Kanyimba, Alex Tubawene

The incorporation of environmental education for sustainability in the Namibian Colleges of Education.

Pretoria

2009

Pretoria, Univ., D. Ed. (Didactics), 2009

-

Abstract: The study explores the incorporation of Environmental Education (EE) for sustainability in the Namibian Colleges of Education. The thrust is held in this study because of the view that the incorporation of EE promotes sustainable development. Cross-curricular teaching is the preferred model for the incorporation of EE in the Namibian Colleges of Education because it brings all teacher educators to contribute to the teaching of environmental education themes just as sustainable development requires all players to incorporate its principles in core operations of institutions. The study explores the global environment crisis, the environmental degradation in Africa in general and Namibia in particular. Education is seen as an instrument that could be used to address the environmental problems that affect the ability of the ecosystem to regulate climate, to provide resources and to support natural and human life in the broader environment. The study presented the EE goals such as the ecological foundation, the conceptual awareness: issues and values, investigation and evaluation as well as the environmental action, training and application. The study explores theoretical perspectives for the incorporation of EE, theories of modern environmentalism and theories of sustainability as well as policies that were undertaken in Namibia to incorporate EE in the Namibian Colleges of Education. The methodology of research is both quantitative and qualitative and is rooted in the classical and grounded theory approaches to research. The documentation of data and the questionnaire were used as techniques and tools to collect both direct and indirect data. It emerged from the findings of the study that the ecological foundation and the conceptual awareness subgoals are part of EE teaching while the investigation and evaluation as well as the environmental action, training and application subgoals are not part of EE teaching in the Namibian Colleges of Education. The findings of the study reveal that teacher educators in the Namibian Colleges of Education have a variety of understandings and perceptions about the incorporation of EE in the Namibian Colleges of Education. The findings also show that the barriers that affect the incorporation of EE in the Namibian Colleges of Education are institutional, dispositional and situational. The recommendations of the study support the clarification of the concept of cross-curricular teaching in light of the emerging paradigm of sustainable development. They also promote the re-orientation of the administration, the curriculum and teacher educator attitudes in the Namibian Colleges of Education.

SUMMARY
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS
LIST OF FIGURES
LIST OF TABLES
DECLARATION
CHAPTER ONE
ORIENTATION
1.1. INTRODUCTION
1.2. BACKGROUND
1.2.1 The global environmental crisis
1.2.2 Environmental degradation in Africa
1.2.3 Environmental problems in Namibia
1.3. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
1.4. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
1.5. HYPOTHESIS
1.6. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
1.7 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
1.8 DELIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
1.9 PROGRAMME OF THE STUDY

CHAPTER TWO
THE CONCEPTUAL UNDERSTANDING OF CONCEPTS, THEMES AND MODELS FOR THE INCORPORATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION (EE) FOR SUSTAINABILITY IN THE NAMIBIAN COLLEGES OF EDUCATION
2.1 INTRODUCTION
2.2. DEFINITION OF KEY CONCEPTS
2.2.1The concept ′Incorporation′
2.2.2 The concept ′EE for sustainability′
2.2.2.1 The concept ′environment′
2.2.2.2 The concept ′education′
2.2.2.3 The concept ′sustainability′ .
2.2.2.4 Environmental Education (EE) for Sustainability: A synthesis
2.2.3 The concept ′Namibian Colleges of Education′
2.3 FACTORS THAT JUSTIFY THE INCORPORATION OF EE FOR SUSTAINABILITY AS A CROSS-CURRICULAR THEME IN THE NAMIBIAN COLLEGES OF EDUCATION
2.3.1 Historical factors
2.3.2. The nature of EE
2.3.3 Lack of qualified and skilled teachers in EE
2.4 CLARIFICATION OF THE CONCEPT ′CROSS-CURRICULAR TEACHING′ AS A MODEL FOR THE INCORPORATION OF EE FOR SUSTAINABILITY IN THE NAMIBIAN COLLEGES OF EDUCATION
2.5 THE INCORPORATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL (EE) GOALS FOR CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT IN THE NAMIBIAN COLLLEGES OF EDUCATION
2.5.1 Goal 1: Ecological foundation
2.5.2 Goal 2: Conceptual awareness, issues and values
2.5.3 Goal 3: Investigation and evaluation
2.5.4 Goal 4: Environmental action skills, training and application
2.6 SUMMARY

CHAPTER THREE
THEORECTICAL PERSPECTIVES FOR THE INCORPORATION OF EE FOR SUSTAINABILITY IN THE NAMIBIAN COLLEGES OF EDUCATION
3.1 INTRODUCTION
3.2 THE ROOTS OF EE: AN OVERVIEW
3.3. PERSPECTIVES ON HISTORICAL LANDMARKS FOR THE INCORPORATION OF EE
3.3.1 The Stockholm Conference
3.3.2 The Belgrade Charter
3.3.3 The Tbilisi Intergovernmental Conference on Environmental Education (EE)
3.3.4 The World Conservation Strategy
3.3.5 The United Nations Report on the World Commission for Environment and Development
3.3.6 The United Nations World Conference on Environment and Development
3.3.7 The United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development
3.4 PERSPECTIVES ON THEORIES OF MODERN ENVIRONMENTALISM FOR THE INCORPORATION OF EE FOR SUSTAINABILITY
3.4.1 Deep ecology
3.4.2 Ecocentrism and Technocentrism
3.4.3 Theories of sustainability ..
3.5. PERSPECTIVES ON POLICIES AND KEY DOCUMENTS THAT GUIDE THE INCOPORATION OF EE FOR SUSTAINABILITY IN NAMIBIA
3.5.1 The Constitution of the Republic of Namibia
3.5.2 The National Policy on Education for All
3.5.3 The Pilot Curriculum Guide for Formal Basic Education in Namibia
3.5.4 Draft Environmental Education Policy for Namibia
3.5.5 The National Policy on Adult Learning
3.5.6 The Green Plan
3.5.7 The National Assessment Report for the World Summit on Sustainable Development
3.6 SUMMARY

