HOW

1
HOW GREEN ARE OUR PROSPECTIVE TEACHERS?A
COMPARATIVE LEBANON/AUSTRALIA STUDY
Barend VlaardingerbroekAmerican University of
Beirut, LebanonT.G. Neil TaylorUniversity of
New England, Australia
2
WHATS THE BIG DEAL ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL
EDUCATION?

• Environmental issues of global concern such as
  Greenhouse/climate change, pollution, sustainable
  use of resources
• Environmental knowledge and positive attitudes
  can translate into environmentally responsible
  behaviour
• Environmental studies are interdisciplinary, not
  just Science can act as a focal point for
  many topics in various school subjects
• 1998 educational reforms in Lebanon brought
  environmental studies into the sciences, also
  Geography and Civics

3

• Environmental education is not just about
  including environmental units in Science
  curricula but about infusing an environmental
  focus into the entire school curriculum from
  Grade 1 to Grade 12.
• All teachers, primary and secondary, whatever
  their subject specialisation, should have some
  knowledge of environmental matters.

4
BROAD AIM OF THE STUDY

• To compare the environmental knowledge
  attitudes of prospective Lebanese Australian
  teachers.
• What knowledge? Global issues
• National issues
• What attitudes?
• Towards environmentally responsible behaviour.
• Towards environmental education.
• Why Australian?
• An arbitrary yardstick using a country where
  environmental issues enjoy a high public profile
  where environmental education is highly
  developed.

5
THE SAMPLES

• Lebanon All available AUB LAU Education
  degree diploma students in their final semester
  of study for that qualification.
• AUB LAU students follow academic programmes
  very similar to those of their counterparts in
  Australia.
• Received sample was 87 of which 5 were men ?.
• Age range 20 47 but mostly below 25.
• 43 studying to be primary teachers mostly through
  the B.A. (Elem. Educ.)
• 44 doing the T.D. (Secondary) Science, Maths,
  Lang/Lit, Economics, Art.

6

• Australia All available UNE students in their
  final year of study for a B.Ed., B.T. (taken as a
  second degree alongside a subject degree), or
  PGDE.
• gt150 eligible participants so a subsampling
  routine was used to create an Australian
  reference group of 87 matched with the Lebanese
  sample by destination level (primary/secondary),
  gender, and age.

7
THE INSTRUMENT

• Questionnaire filled in under supervised
  conditions
• Sections
• Personal variables, personal level of interest in
  these issues
• Knowledge of Global Environmental Issues test 15
  MCQ items
• National Environmental Issues awareness item
• Attitudes Towards Environmental Issues 10 Likert
  items 5 on general issues targeting
  environmental behaviour 5 on environmental
  education

8
LEVELS OF PERSONAL INTEREST IN ENVIRONMENTAL
ISSUES
Very interested Slightly interested Not interested
Lebanese 43 53 5
Australian 40 57 2
X2 0.89 NSD ?
9
KNOWLEDGE OF GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES TEST
Mean SD t

Lebanese primary 50 15
Australian primary 64 11 5.07 plt0.01 ?

Lebanese secondary 49 18
Australian secondary 72 12 7.27 plt0.01 ?

All Lebanese 50 16
All Australian 68 12 8.70 plt0.01 ?
10

• For the Lebanese students, there was no
  statistically significant difference between LAU
  and AUB, between primary and secondary, or
  between science and non-science students
• The sample was remarkably homogeneous with
  respect to these variables.

11
KNOWLEDGE TEST ITEM ANALYSES

• Which of the following gases contributes the
  most to the Greenhouse Effect?
• (a) sulphur dioxide (SO2) (b) carbon dioxide
  (CO2)
• (c) methane (CH4) (d) chlorofluorocarbons or
  CFCs
• Correct Lebanese 68, Australian 51
• Most common error (d) Leb 26, Aus 33 ?
• (2) Which of the following processes contributes
  the most to global warming?
• (a) farming practices
• (b) burning of fossil fuels
• (c) refrigeration technology
• (d) nuclear electricity generation
• Correct Lebanese 67, Aus 89 ?

