An Analysis of Attitudes of Pedagogical Students towards Environmental Education in Greece

Overview & Synopsis

Purpose--Greek pedagogical students' attitudes towards environmental education in Greece are very important as these students represent future teachers who will affect the success of environmental education in schools. Therefore, the identification of their views will give us the potentiality to modify the curricula of pedagogical departments accordingly. Design/methodology/approach--The use of a questionnaire was chosen as the most suitable method to review and record pedagogical students' attitudes towards environmental education. Findings--The results of this study show that pedagogical students have not only realized the importance of environmental education in primary education but have also been sensitized to the environment and the issues involved in this. Attending practical courses on the environment seems to help towards this sensitivity. Originality/value--Results of this research show that an attempt should be made to develop education for sustainability in universities through an interdisciplinary approach, as universities bear a great responsibility in developing people's interest in the environment by training them to assess the impact of, and find solutions to, environmental problems and by producing well-trained professionals who will promote and support sustainable development. (Contains 4 tables and 1 note.)