Environmental Attitudes in Trainee Teachers in Primary Education. The Future of Biodiversity Preservation and Environmental Pollution

Abstract

The environmental challenges of the twenty-first century are a consequence of the impact that human beings have on nature. Because of this, environmental attitudes are paramount in establishing effective measures regarding both biodiversity preservation and environmental pollution. Therefore, the main goal of this paper has been evaluating the environmental attitudes of future primary education teachers, considering their responsibility for teaching the new generations of citizens. A quantitative methodology has been applied to describe the reality observed. The data collection instrument used was the scale of environmental attitudes towards specific problems; this scale was applied to a sample of 307 students of the degree in Primary Education at the University of Granada. More specifically, the subscales corresponding to pollution, biodiversity, natural spaces and recycling were analysed. Results reveal a high level of environmental attitudes in future primary education teachers; moreover, there is a positive interdependence among the different subscales. Finally, it is of great importance to evaluate the environmental attitudes of future primary education teachers, given that the future of biodiversity preservation and environmental pollution are in the hands of new generations.

Analysis of Further Education Students’ Attitudes Regarding Environmental Pollution. A Case Study in Granada

“…As seen in this study, the different problematic variables described are constantly related to one another, and hence, any actions addressed to reducing them will lead to a collective improvement that aims to create ecocentric people, who have a feeling of responsibility and care towards the present natural environment, in order to value it and preserve it for the future [7,43,44].…”

The Best Bang for the Bucks: Rethinking Global Investment in Biodiversity Conservation

“…Although there is updated information, we used the 2006 dataset to account for the time lag in education effects (i.e., the effects of investing in education are not immediate). Attitudinal changes towards biodiversity can take several years and are expected to be observed specially in younger generations since the implementation of environmental education is key at an early age [20]. We gathered information for 138 countries across the world (we did not include countries with incomplete information).…”

“…Citizens with environmental education can take action in favor of biodiversity. Thus, a special focus has been placed on the younger generations [20]. However, despite the great relevance of education for biodiversity conservation, many goals pursued have not yet been achieved, mainly because education interacts with different socio-economic and biological factors that have not been appropriately addressed [21].…”

A PISA-2015 Comparative Meta-Analysis between Singapore and Finland: Relations of Students’ Interest in Science, Perceived ICT Competence, and Environmental Awareness and Optimism

“…However, further studies on exploring the relationship between science interest, ICT uses, and environmental literacy are needed. In parallel, teachers' environmental literacy and training should also be considered [54].…”