Thesis (M.A.)--University of California, Santa Cruz, 1995. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 115-118).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stevens Point, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 131-135).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 1999. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 101-117). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

D.Phil. / "We would be foolish to ignore the potential for disaster in our present environmental crisis. But we would be equally foolish to ignore the potentials for constructive change." Me Innis (1975) The interaction between man and the environment has been of vital importance since earliest times as God said in Genesis (1: 26) " ... let us make a man someone like ourselves, to be the master of all life , A phenomenal development took place in the human-environment relationship due to this mastering by man and the easy access to the earth's natural resources. A highly industrialised world arose and gave way to the abuse of these resources that paved the way for the present environmental crisis. The Republic of South Africa is a unique country with unique problems. Due to the previous political dispensation the developed and developing sectors of the country had tragic implications on the environment. The previous government's attitude toward the environment caused a close protectionism and conservation action and this estranged the majority of South Africans from it. The solution to the environmental crisis will prove to be a systematic ecological view- that of sustainability. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa (1996) provides for the right of every citizen to have access to a healthy environment. The government supports Agenda 21 of the Earth Summit Conference (1992) which suggests that Environmental Education be incorporated in all facets of Education and Training which will ensure sustainability for the present an future generations. The government's Reconstruction and Development Programme (1994) which suggests that programmes be developed to generate an environmental awareness in the youth reflect this concern. The White Paper on Education and Training (1995) state amongst other aspects, that Environmental Education assist in developing environmentally literate citizens with a sustainable lifestyle. This must be done by an interdisciplinary, integrated and active approach to the learning process. At present, South Africa is in a transformation process, which affects all spheres of life, and this includes education and training. A curriculum based on outcomes (Curriculum 2005) is being phased into the South African education system where emphasis is placed on the learners obtaining knowledge, skills, attitudes and values. Without concerted efforts at life-long education for sustainability, South Africa will not be able to become a competitive power in the world, but will face problems with regard to the sustainable use of natural resources, and this can be to the detriment to ensure sustainability for future generations. With Environmental Education as a relatively new and reasonably unknown discipline in the formal sector of an outcomes based curriculum, there are no sufficient models or exemplars, which could be referred to at with the implementation of Environmental Education. The aim of this study is to generate a model through a qualitative, descriptive, contextual and theory generating study, which will realise Environmental Education as a scientific discipline in an outcomes based education dispensation in the Republic of South Africa. The purpose of the model is to act as a reference framework for all facets of curriculisation as well as the teaching of Environmental Education in the new curriculum (Curriculum 2005) to develop environmental literate citizens, which will ensure sustainability for present and future generations.

The aim of this study is to determine youths' level of understanding of selected environmental concepts measured by their verbal responses. With the hypothesis being that youth would be able to observe their environment and note differences and similarities, with a basic understanding of concepts, especially those in the school curriculum but unable to take this further by hypothesising on why differences occur which is more typical of youth of ages 15 years and above. Youth would especially struggle to hypothesise theoretical and abstract concepts as opposed to describing what they observe. It is expected that studies by Piaget will be informative with regards to the cognitive developmental stages in the youth as being categorised into either stages three ( concrete-operational) or four (formal-operational). The study involved nine youths from Christel House, Cape Town, who were selected and assessed on their understanding of four environmental concepts. The crew of the sail ship noted their responses during various lessons offered on board before proceeding with the next. The results indicated that the participating youth were able to compare two different observed scenarios as being either similar or different, but were unable to compare theoretical scenarios. Once differences or similarities were established, youth were unable to link factors to hypothesise about why these differences or similarities were occurring, even when prompted or given clues from a crewmember on board the ship. However, the participants were able to hypothesise about the effects of one variable on another when they could actively manipulate a concept to see what might happen under given conditions.

I used qualitative case study methodology to gain insight into EE policy enactment at one Ontario rural school board. Qualitative research is best suited to explore a problem and develop a detailed understanding of a central phenomenon (Creswell, 2012), in this case how district and school administrators make sense of EE policies and how that sensemaking process impacts policy enactment. A case study is defined as “conducting an empirical investigation of a contemporary phenomenon within its natural context using multiple sources of evidence” (Hancock, Algozzine, 2006, p. 15). Although I could not access schools and district offices, I have been able to collect data through a variety of ways (i.e., interviews, district websites, documents shared by interviewees). Key findings include that participants (district and school administrators) are mostly unaware of the existing EE policy framework; EE is seen as legitimate in schools, yet low priority; EE remains mostly driven by passionate administrators and educators.

No description available.

This study involved the design, implementation and evaluation of an Environmental Education programme intended for teacher training. The programme was implemented over a twelve-week period with a group of nineteen final year students at the Johannesburg College of Education. The programme has two main aims: 1) the development of environmental literacy in students; the equipping of students to develop environmental literacy in their pupils

Recent publications argue that to prepare teachers of all grade levels to be confident and competent in incorporating environmental education into their classrooms, pre-service teacher training is effective (e.g., J. T. McDonald & Dominguez, 2010). But the systems in which teachers learn and work are complex, making professional learning about, and implementation of, environmental education both disparate and limited (Franzen, 2017). This study sought to understand the nature of participants’ experiences within and between teacher preparation and in-service learning systems as they relate to environmental education. Cultural historical activity theory (CHAT) provided a framework to allow for deeper understanding of the systems of university-based teacher preparation and K-12 schools, as well as influences of the state department of education. By focusing on how learning is influenced by cultural, historical, and social factors, CHAT allowed for a systems approach to understand study participants’ experiences. I used a phenomenological research approach (Vagle, 2014) involving teachers, school administrators, and faculty members from the teachers’ pre-service preparation programs, generating data through interviews and artifact analysis. Participants reported several challenges related to the inclusion of environmental education: motivation versus implementation, transitioning from university learning to in-service teaching, and the availability of professional learning about environmental education. Additionally, participants identified sources of innovation such as place-based education and champions within all three systems. A discussion of these results is offered, leading to a series of suggestions for informal educators outside of the three systems to assist in advancing the inclusion of environmental education within K-12 learning.

No description available.