EVALUATING EFFECTS OF AN EXHIBITION VISIT ON PRE-SERVICE ELEMENTARY TEACHERS’ UNDERSTANDINGS ON CLIMATE CHANGE

Authors : Deniz Saribaş, Zerrin Doğança, Hamide Ertepinar

Pages : 516-522

View : 136 | Download : 825

Publication Date : 2014-09-01

Article Type : Research

Abstract :This research aims to investigate to what extent a visit to climate change-oriented exhibition embedded within an environmental education course has effects on pre-service elementary teachers’ understandings about climate change.  Sample of the study includes 58 pre-service teachers, enrolled in Environmental Education course offered in the 2011-2012 academic year in Elementary Education Program at a private university in Turkey.  The course lasted 13 weeks and the context is composed of various environmental issues as well as an exhibition visit and student reflections. Pre-service elementary teachers’ pre- and post-reflections were analyzed and coded for examining effects of visit on their understandings about climate change. It was found that the course seem to have an impact on pre-service elementary teachers’ understanding of climate change. Besides, the exhibition visit resulted in increased understanding in consequences of climate change and the participants were able to make more individual-oriented suggestions for the climate change problem.
Keywords : Environmental education, understanding of climate change, pre-service elementary teachers