12

• (3) Which of the following best explains the
  rising of sea levels due to global warming?
• (a) increased rainfall (b) expansion of water as
  it warms
• (c) melting of polar ice (d) increased flooding
  of rivers
• Correct Lebanese 66, Australian 95 ?
• (4) Which of these human diseases is most likely
  to become more common because of ozone layer
  depletion?
• (a) skin cancer (b) asthma
• (c) heart attacks (d) leukaemia
• Correct Lebanese 93, Australian 97 ?

13

• (5) The use of unleaded petrol reduces
• (a) atmospheric heat retention
• (b) ground-level ozone production
• (c) the incidence of human respiratory diseases
• (d) the incidence of human nervous system
  disorders
• Correct Lebanese 13, Australian 9 ?
  but also ?
• Most common error for Leb (b) 38 Aus (c)
  39
• (6) Acid rain is mainly caused by gases
  released by
• (a) the rotting of organic wastes (b) petrol and
  diesel engines
• (c) the burning of coal for electricity
  generation
• (d) aerosol spray cans
• Correct Lebanese 36, Australian 55
• Most common error (b) Leb 37, Aus 30
  ?

14

• (7) The main source of pollution of rivers and
  lakes is
• (a) the flow of fertilisers and animal wastes
  from farmland
• (b) the dumping of toxic wastes by factories
• (c) the pumping of raw sewage by cities
• (d) the throwing of litter and rubbish
• Correct Lebanese 9, Australian 49
• Most common error for Leb (b) 69 ?
• (8) The removal of forest cover contributes to
• (a) both desert formation and the increased
  flooding of rivers
• (b) desert formation, but not the increased
  flooding of rivers
• (c) the increased flooding of rivers, but not
  desert formation
• (d) neither desert formation nor the increased
  flooding of rivers
• Correct Lebanese 52, Australian 45 ?

15

• 9) The main reason for the removal of tropical
  hardwood tree species in developing countries is
• (a) to create more land for agriculture.
• (b) to clear land for building cities.
• (c) to make money by exporting the timber.
• (d) to provide wood for local housing.
• Correct Lebanese 18, Australian 45
• Most common error for Leb (b) 54, Aus (a)
  31 ?

16

• (10) Which of the following describes what
  eventually happens when a heavy metal such as
  mercury enters food chains by being absorbed by
  plants?
• The metal will kill the plants quickly and not
  enter the bodies of herbivores or carnivores as
  it will be returned to the soil
• (b) The metal will occur in approximately equal
  concentrations in the bodies of the plants and
  the local herbivores and carnivores
• (c) The metal will occur in low concentrations in
  the plants, higher concentrations in local
  herbivores, and even higher concentrations in
  local carnivores
• (d) The metal will occur in high concentrations
  in the plants, lower concentrations in local
  herbivores, and even lower concentrations in
  local carnivores
• Correct Lebanese 37, Australian 47
• Most common error (d) Leb 25, Aus 28 ?

17

• (11) Which of the following is a renewable
  resource?
• (a) oil (b) wood
• (c) iron ore (d) uranium
• Correct Lebanese 37, Australian 78
• Most common error for Leb (c) 37 ?
• (12) Which of the following is biodegradable?
• (a) paper (b) nylon
• (c) steel (d) glass
• Correct Lebanese 62, Australian 100 ?

18

• (13) Which of the following substances present in
  domestic garbage glass, steel cans, and paper
  are recyclable?
• (a) all of them are recyclable
• (b) glass and steel cans are recyclable, but
  paper is not
• (c) glass and paper are recyclable, but steel
  cans are not
• (d) steel cans and paper are recyclable, but
  glass is not
• Correct Lebanese 75, Australian 90 ?
• (14) Which of these would be considered a
  hazardous waste?
• (a) car battery (b) plastic packaging
• (c) spoiled food (d) empty beer cans
• Correct Lebanese 57, Australian 87 ?

