The role played by Schoemansdal Environmental Education Centre (SEEC) in the development of environmental awareness to its neighbouring schools has been established, described and explored. Schoemansdal's role was evaluated in relation to what other environmental education centers around the world are doing as strategies of developing environmental awareness to their neighbouring schools and communities. Schoemansdal Environmental Education Centre acted as a case study and its findings are supplemented by valuable data from seventeen schools, which were selected in the Zoutpansberg West Circuit by the researcher. The sole aim was to enhance information gathered at Schoemansdal EEC with regard to its role of making the neighbouring schools aware of environmental issues. Although the research question has been adequately explored, the study does not claim to be exhaustive and without limitations. The recommendations made by the study, based on the findings will be of value to environmental officers, environmental educationists, teachers and education policy makers involved with EE implementation in formal education. / Educational Studies / M. Ed.(Environmental Education)

Thesis (MTech (Education))--Peninsula Technikon, 2003 / This research study is mainly based on the third learning outcome for Technology Education which requires the learners to be able to demonstrate an understanding of interrelationships between science, technology, society and the environment. The purpose of the study is to investigate how Technology Teacher Training Programmes incorporate environmental aspects into technology education and how Technology educators facilitate learning in order to meet environmental requirements that are expressed as learning outcome 3 for Technology Education. In this study an attempt is made to encourage efforts that could lead to the development of new learning frameworks, integrated activities and learning programmes for the technology education curriculum. The study is set against the literature on integrated programmes for curriculum development in general and for environmental and technology education in particular. It also draws on literature that calls for partnerships and closer co-operation between institutions of higher learning and the world of work, on evaluation research and programme evaluation and on the role that could be played by service-learning in promoting attitudes and values that are necessary for the integration of environmental aspects into technology education. Using the naturalistic or qualitative evaluation approach and narrative data production methods in the context of teaching and learning, the lecturers in teacher education institutions and technology educators in schools were interviewed in order to find out how technology teacher education prepared technology educators for the workplace and how technology educators designed learning activities and facilitated learning in their technology classrooms. The curriculum documents for technology teacher education programmes were consulted and classroom observations also made. The research findings have indicated that technology educators find it difficult to integrate environmental education with technology education when teaching technology education and that technology teacher education programmes do not entirely prepare technology educators for the integration process that is required by the Revised National Curriculum documents of the Department of Education and Training.The study therefore calls for partnerships and collaborative efforts of higher education institutions, the Department of Education and Training and various environmental organizations in order to develop work integrated curricula that could enable technology educators to assist their learners to demonstrate an understanding of interrelationships between science, technology, society and the environment.

M.Ed. (Subject Didactics) / The awareness of the necessity to protect our natural environment is increasing, which is indeed promising. Despite this encouraging fact, it is tragically evident that mere awareness is not sufficient, as our world is going from bad to worse. It is therefore imperative to try and save our world: environmental education is one of the most efficient ways being used to save our earth. 'Die Witskrif vir Omgewingsopvoeding in Suid-Afrika' was published in 1989 by the South African government stating their acceptance of Environmental Education as essential for South Africa. Thus, Environmental Education needs to be implemented successfully into the formal, educational system of government schools in South Africa. Before the succesful implementation of Environmental Education, the teacher has to be thoroughly trained and prepared for this challenging task. This research takes a look at the level of knowledge and attitudes towards the natural, biophysical environment. This study is directed at three acute environmental problems namely: population explosion, the greenhouse effect and the depletion of the ozone layer. The sample tested comprised of fifty-eight students from three Afrikaans universities in Transvaal, preparing themselves to teach Biology in the near future.

