CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeiÃoamento de NÃvel Superior / A educaÃÃo à condiÃÃo-chave para a consciÃncia ambiental, ou seja, faz despertar nas pessoas a responsabilidade com a natureza e preocupaÃÃo com novas relaÃÃes comprometidas com o meio ambiente. Neste contexto, esta investigaÃÃo se propÃs realizar uma pesquisa-aÃÃo, na qual o enfermeiro insere-se na escola efetuando aÃÃes relacionadas à educaÃÃo ambiental num espaÃo de debate e crescimento coletivo com adolescentes. Objetivou-se promover um espaÃo crÃtico-reflexivo acerca da saÃde ambiental junto ao adolescente. Trata-se de um estudo descritivo-exploratÃrio, com abordagem qualitativa, realizado na Escola de Ensino Fundamental Manoel Pereira de Brito, pertencente à rede municipal de ensino, com sede em Bolso, no MunicÃpio de SÃo GonÃalo do Amarante- CearÃ, a qual localiza-se nas proximidades da proposta de implantaÃÃo de uma usina termelÃtrica a carvÃo mineral. A populaÃÃo do estudo foi composta por um grupo com dezessete adolescentes. O perÃodo da investigaÃÃo aconteceu de janeiro a setembro de 2009. Os instrumentos e procedimentos que foram utilizados foi observaÃÃo, diÃrio de campo, gravador e abordagem grupal. No primeiro encontro, foi utilizado o desenho estÃria com tema, tomando o seguinte eixo norteador: O que vocà entende como saÃde ambiental? Logo depois, fora apresentado pelos participantes o relato da estÃria do desenho. No segundo encontro, foi solicitado aos jovens que tirassem fotografias da sua regiÃo adjacente para descobrirmos na percepÃÃo deles o que seria saÃde ambiental para que, posteriormente, essas imagens fossem desencadeadoras da discussÃo, caracterizando-se como fichas de cultura. No terceiro encontro, foi elaborada letras de mÃsicas, parÃdias ou poemas pelos alunos, sendo um produto das discussÃes no que se relaciona à saÃde ambiental. O quarto encontro foi elaborado a partir da avaliaÃÃo do terceiro, com a finalidade de formular no quinto encontro um folheto educativo. EntÃo, foi proposta uma aÃÃo grupal de reflexÃo de itens importantes que deveriam estar presentes neste folheto educativo. E, por fim, o quinto encontro, que foi o seguimento do quarto, sendo um processo avaliativo final, no qual os adolescentes fizeram um folheto sobre saÃde ambiental, contextualizado a comunidade local. A anÃlise dos dados foi baseada nas prÃticas discursivas das narrativas realizadas pelos participantes. O estudo foi submetido à apreciaÃÃo do Comità de Ãtica em Pesquisa da Universidade Federal do Cearà e aprovado na reuniÃo do dia 19 de dezembro de 2008, nÃmero do protocolo 252/08. Nessa pesquisa-aÃÃo, constatou-se que o enfermeiro pode ser um educador ambiental, inserir-se nesse espaÃo para proporcionar aos grupos discussÃes contextualizadas à realidade deles, favorecendo reflexÃes sobre relaÃÃes comprometidas com o socio-ambiental. Na pesquisa em enfermagem, à necessÃrio utilizar diferentes mÃtodos de coleta para explorar a tÃcnica grupal, pois permite uma troca mÃtua pelo estabelecimento do diÃlogo. O cuidado de enfermagem na saÃde ambiental à escasso, contudo, à uma Ãrea que precisa de intervenÃÃo, e o enfermeiro pode inserir-se por meio da promoÃÃo da saÃde em prol do bem-estar ecolÃgico e, consequentemente, humano.

