towards the environment in young children. The development of effective environmental policies in all schools should be considered in order to promote environmental awareness among students and ensure their environmental awareness in adult life. Due to the irrational use of natural resources and thoughtless human activities, humanity faces several environmental problems, such as global warming, the greenhouse effect, ozone holes, acid rains, pollution of air and the oceans. Effective environmental education can prevent overuse and misuse of resources that nature cannot compensate. The world's growing population has created the biggest problem that hinders the rational use of scarce resources. Of course, protecting the environment does not mean not using it. Geography can help in solving precisely these issues in the environmental education field. The international study examined the views of geography academics on the goals of environmental education and their status in the teaching of geography. The results of the survey obtained from 419 geography teachers from 18 countries showed that geography teachers believe that most of the content they embed in their professional activities is environmental education. They said they support the idea of environmental education as part of the curriculum. Geography teachers unequivocally support the inclusion of environmental education in the geography curriculum, and in most cases, they believe that at least half of the geography curriculum should focus on this. They assume that learning about environmental knowledge, attitudes, values, and responsible environmental behaviour is one of the mandatory learning outcomes in natural sciences, including geography, and is more willing to promote environmental ethics. Environmental education plays a priority role in secondary school, especially in the educational process of the middle grades, but begins in elementary school in natural science class. On-time updates of all components of the educational process of the school (goals, content, technology, etc.), ensure the development and formation of students' environmental competence. The purpose of environmental education should aim for the establishment of personal environmental awareness, the desire to take responsibility for their actions concerning the environment, the schooling of environmentally conscious behaviour, knowledge of civil rights and duties. It is crucial to create conditions in the school and family for students to be aware of the practical significance of environmental skills, show interest in and acquire skills and prepare for creative activities in the environmental field. The study of protected areas and sites of the native land contributes to the formation of environmental competence of students in school and can ensure that the acquired knowledge will be a means of understanding natural processes and phenomena. The study of protected areas helps students understand the diversity and integrity of the nature of the motherland, the vulnerability of natural objects, their dependence on the behaviour of humans, armed with modern technical means of influencing nature. When children witness the consequences of human mismanagement, they become aware of the extent of the damage to the natural environment, and therefore they aspire to help it. The cooperation between the institutions of the nature reserve fund with educational institutions provides extraordinary opportunities for the formation and development of crucial environmental competencies of students.

Environmental Education for Children in Taiwan: Importance, Purpose and Teaching Methods

There is an increase in social issues in terms of the use of technology for environmental protection, energy, reproduction, food, ethics and morality. It is necessary to take advantage of the positive benefits of technological development and decrease its negative impact on the environment. In this regard, children must be taught appropriate responses to the environment. This should be taken as a key element of environmental education. Furthermore, environmental ethics is a core concept in environmental education for children. Environmental education seeks to teach children ethical environmental beliefs so that future citizens are environmentally aware. This paper uses a documentary analysis to show the importance and purpose of environmental education and explores the teaching methods for environmental education for children in Taiwan. The teaching methods of learning environmental awareness to children in environmental education lessons are: (1) using picture books, (2) watching eco-related films, (3) drama teaching and learning, (4) visiting environmental sites, (5) inviting experts to give presentations, (6) assigning homework that has environment-related topics, (7) cultivating critical thinking about the use of learning strategies in environmental education and (8) learning strategies that involve problem-solving.