The Determination of Environmental Literacy Levels of Elementary Teacher Candidates

Authors : Esra Kaya Atici, Irfan Emre

Pages : 154-169

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Publication Date : 2020-12-31

Article Type : Research

Abstract :This study aims to determine elementary teacher candidates’ environmental literacy levels. The study was conducted by using survey method with participation of 83 elementary teacher candidates. In order to collect data, the environmental literacy questionnaire with four factors including the knowledge about environment, attitude towards environment, environmental use, and interest towards environmental problems factors was administered to the participants. In order to analyze the data, percentages, frequencies, mean scores, and standard deviation values were calculated. The results revealed that the participants had insufficient knowledge about environment. Specifically, they reported a high rate of positive opinions about biodiversity, ecosystem, and the importance of living beings other than humans. However, they had a lower rate of correct answers for the items related to the balance of nature. In terms of environmental problems, the candidates reported high interest towards poor quality drinking water, water scarcity, and water pollution. Overall, the elementary teacher candidates participated in this study had low level of environmental literacy.
Keywords : Environmental literacy, Environmental education, elementary teachers, teacher candidates