<p> This study examined how adult guests to the California Science Center engage with a specific conservation education topic: sustainable seafood. Sustainable seafood is a common education message delivered in informal science institutions. This study also investigated whether engaging in an activity about sustainable seafood while simultaneously viewing live fish species would have a greater impact on guests than participating in the same activity while viewing a laboratory space. </p><p> The data showed that guests who participated in a hands-on activity about sustainable seafood knew more about conservation-related topics and were more likely to adopt behaviors conducive to sustainable seafood consumption than guests who participated in a different hands-on activity. The data also showed that the settings in which guests participate in this Sustainable Seafood activity do not influence their knowledge or behavior. This indicates that this Sustainable Seafood activity is effective in educating adult guests, regardless of the setting.</p><p>

D.Ed. / Numerous studies have been conducted regarding the interaction between human beings and the biophysical environment. They primarily sought to address the ever-increasing destructive behavior of human beings towards the biophysical environment. In Environmental Education, it is widely assumed that this destructive behavior is the result of a reductionist worldview, which separates human beings from nature. Environmental Education developed as a response towards this destructive interaction. Various Environmental Education models have been developed to understand and change the complex interaction between human beings and the biophysical environment. One such model was developed by Van Rooyen (2002). He identified, amongst others, two constituents that determine abovementioned interaction. The first is the individual self, and the second is the context within which the self functions. These two constituents are closely related. This study wants to contribute to this field by providing a deeper investigation of these two constituents. This is done through emphasis on the depth of experiencing, and through that the personal construction of meaning regarding the value of the biophysical environment. This deeper investigation will incorporate the personal worldview and psychological aspects of the individual. The psychotherapeutic centre, which is situated in a wilderness area, will provide the psychological milieu in which these psychological aspects are investigated. The investigation focuses on adult group work at the centre as a real life situation within which these constituents will be studied. In this study, activities for group work with adults are developed, where ecological principles are being used during therapeutic intervention to address the problems of patients who have been referred to the centre. The biophysical environment within which the centre is situated is used as an active component in the therapeutic process. These ecological principles which are being used are well known in the field of psychology to address personal problems. This study, though, wants to take it one step further, namely, to develop caring and respect for the biophysical environment. This is done through developing a better understanding of the interaction and relationship between human beings and the biophysical environment. This descriptive case study uses the individual responses of participants to monitor the experience and construction of meaning of the natural environment from a personal life context. A holistic open system approach to Environmental and Adult Education has been followed throughout the study, which assumes that each individual is part of a bigger system and that change of behavior towards the biophysical environment cannot be predicted or controlled. The assumption is also made that interaction with the biophysical environment is closely related and influenced by the personal context and problems of the individual. This study in Environmental Education uses the group work at a psychotherapeutic centre as the basis for Environmental Education for adults.

Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document / Thesis (DPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology / DPhil / Unrestricted

University sustainability is a field of research that has been gaining increased interest in recent years. The reduction of environmental impact has become a strategic objective of universities globally. Universities have been prompted to take necessary action to ensure that their environmental impact is at a minimum. The environmental component of sustainability deals with the current conservation of the earth’s natural resources so that future generations can also have access to them. Human beings, due to their increasing needs, are accountable for the exploitation of natural resources. They are regarded as the main contributors to imbalances in the natural systems. Environmental concerns such as global warming, deforestations, disposal of wastes, and ozone reduction are the outcomes of the damage caused by humans on the environment. The aim of environmental education is to acquire remediation of the environment by making individuals aware of the environment and by educating them about how to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Environmental awareness is perceived as knowledge of the factors that affect the environment and having sensitivity towards the environment. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) bear the responsibility of educating individuals about environmental issues since they provide education to future leaders in society who may have an influence on future conditions in the environment. Social media are capable of delivering information to a large spectrum of audiences at a low cost. The Pew Internet American Life Project reported that the number of adults who utilise social media has increased by 57 percent from 2005 to 2011. Several environmental activist organisations utilise social media to carry out environmental awareness campaigns. In this study two environmental awareness campaigns which were powered by social media were conducted to improve environmental awareness of individuals in a higher education environment. A Social media Model for ENvironmental Awareness (SMENA) was developed to facilitate the environmental awareness campaigns. The SMENA includes a website, social media as well as theoretical guidelines for creating environmental awareness campaigns, and for using social media for environmental awareness campaigns. A case study at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) was used to empirically evaluate SMENA. Students at the Department of Computer Sciences of NMMU were exposed to information about environmental issues through social media with the intention of improving their environmental knowledge and awareness. The SMENA website usability was rated positively and students enjoyed the blogs and information distributed by means of social media. The results of the study intervention were positive and showed that social media can be used to improve the environmental knowledge of students. This study provides a valuable contribution to both the field of environmental education and social media usage and acceptance. The guidelines and requirements for using social media to improve environmental awareness provided in this study can be used to assist educators and university management with addressing the problems of reducing environmental impact.

