Interdisciplinary Journal of Environmental and Science Education

Interdisciplinary Journal of Environmental and Science Education, 2019 - Volume 15 Issue 1, Article No: e02202
https://doi.org/10.29333/ijese/6287

Published Online: 14 Dec 2019

Views: 288 | Downloads: 93

Environmental Literacy can empower individuals to make appropriate environment-related choices and act more responsibly towards the environment. Environmental literacy was measured among a sample of 461 pre-service teachers enrolled at the Department of Pre-school Education at the University of Ioannina, in Greece. Results indicate that pre-service teachers have positive attitudes towards the environment, a moderate level of environmental knowledge while their participation in environmental actions is limited, particularly collective actions. Statistical analyses also highlighted that Environment Literacy depends on year of study and high school course specialization. These findings are further discussed.

environmental literacy knowledge attitudes behaviour pre-service teachers

• Beaton, D. E., Bundardier, C., Guillemin, F., & Feraz, M. B. (2000). Guidelines of the process of cross-cultural adaptation of self-report measures. Spine, 25, 3186-3191. https://doi.org/10.1097/00007632-200012150-00014
• Boubonari, T., Markos, A., & Kevrekidis, T. (2013). Greek pre-service teachers’ knowledge, attitudes and environmental behavior towards marine pollution. The Journal of Environmental Education, 44, 232–251. https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.2013.785381
• Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2007). Research Methods in Education (6th edn.). London: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203029053
• Connell, S., Fien, J., Lee, J., Sykes, H., & Yencken, D. (1999). If doesn’t directly affect you, you don’t think about it: A qualitative study of young people’s environmental attitudes in two Australian cities. Environmental Education Research, 5(1), 95-114. https://doi.org/10.1080/1350462990050106
• Flogaiti, E., & Liarakou, G. (Eds.). (2009). Ekpaideusi gia tin aeiforo anaptyxi. Apoth theoria sthn praxh, [Education for sustainable development. Absolute theory in practice]. Arhanes: KPE Arhanon.
• Gavrilakis, C., Stylos, G., Kotsis, T. K., & Goulgouti, A. (2017). Environmental literacy assessment of Greek university pre-service teachers. Science Education: Research and Praxis, Special Issue, 61, 49-71. Retrieved from www.lib.uoi.gr/serp
• Goldman, D., Yavetz, B., & Pe’er, S. (2006). Environmental Literacy in Teacher Training in Israel: Environmental Behaviour of New Students. Journal of Environmental Education, 38(1), 3-22. https://doi.org/10.3200/JOEE.38.1.3-22
• Gwekwerere, Y. (2014). Pre-Service Teachers’ Knowledge, Participation and Perceptions about Environmental Education in Schools. Australian Journal of Environmental Education, 30(2), 198-214. https://doi.org/10.1017/aee.2015.15
• Hambleton, R. K. (2001). The next generation of the ITC test translation and adaptation guidelines. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 17(3), 164-172. https://doi.org/10.1027//1015-5759.17.3.164
• Ikonomidis, S., Papanastasiou, D., Melas, D., & Avgoloupis, S. (2012). The Anthropogenic ‘Greenhouse Effect’: Greek Prospective Primary Teachers’ Ideas about Causes, Consequences and Cures. Journal of Science Education Technology, 21, 768-779. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-012-9365-0
• Kroufek, R., Çelik, C., & Can, Ş. (2015). The Comparison of Environmental Literacy of Czech and Turkish pre-service primary teachers using Elsa Scale. ResearchGate. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/281711877
• Kyriazi, P., & Mavrikaki, E. (2013). Development of an instrument to measure environmental literacy of post-secondary Greek students – Pilot testing and preliminary results. In C. P. Constantinou, N. Papadouris, A. Hadjigeorgiou (Eds.), E-Book Proceedings of the ESERA 2013 Conference: Science Education Research For Evidence-based Teaching and Coherence in Learning, Part 9 (co-eds. M. Achiam & G. S. Carvalho), (pp. 1651- 1658). Nicosia, Cyprus: European Science Education Research Association. ISBN: 978-9963-700-77-6
• Liu, S., Yeh, S., Liang, S., Fang, W., & Tsai. H. (2015). A National Investigation of Teachers’ Environmental Literacy as a Reference for Promoting Environmental Education in Taiwan. The Journal of Environmental Education, 46(2), 114-132. https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.2014.999742