CHAPTER FOUR
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
4.1 INTRODUCTION
4.2 THE CONCEPT ′EMPIRICAL RESEARCH′
4.3 RESEARCH DESIGN
4.3.1 Quantitative research design
4.3.2 Qualitative research design
4.4 DIRECT AND INDIRECT DATA COLLECTION
4.5 POPULATION OF THE STUDY
4.6 DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS
4.6.1 The teacher educators
4.6.2 The Librarians
4.7 SAMPLING STRATEGY
4.8 VALIDITY OF DATA
4.8.1 Internal validity of data
4.8.2 External validity of data
4.9 RELIABILITY OF DATA
4.10 ANALYSIS OF DATA
4.10.1 Close ended questions and open ended questions
4.10.2 Chi- square test
4.11 CLASSICAL AND GROUNDED THEORY
4.12 ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
4.13 SUMMARY

CHAPTER FIVE
PRESENTATION OF THE RESULTS OF THE STUDY
5.1 INTRODUCTION
5.2 DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
5.3 THE INCORPORATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION (EE) CURRICULUM GOALS IN THE NAMIBIAN COLLEGES OF EDUCATION
5.3.1 Goal 1: Ecological foundation
5.3.2 Goal 2: Conceptual awareness: issues and values
5.3.3 Goal 3: Investigation and evaluation
5.3.4 Goal 4: Environmental action skills, training and application
5.4 TEACHER EDUCATORS′ UNDERSTANDING, AWARENESS AND INTERPRETATION OF CROSS-CURRICULAR TEACHING AS A MODEL FOR INCORPORATING EE FOR SUSTAINABILITY IN THE NAMIBIAN COLLEGES OF EDUCATION
5.5 REASONS FOR NOT INCORPORATING EE AS A CROSS
CURRICULAR THEME IN THE NAMIBIAN COLLEGES OF EDUCATION
5.6 TEACHER EDUCATORS′ FINAL COMMENTS REGARDING THE INCORPORATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION (EE) FOR SUSTAINABILITY IN THE NAMIBIAN COLLEGES OF EDUCATION
5.7 SUMMARY

CHAPTER SIX
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR INCORPORATING EE IN THE NAMIBIAN COLLEGES OF EDUCATION
6.1 INTRODUCTION
6.2 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS
6.2.1 The extent to which Environmental Education (EE) goals are incorporated in the Namibian Colleges of Education
6.2.1.1 Goal 1: Ecological foundation
6.2.1.2 Goal 2: Conceptual awareness: issues and values
6.2.1.3 Goal 3: Investigation and evaluation
6.2.1.4 Goal 4: Environmental action skills, training and application
6.2.2 Teacher educators′ understanding, interpretation and appreciation of the concept cross curricular as a model for the incorporation of EE in the Namibian Colleges of Education
6.2.3 Conditions that hamper the incorporation of EE as a cross curricular theme in the Namibian Colleges of Education
6.2.4 Conditions that would support the incorporation of EE as a cross curricular theme in the Namibian Colleges of Education
6.2.5 Teacher educators′ final comments regarding the incorporation of EE as a cross curricular theme in the Namibian Colleges of Education
6.3 RECOMMENDATIONS
6.3.1 Recommendation one (1): Appoint an educational specialist on sustainable development at the Namibian Colleges of Education
6.3.2 Recommendation (2): The concept of 'cross-curricular teaching' and 'sustainable development' should be clarified clearly and unambiguously
6.3.3 Recommendation three (3): The administration of the Namibian Colleges of Education should be reoriented to incorporate a wider policy and strategy on environmental education that is similar to the corporate environmental strategies which a number of companies are adopting
6.3.4 Recommendation four (4): The curriculum of the Namibian Colleges of Education should be reoriented to incorporate all the EE curriculum goals and all the dimensions of environmental education (EE)
6.3.4.1 Curriculum
6.3.4.2 Methods
6.3.4.3 Resource
6.3.4.4 Evaluation
6.3.5 Recommendation five (5): The attitudes and values of the teacher educators should be reoriented to support the incorporation of EE as a cross-curricular theme
6.3.6 Recommendation six (6): In-service training for teacher educators in the Namibian Colleges of Education
6.4 CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE STUDY
6.5 HOW THE PROBLEM OF THE STUDY WAS ADDRESSED
6.5.1 How the hypothesis of the study was addressed
6.6 SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH
6.7 SUMMARY

REFERENCE LIST

Annexure I: Letter to the Ministry of Education and Culture
Annexure II: Response from the Ministry of Education and Culture
Annexure III: Questionnaire
Annexure IV: Raw SPSS Data
Annexure V: Response to open ended question

↑ http://uir.unisa.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10500/3175/thesis_kanyimba_a.pdf

05.12.2017