An impending environmental crisis has been predicted by many which has led to an increased awareness and concern regarding the ability of the planet to sustain human development. Furthermore, organisations expected to be leaders in society, such as businesses and Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), have been identified as some of the main drivers behind the ever increasing rate of destruction of the natural environment. Business schools have even been singled out as some of the main drivers behind the degradation of the natural environment by not addressing the knowledge gap of managers in this regard. Given this, the problem statement of this research is to determine how effective existing NMMU curricula are at shaping environmentally literate business graduates. The problem will be investigated from two perspectives. Firstly, from a supply side perspective - investigating the pro-environmental behaviours, ecological and business knowledge, „green‟ management skills and environmental values that students registered in the Business and Economics Sciences faculty at NMMU exhibit. Secondly, the problem will be investigated from a demand side perspective – investigating the pro-environmental behaviours, ecological and business knowledge, "green‟ management skills and environmental values that potential employers of NMMU students require. The focus will be on prospective employers in the mining and automotive industries. To address the problem to be investigated in this study a theoretical framework was developed and tested. This theoretical framework was based on the assumption that environmental literacy is measurable in terms of the behaviours of individuals towards the natural environment and that these behaviours are in turn dependent upon the ecological and business knowledge, "green‟ management skills and environmental values that the individual possesses. To test the theoretical framework an online survey was conducted amongst students registered in the Business and Economic Sciences Faculty at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU), while semi-structured personal interviews were used to assess the demand for environmentally literate business graduates in the mining and automotive industries. In total 308 business students participated in the online survey. The findings suggest that students are highly sensitive to moral issues pertaining to the natural environment and have a better understanding of traditional ecological concepts than "green‟ business concepts. It was also found that ecological and business knowledge had the greatest influence on pro-environmental behaviours followed by environmental values and "green‟ management skills. The findings of this study will be used to enhance environmental literacy in the faculty. In terms of the semi-structured personal interviews, the views of eight environmental experts in the South African mining industries were obtained. The general analytical procedure was applied to identify prominent themes which existed in the qualitative data. This involved developing codes and identifying data which related to those specific codes in order to provide a description of and provide some dimension to these codes. Codes were categorised according to their similarity to each other. The different categories identified were ecology, legal compliance, technology, environmental management, sustainable development, pollution and waste management, financial implications and corporate citizenship. Some of these themes were not entirely expected based on the literature review. These additional insights add depth to the analysis of environmental education in South Africa and highlight the gaps in environmental literacy literature. In terms of environmental literacy, these categories had implications for the knowledge, skills, values and behaviours of business graduates. From the findings of this study the researcher concluded that a certain level of enthusiasm for environmental education exists among NMMU students, as well as individuals in the mining and automotive industries in South Africa. However, the level of environmental literacy exhibited by students registered in the Business and Economic Sciences Faculty at NMMU (between nominal and functional) was not considered to be sufficient to operate effectively in the mining and automotive industries.