• Maidou, A., Plakitsi, K., & Polatoglou, H. (2015). Perceptions and attitudes of students towards Education for Sustainable Development. In J. Lavonen, K. Juuti, J. Lampiselkä, A. Uitto & K. Hahl (Eds.), Science Education Research: Engaging Learners for a Sustainable Future, Part 9 (co-ed.M. Achiam & G. Carvalho), (pp. 1366-1377). Helsinki, Finland: University of Helsinki.
• North American Association for Environmental Education (NAEE) (2010). Guidelines for the preparation and professional development of environmental educators. Washington DC: NAAEE. Retrieved from http://eelinked.naaee.net/n/guidelines/posts/Guidelines-for-the-Preparation-amp-Professional-Development-fEnvironmental-Educators
• Onur, A., Sahin, E., & Tekkaya, C. (2012). An Investigation on Value Orientations, Attitudes and Concern towards the Environment: The Case of Turkish Elementary School Students. Environmental Education Research, 18(2), 271-297. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2011.614690
• Pe’er, S., Goldman, D., & Yavetz, B. (2007). Environmental literacy in teacher training: attitudes, knowledge, and environmental behavior of beginning students. Journal of Environmental Education 39, 45-60. https://doi.org/10.3200/JOEE.39.1.45-59
• Plakitsi, K., Spyrtou, A., Klonari, K., Kalogiannaki, M., Malandrakis, G., Papadopoulou, P., Stamoulis, Soulios, J., Piliouras, P., & Kolios, N. (2011). New Greek Science curriculum (NGSC) for primary education: Promoting educational innovation under hard conditions. In Justin Dillon and Andreas Redfors (Eds.) Science curriculum and educational policy. Proceedings 9th ESERA conference (pp. 1751-1757). Lyon, FR: ESERA.
• Rogers, P., Jalal, K., & Boyd, J. (2008). An introduction to sustainable development. London: Earthscan.
• Roth, W. M., Goulart, M. I., & Plakitsi, K. (2013). Darkness|Light. In W. -M. Roth, M. I. M. Goulart, K. Plakitsi (Ed.) Science Education during Preschool Years. A Cultural-Historical Approach. Dordrecht, 111-138. The Netherlands: Springer.
• Saribas, D. (2015). Investigating the Relationship between Pre-Service Teachers’ Scientific Literacy, Environmental Literacy and Life-Long Learning Tendency. Science Education International, 26(1), 80-100.
• Saribas, D., Teksöz, G., & Ertepinar, H. (2014). The relationship between environmental literacy and self-efficacy beliefs toward environmental education. In 5th World Conference on Educational Sciences. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, (pp. 3664 – 3668). Elsevier Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.01.820
• Spiropoulou, D., Antonakaki, T., Kontaxaki, S., & Bouras, S. (2007). Primary teachers’ literacy and attitudes on education for sustainable development. Journal of Science Education and Technology, 16, 443-450. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10956-007-9061-7
• Tuncer Teksoz, G., Boone, J. W., Yilmaz Tuzun, O., & Oztekin, C. (2014). An evaluation of the environmental literacy of preservice teachers in Turkey through Rasch analysis. Environmental Education Research, 20(2), 202-227. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2013.768604
• Tuncer, G., Tekkaya, C., Sungur, S., Cakiroglu, J., Ertepinar, H., & Kaplowitz, M. (2009). Assessing pre-service teachers’ environmental literacy in Turkey as a mean to develop teacher education programs. International Journal of Educational Development, 29, 426-436. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2008.10.003
• UNESCO (2005). United Nations decade for education for sustainable development, 2005-2014: International implementation scheme. Paris, France: UNESCO.
• UNESCO (2016). Education for people and planet. Creating sustainable future for all. Final Report. Paris: UNESCO
• Yavetz, B., Goldman, D., & Pe’er, S. (2009). Environmental literacy in pre-service teachers in Israel: A comparison between students at the onset and end of their studies. Environmental Education Research, 15, 393-415. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504620902928422
• Yencken, D., Fien, J., & Sykes, H. (Εds.) (2000). Environment, Education and Society in the Asia-Pacific: Local Traditions and Global Discourses. London: Routledge.

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.