D. Phil. (Education) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

M.Ed. / Following the ascendance to power of a democratically elected government in South Africa, many things had to be restructured to fit the realities of the time. Education was one of the areas where many changes occurred. The previous education system was replaced with a new system dubbed Curriculum 2005. The new system was outcomes based. Environment is one of the themes included in the new education curriculum which was not in the previous education system. Environment is a cross-curricular theme in the new education system which means it is taught in all the learning areas. Each educator or teacher is expected to integrate the theme in their areas of specialisation. This has compelled the government departments, institutions of higher learning and NGOs to retrain teachers to cope with this challenge. The implementation of Curriculum 2005 is in its third year now. Despite the training efforts that has been put in, teachers still find it difficult to cope with. This study explores the causes of the problems experienced in the formal education system in an attempt to implement EE. Chapter one.(1) outlines the problem and claims that teachers' problems in implementing EE in schools in South Africa emanates from their training. It also outlines the social problems associated with the current problems in formal education if they are not checked. The chapter concludes that it in important for the study to be undertaken so as to isolate the problems that stifle the progress in implementing this theme. Chapter two (2) reviews existing literature in teacher education, theories of learning and environmental education. The links between community education are also reviewed. The chapter attempts to establish whether the existing theory is considered in the practice of EE. An array of problems are revealed as contributing to the current problems affecting the implementation of EE in schools in South Africa and worldwide. The chapter concludes that there is a gap between theory and practice. In chapter three (3) an attempt is made to collect data from the field using four methods namely: oral interview, group focus interview, document analysis and observation. The chapter elaborates how this was done and how the relevant data was collected in order to support or refute the claim made in chapter one. In chapter four (4), data is categorised, coded and analysed. The data is then discussed. It is discovered that field data strongly supports literature reviewed in chapter two (2). The chapter concludes that there are problems that hinder the effective implementation of EE in formal education in South Africa and makes a number of recommendations to be implemented urgently for the situation to be arrested.

M.Ed. / The "hands off' kind of culture by South Africans towards the Environment is a serious concern. However it is encouraging to see that attempts are being made to improve the situation. The Environment and Environmental Education (EE) are receiving some attention in the formal education sector lately. The preservice (PRESET) sector of colleges of education was targeted by this study. This sector comprises teacher educators and teacher designates, it is on the basis of that, that their views were solicited in this attempt of making proposals for and EE curriculum framework for preservice teachers. These important stakeholders' views and expectations were used in making proposals for this Junior Primary Teachers Diploma (JPTD) EE curriculum framework. Essentially the content of such a curriculum framework should help in enviromnentalizing prospective teachers. The literature reviewed indicated that many countries of the world are engaged in the exercise of institutionalizing EE. This matter is receiving attention globally. Local and overseas initiatives have put EE in the forefront of educational discourse. Even though, there is still a lot of ground to be covered before EE can be viewed as having made significant impact in school systems. Indications are that, globally there is still a shortage of properly trained environmental educators. Colleges of Education in the Free State have to double efforts in addressing this problem_ Visits and interviews with Environmental studies lecturers at three (3) colleges of education in the Free State revealed disturbing inconsistencies. Great care was taken when proposals were made. The dictates and stipulations of outcomes based education (OBE) and curriculum 2005 were carefully considered. The proposals for JPTD EE curriculum framework were grounded on the latest trends in education. Flowing from that, this study views environmental educators as facilitators, not dispensers of knowledge. Learners should be enabled to construct knowledge by thinking and doing. Cross-curricular, interdisciplinary and integrated approach is viewed as critical in this study. Teaching and learning should be viewed from and environmental perspective. The success of the proposed EE curriculum framework for JPTD is dependent on colleges' preparedness to undergo fundamental changes. Management and lecturers have to facilitate this paradigm shift, so that permeation of subjects in the curriculum by EE can be implemented. This context compatible EE curriculum framework allows a large degree of flexibility for the colleges to determine how learners achieve specific and critical outcomes. Continuous assessment (CA) and assessment criteria, which take range statements and performance indicators into consideration, are acceptable. Lecturers' discretion is critical in this aspect; rigidity and prescriptions have been avoided. Recommendations by the following instances were carefully considered: Committee On Teacher Education (COTEP). Environmental Education Curriculum Initiative (EECI). Environmental Education Association of South-Africa (EEASA). South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA). National Qualification Framework (NQF). Colleges of education in the Free State are faced with the challenge of im