This study investigates how Canadian youth, nationally recognized as eco-civic leaders, perceive their own sense of agency and their capacity to effect ‘change.’ More specifically, this study explores how these youth are interpreting change (i.e., attitudinal, behavioural, social, political, etc.), and what their perspectives reveal about the relationship between school and community-based environmental learning experiences and their capacity to make change in society. This project explores the notion of ‘student agency’ as it relates to an emerging trend of environmental action learning aimed at active citizenship within the fields of environmental education (EE) and to a lesser extent, civics education. Drawing on different qualitative research methodologies, such as but not limited to narrative inquiry, 34 past recipients/finalists of the Toyota Earth Day Canada Scholarship participated in this study. I used three different dimensions of environmental action learning to construct the conceptual lens through which the findings were interpreted. My findings suggest a critical gap exists between how EE is widely practiced in Canadian schools (i.e., environmentally responsible stewarding), and how it is currently being taken up in recent EE policy and research (i.e., developing capacity to effect broader socio-ecological change). In turn, this research asserts that although we are cultivating ‘good stewards’ and ‘good citizens,’ we are not educating youth toward becoming ‘change agents.’ As such, the majority of youth in this study demonstrate an egocentric perception of their identity and capacity as young eco-civic leaders. Consequently, my research suggests that specific learning conditions, including youth and adults serving as co-participants in community-based action projects aimed at broader social, political, and environmental change, are important in the development of student agency.

Two major goals of managers of Rubondo Island National Park (Rubondo), Tanzania are to increase the number of international visitors to the Park (and thereby increase revenue generated) and to increase support for the Park among residents of nearby communities. I investigated species preferences among children living around Rubondo and the wildlife viewing preferences of international visitors to Tanzania in an attempt to identify flagship species that Park management could use in marketing and outreach campaigns designed to meet their goals. I also assessed local interest in visiting the Park. As local flagships for Rubondo, the Egyptian goose (Alopochen aegyptiacus ) and silver cyprinid (Rastrineobola argentea) appear to have the most potential among the species that I assessed (i.e., fish eagle [Haliaeetus vocifer], Egyptian goose, silver cyprinid, little egret [Egretta garzetta], sitatunga [Tragelaphus speki], genet [Genetta tigrina], monitor lizard [Varanus niloticus], spotted-necked otter [Lutra maculicollis], vervet monkey [Cercopithecus pygerythrus], crocodile [Crocodylus niloticus], hippopotamus [ Hippopotamus amphibius], giraffe [Giraffa camelopardalis ], and elephant [Loxodanta africana]). However, based on either range or limited aesthetic/behavioral appeal, I considered neither species useful as an international flagship. Among species on Rubondo included in investigations of potential international flagships for the Island (including the chimpanzee [Pan troglodytes], crocodile, elephant, giraffe, hippopotamus, vervet monkey, bushbuck, fish eagle, large-spotted genet, goliath heron [Ardea goliath], monitor lizard, sitatunga, and spotted-necked otter), few were concluded to have potential, either because participating visitors had limited "awareness" of and "interest" in viewing the species, local people had strong negative opinions of the species, the animals are not native to the Island, and/or the animals are more easily viewed in more readily-accessible locations. Local people generally had not visited Rubondo but wanted to visit. Not having visited the Park appeared to influence perceptions of the Park, wildlife tourism, and conservation among some participants. Recommendations for local and international marketing and outreach strategies for Rubondo are made based on the outcomes of the aforementioned investigations of local and international species preferences and interest in visiting the Park.

No description available.

Environmental Education (EE) has an overall goal of fostering eco-literate citizens who are capable of building a more sustainable planet (North American Association for Environmental Education, 2019). While EE is associated with a plethora of benefits, it is still not widely implemented in the field of education due to the many types of barriers as well as the complexity of EE content knowledge and skills. Professional Development (PD) in EE may be a viable way to increase effective implementation of EE, yet PD in EE is not widely attended or offered. It is, therefore, imperative that PD programs are designed in a way that will maximize the benefits for participants. This mixed methods case study examined the experiences of K-5 educators who attended a one-day, Everglades Literacy Teacher Training Workshop in order to understand the effective components of the workshop, changes in teacher content knowledge and self-efficacy, and experiences of teachers after the implementation of the Everglades literacy curriculum in their classrooms. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2021. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection