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Pre-Service Teachers' Knowledge, Participation and Perceptions About Environmental Education in Schools

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  31 March 2015

Yovita Gwekwerere
Yovita Gwekwerere*
Affiliation:
School of Education, Laurentian University, Ontario, Canada
*
Address for correspondence: Yovita Gwekwerere, Laurentian University, School of Education, 935 Ramsey Lake Road, Sudbury, Ontario P3E 2C6, Canada. Email: ygwekwerere@laurentian.ca
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Abstract

Despite the ever-growing body of knowledge about human impact on the environment and the need to work towards a sustainable future, participation in environmental action initiatives among the general population remains low. There is an increasingly urgent need to develop a culture of participation among young people who in turn may become future leaders. This article describes a study that was undertaken to investigate pre-service teachers’ environmental knowledge, their willingness to participate in environmental initiatives, and their perceptions about environmental education in schools. The study participants were pre-service teachers between the ages of 19 and 22. Data were collected through online surveys, followed by focus group interviews where pre-service teachers were given the opportunity to expand and comment on the survey responses. Findings from this study are consistent with previous research on pre-service teacher literacy, attitudes, perceptions and participation. However, the pre-service teachers’ perceptions about the role of schools and adults in nurturing environmental awareness and active participation among youth provides educators with new insights for the development of a more comprehensive environmental education curriculum that focuses on integration of theory and action.

Keywords

environmental educationpre-service teachersteacher educationperceptionsenvironmental actionenvironmental knowledgeparticipationpro-environmental behaviourself-determined motivation
Type
Feature Articles
Information
Australian Journal of Environmental Education , Volume 30 , Issue 2 , December 2014 , pp. 198 - 214
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2015 

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