This research report describes an investigation that involved the collaborative participation of teachers in the redevelopment of parts of the Junior Secondary General Science syllabus. The redevelopment tried to implement environmental education as an innovation. There are two central assumptions that the investigation has made. The first assumption is that the the present Junior Secondary General Science syllabus lacks environmental relevance and therefore the pupils are inadequately prepared to deal with environmental problems. The introduction of a curriculum innovation like environmental education has the potential to bring greater environmental relevance to the syllabus. The second is that such an innovation can be more successfully implemented at schools if it involves the collaborative participation of teachers in the redevelopment of the syllabus. This assumption is made since evidence suggests that curriculum change can be a process of social reconstructive process when it takes place in situ and where teachers and pupils reshape the curriculum in the classroom as the teaching and learning progresses. An action research approach was selected since it is compatible with collaborative teacher, participation in curriculum development. The research design involved three parallel case studies: 1. Clermont Zone, 2. Durban Teachers Centre, 3. Edgewood College. The research confirmed that the Junior Secondary General Science syllabus is perceived by teachers to lack environmental relevance; that teachers, while initially resisting participation in the curriculum development process, were willing to participate if it revolved around their curriculum problems. Significant features of collaborative teacher participation in curriculum development seem to be the co-creation of context by the teachers, the need for institutional support, the production of curriculum materials and the need for networking and intercontextual dialogue. Teachers initially had limited curriculum development skills which needed to be developed. This research process has implications for practical actions 'to enable' the transformation of existing curriculums, and assisting the development of a more democratic and effective education system.

This study was aimed at evaluating the interdisciplinary nature of environmental education within the colleges of education in Bophuthatswana. Data collection was based on semi-structured interviews with college lecturers and, to a lesser extent, on observations during a workshop with environmental educators from Bophuthatswana. Knowledge was gained about college related factors which influence the varying extent to which environmental education is being implemented within the colleges of education. Lecturers' understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of environmental education and related concepts was explored. Insights were also gained into problems of implementation which included lecturers' limited understanding of the concept of interdisciplinarity, structural ambiguities, limited training and experience, and a lack of clarity in both local and international literature on environmental education concepts and terms. Specifically the study sought to illuminate the dichotomy between theory and practice, the conflict between the dominant curriculum paradigm and the new emerging paradigm, and tensions between the interdisciplinary nature of environmental education and subject-based disciplines, which lead to problems of implementation. The study could make an important contribution to the current curriculum debate on environmental education in South Africa by illuminating the dichotomy between the theory and the practice of environmental education, and the problems involved in translating interdisciplinary approaches into workable classroom practices within discipline based curriculum structures.

This study examines the extent to which teachers in Senior Primary Schools who have obtained a professional qualification in Environmental Education, implement Environmental Education in their schools. It also explores factors which influence the implementation of Environmental Education at the Senior Primary School. Teachers who had qualified from Tlhabane and Hebron Colleges of Education were interviewed as were the principals of their schools and some of the lecturers who had taught them Environmental Education. The implementation of Environmental Education was addressed by means of comparing the teacher's responses with Primary Environmental Education Teacher Competencies as suggested by Glasgow and Robinson (1986) and Lahiry et al (1988). The information was deduced from the teachers responses from semi-structured interviews and were qualitatively analysed.

The introduction of Environment Study (ES) into the Junior Primary (JP) phase of the school was to facilitate the young learners' development of a sense of place, time and social identity. ES is important in the JP phase because it introduces pupils to the world around them and the environmental issues that affect their lives. ES in the JP phase can also provide pupils with the basic knowledge for survival in a changing world. ES in the JP phase is primarily designed to aid the pupils' development of a sense of identity. As with geography, it is concerned with space, place and time; and these are the criteria that should be taken into consideration in developing the child's sense of identity. Implementation of ES is largely influenced by the expertise and experience of the teachers, which will, in turn, influence their interpretation of the ES syllabus. The goals of ES require teachers to be able to use a variety of teaching strategies and to develop and use a variety of teaching resources. This study investigates existing ES programmes in a number of selected schools in the Cape, DET and Transkei in order to establish the extent to which pupils' developing sense of time, place and social identity are taken into consideration. Observations and interviews were conducted to assess the current ES syllabi for the Cape, DET and Transkei schools in relation to Catling's (1987) criteria; and to evaluate existing ES programmes in the six selected schools in the Grahamstown, Umtata and Mqanduli districts to ascertain the extent to which they met Catling's criteria. The results reveal that in all the Education Departments' syllabi, pupils' needs to developing a sense of time, place and social identity, as suggested by Catling's (1987) criteria, were considered only to a limited extent. Even in the syllabi where these were developed, it was by mere coincidence. Secondly, the programmes in the different schools observed did not meet Catling's criteria sufficiently, because the teachers were ignorant of Catling's criteria. Conclusions are drawn and recommendations made for teachers' awareness of Catling's criteria to be promoted, so that teachers can apply these in their teaching of ES; and for both Cape and Transkei ES programmes in the JP phase to be revised.