Environmental education in southern Africa: a case study of a secondary school in the Okavango Delta of Botswana

Velempini, Kgosietsile; Martin, Bruce; Smucker, Thomas A.; Randolph, Adah Ward; Henning, John E.

doi:10.1080/13504622.2017.1377158

Cited by 16 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 15 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In a similar vein to Raselimo's studies on how the academic subject of geography can be made work-relevant, Velempini, Martin, Smucker, Ward Randolph and Henning (2017) extended the exploration of the topic of curriculum integration of environmental sciences by examining the extent to which the subject could be built around local knowledge (Indigenous Knowledge Systems). They found that teachers were able to integrate both environmental knowledge and traditional knowledge, but were constrained by the absence of relevant resources and appropriate continuous professional development.…”

Section: Subject Curriculum Reformmentioning

confidence: 97%

Curriculum Reform, Assessment and National Qualifications Frameworks

Fleisch¹,

Maringe²,

Gultig³

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

How successful has the practical implementation of new curricula been? Given the challenges, how can resource-constrained Ministries implement curriculum reform on the ground? While there have been few rigorously designed evaluations of system-wide competency-based curriculum reforms, the accumulation of evidence from a variety of sources suggests that most of these initiatives have been less than successful. While the likely reasons for the lack of success are many and varied, the research can be categorised into those related to pragmatic (often implementation) challenges and those that argue that the idea of competence-based educational reform is conceptually flawed. Major Curriculum evaluation effort Authors/Sponsors Overall judgment Major obstacles to success Review of competency-based reforms in five Francophone Countries Gauthier, 2013 CBE did not improve student learning outcomes Conceptual deficiencies amongst implementers Implementation of CBE reforms Esongo 2017 Yessoufou 2014 Komba & Mwandaji, 2015 etc.

show abstract

Section: Subject Curriculum Reformmentioning

confidence: 97%

Curriculum Reform, Assessment and National Qualifications Frameworks

Fleisch¹,

Maringe²,

Gultig³

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Section: Environmental Education In South Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Theoretically, EE was tried to be integrated into some school curricula, but practically, due to insufficient teacher training and promotion (Damoah & Adu, 2020;Velempini et al, 2018) and an impractical educational curriculum that is not clear on how teachers integrate and deliver EE into their subjects, it has failed (Damoah & Adu, 2020). Due to a lack of educational resources and inadequately qualified instructors, the integration of EE into the curriculum of elementary and secondary schools is not unified and supported by policy (Velempini et al, 2018). And Mashaba et al (2022), concluded that, despite the limitations of EE in primary school, comparatively, EE offers adequate knowledge in both natural and social science subjects, and they are helping to maintain a clean environment and conservation in their communities; they are doing this by actively participating in the surroundings of the schools, such as school greening, tree nurseries, and tree plantations.…”

Section: Environmental Education In South Africamentioning

confidence: 99%

Integration and effectiveness of formal environmental education in Africa and India: Review

Gebrekidan,

Gebremedhin

2024

EUR J SUSTAIN DEV RES

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Increasing environmental awareness, knowledge, attitudes, and motivation to address environmental challenges and improve the environment are the main goals of environmental education (EE). Using a goal-based, process-based education evaluation model and parameters like the integration of EE in environmental policy, the potential rich environmental content of the curriculum, and education about, in/through, and for the environment using secondary data, it was possible to evaluate the effectiveness of EE. With the exception of India, the legal evolution of EE across Africa, particularly after the Earth Submit Declaration, has been similar and attempted to be incorporated at the legislative level. In India and Tanzania, where EE is about, in/through, and for the environment practiced, it is integrated into the curriculum at all grade levels. These countries also tried to promote indigenous knowledge and practical-based education on local and global environmental aspects. Whereas in Ethiopia, in lower grades, EE is about the school and little in/through the environment and hardly for the environment, in South Africa, there is hardly any structured, harmonized, and effective practical implementation of EE. Due to fewer government concerns, generalized integration, a lack of a well-written strategy, and financial and technological constraints, EE in Africa is not applied, is ground-based and is ineffective. Therefore, it should incorporate EE in all subjects at all school levels and needs further study on the effectiveness of EE.

show abstract

“…Westover [87] evaluated the possibility of combining the concepts of environmental education with community service learning to create a new method of curriculum integration; environmental community service learning has been recognized as a successful teaching-learning process. Local environmental knowledge could play an important role in environmental education and integration with historical experiences, with environmental resources recommended to include formal curricula for the sustainability of environmental education for Junior secondary schools of Botswana [88]. Effective school-community partnerships are pivotal to improving the integration of environmental education.…”

Section: Environmental Related Components Associated With Gce (A/l) C...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of the Literacy Level on Major Environmental Issues of the G.C.E. (A/L) Students of Different Disciplines in Kandy District, Sri Lanka

2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The study aims to examine the environmental literacy level of G.C.E A/L students (comparable to British Advanced Level) in the Kandy District, Sri Lanka, and to evaluate environment modules embedded into the curriculum. Furthermore, we find the relationships between environmental literacy level and socioeconomic and discipline levels. A survey with a sample of 300 students was selected randomly from four different disciplines, with 25 students in each subject (biological science, mathematics, arts, and commerce) from three different types of schools (Public, Private, and International). A piloted, self-administered, and structured questionnaire with 44 items under six sections (personal background, environmental issues, attitudes, behavior, suggestion, and mitigation) was randomly distributed among the study sample. Results showed that most respondents reside in an urban area, the education level of parents was positioned in the G.C.E. (A/L) category, and the monthly total family income was more than SLR 90,000.00. Overall, the environmental literacy (EL) was similar among students of three different types of schools. The type of permanent residence, discipline, and educational background of parents were recognized as determining factors of EL levels (p < 0.05). The environmental literacy knowledge of biological science students was the highest (44%), followed by mathematics (36%), art (32%), and commerce (28%). Furthermore, the EL of the biology discipline was significantly different from commerce (18%) and art (14%) students. Students acquired environmental knowledge from television and radio (44%), internet (22%), school (27%), and parents (7%). The A/L Curriculum evaluation results proved that much less environment-related components were included in the commerce, art, and mathematics subjects. Of the disciplines, geography (35%) and biological science (11%) included a higher amount of EL knowledge, comparatively. Students suggested that recycling/ reuse of waste conserves natural resources, the green building concept, and the use of public transportation to conserve the environment. This study recommends that environmental concepts should be integrated with formal G.C.E A/L syllabus with activity learning, especially for non-science disciplines, and that environment-related television and radio programs should be enhanced.

show abstract

Environmental education in southern Africa: a case study of a secondary school in the Okavango Delta of Botswana

Cited by 16 publications

References 15 publications

Curriculum Reform, Assessment and National Qualifications Frameworks

Curriculum Reform, Assessment and National Qualifications Frameworks

Integration and effectiveness of formal environmental education in Africa and India: Review

Comparison of the Literacy Level on Major Environmental Issues of the G.C.E. (A/L) Students of Different Disciplines in Kandy District, Sri Lanka

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About