Dobrinski, Leah Naomi

Queen's University (Kingston, Ont.)

Views of environmental educators on teaching environmental education

Kingston, Ont.

2008

Kingston, Univ., M.Ed., 2008

9780494700068

0494700068

Abstract: Environmental Education (EE) can play an important role in broadening learners' understanding of their environment. This is of particular importance due to the major adverse impact we as humans are having on the environment, including the loss of biodiversity and global warming. However, many Canadian teachers are not offered EE content in their teacher education programs (Lin, 2002). Therefore, this study investigates, (a) what knowledge and abilities are important for teaching EE, (b) experiences that have influenced educators' interest and willingness to teach EE, and (c) the preparation educators could receive to better integrate EE into their teaching practices. Data were collected using an electronic survey (n=148) and semi-structured interviews (n=11). Results showed that among 12 major themes to emerge from the interviews, recognizing the importance of outdoor experiences and having the ability to engage learners were viewed as very important by participants. Interviewees' recommendations for improving the preparation of educators included introducing mandatory EE components in teacher education programs and promoting mentorship experiences. However, there was no consensus among participants regarding the impact or value of implementing a professional EE certification program. Implications of this study include facilitating the sharing of environmental educators' perspectives. Suggestions are made for further research on preparing educators who are willing and able to instruct EE, so that more students are given an opportunity to learn about their environment and make informed choices about their impact on the earth.

ABSTRACT

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

LIST OF TABLES.

CHAPTER 1–INTRODUCTION
PURPOSE .
DEFINING KEY TERMS
COMPONENTS OF THE RESEARCH

CHAPTER 2–LITERATURE REVIEW

LEARNING ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN
THE ROLE OF EDUCATION RELATIVE TO ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
EE: FROM ITS ORIGINS TO CONTEMPORARY FORMS
History of EE
Defining EE and its Objectives
Settings for EE

EDUCATORS OF EE: PREPARATION AND PERSPECTIVES
Learning to Teach EE
Educators′ Perspectives on Teaching EE
SUMMARY OF THE LITERATURE REVIEW

CHAPTER 3–METHOD
OVERVIEW
MIXED-METHOD DESIGN
STUDY LOCATION AND DURATION
RESEARCH DESIGN AND INSTRUMENTS
E-Survey Design
Interview Questions
PARTICIPANT SELECTION AND DATA COLLECTION.
Phase 1: The E-Survey
Phase 2: The Interviews

CHAPTER 4–RESULTS
ELECTRONIC SURVEY
Participants.
E-Survey Results
INTERVIEWS WITH ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATORS
Participants.
Coding the Interviews

Question 1: Which Knowledge and Abilities are Important for Teaching EE?.
Environmental Awareness
Outdoor Experiences
Connection with the Environment
Environmental Action
Passion for Teaching EE

Question 2: What were the Influential Experiences for Environmental Educators?
Influential Childhood Experiences
Influential Educational Experiences
Question 3: What are Educators′ Views on Preparing Environmental Educators?
Teaching EE Within the Existing Curriculum and Moving Towards Change
Making Changes to Teacher Education
Sharing Between Environmental Educators
Alternative Options
Certification of Environmental Educators
SUMMARY

CHAPTER 5–ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION

ANALYSIS
Knowledge and Abilities Important to Environmental Educators
Environmental Awareness
Connection with the Environment
Environmental Action
Influential Experiences of the Educators
Influential Childhood Experiences in the Outdoors
Influential Educational Experiences
Preparing Environmental Educators
Teacher Education Programs: Necessary Changes.
Sharing of Knowledge between Environmental Educators: Mentorship Experiences
EE and Certification

DISCUSSION
Discussion of the Findings
Implications of the Study
Limitations and Further Research
Conclusion

REFERENCES
APPENDIX A–ELECTRONIC SURVEY
APPENDIX B– INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
APPENDIX C– E-SURVEY: LETTER OF INFORMATION AND CONSENT
APPENDIX D–INTERVIEW RECRUITMENT
APPENDIX E – RECRUITMENT E-MAIL
APPENDIX F – LETTER OF INFORMATION FOR INTERVIEWS
APPENDIX G– INTERVIEW CONSENT FORM.
APPENDIX H– LETTER OF INFORMATION AND CONSENT FORM SCRIPT FOR TELEPHONE INTERVIEWS
APPENDIX I– TELEPHONE INTERVIEW FOLLOW-UP E-MAIL.
APPENDIX J– SAMPLE INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT.

LIST OF TABLES
Table 1–Settings Where Participants Taught EE
Table 2–Educational Backgrounds of E-Survey Participants: University Degrees Attained
Table 3–Ranking of Most Important Knowledge and Ability Elements
Table 4–Interview Codes and Number of Co-Occurrences

↑ https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/thesescanada/vol2/OKQ/TC-OKQ-1594.pdf

17.10.2018