19

• (15) The most common reason why many animal
  species have become extinct over the past hundred
  years is
• (a) global climatic change
• (b) human activity destroying their habitats
• (c) hunting and trapping by people
• (d) poisoning by agricultural sprays
• Correct Lebanese 56, Australian 87 ?
• The Lebanese students appeared to lag behind
  their Australian counterparts fairly consistently.

20
NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

• Open itemNumber of Lebanese students raising
  national issues 16. Total 19.

domestic refuse lack of recycling noise
coastal water pollution
Number of Australian students raising national
issues 26. Total 43.
soil salinity climate change river degradation
waste disposal energy generation mining
dune preservation reef degradation erosion
nuclear wastes exotic species introduction
21

• Australian students as a group appeared to have a
  much broader perspective on national
  environmental issues. The issues raised by the
  Lebanese students focused on very visible
  problems in their immediate vicinity.

22
ATTITUDES TOWARDS ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY

1. Government and civic authorities should take
   strong measures to discourage city people from
   driving their cars to work, such as having
   inner-city car-free zones and providing more
   public transport.

Lebanese Australian
XXXXXXXXXXX SA XXXXXXX
XXXXXX A XXXXXXXXX
XX U XX
X D XX
SD
23
ATTITUDES TOWARDS ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY

1. People should not be expected to change their
   lifestyles for the sake of the environment.

Lebanese Australian
XXXXXXXXXX SD XXXXXXXX
XXXXXX D XXXXXXXXXX
X U X
XX A X
X SA
24
Special taxes should be levied on polluting
industries and the money thus raised used to
clean up the environment.
ATTITUDES TOWARDS ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY
Lebanese Australian
XXXXXXXXXXXX SA XXXXXXXX
XXXXX A XXXXXXXX
X U XXX
D X
X SD
25
Alternatives to fossil fuel-fired electricity
generation should be developed even if the cost
of electricity rises as a result.
ATTITUDES TOWARDS ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY
Lebanese Australian
XXX SA XXXXX
XXXXXXXX A XXXXXXXXXX
XXXX U XXXX
XXX D X
X SD
26
Civic authorities should force people to sort
their household garbage by recycling category by
refusing to collect their garbage if they do not
do so.
ATTITUDES TOWARDS ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY
Lebanese Australian
XXXXXXXXXXXX SA XXXX
XXXXXX A XXXXXXXXXX
XX U XXX
X D XX
SD
Lebanese students as a group seemed less willing
to make personal sacrifices for the environment
than did the Australian students (Items 2 and 4)
?
27
Environmental issues should have a high profile
in school curricula, and not only in Science
curricula.
ATTITUDES TOWARDS ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY
Lebanese Australian
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXX SA XXXXXX XXXXXX
XXXXX XXXXX A XXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXX
X X U XX XX
D X X
SD
28
Teachers should act as role models for their
students with regard to their attitudes and
behaviour towards the environment.
ATTITUDES TOWARDS ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY
Lebanese Australian
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX SA XXXXXXXXXXXX
XXX A XXXXXXXX
U X
D
SD
29
School environmental education does not have any
real impact on students future environmental
attitudes and behaviour.
ATTITUDES TOWARDS ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY
Lebanese Australian
XXXXXXXXXX SD XXXXXXXX
XXXXX D XXXXXXXXXX
X U XX
XX A X
XX SA
30
Environmental awareness and positive behaviour
towards the environment should be regarded as
desired outcomes of schooling that are just as
important as other social and ethical objectives
of schooling.
ATTITUDES TOWARDS ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY
Lebanese Australian
XXXXXXXXXXX SA XXXXXXX
XXXXX A XXXXXXXXXXX
X U XX
D
SD
31
Schools should include and enforce rules about
student behaviour towards the environment
alongside rules about student social conduct.
ATTITUDES TOWARDS ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY
Lebanese Australian
XXXXXXXXXXXX SA XXXX
XXXXXXX A XXXXXXXXXXX
X U XXX
D XX
SD
Lebanese students were very positive about
environmental education on the whole ? but were a
little more likely to be sceptical about its
impact ?
32
CORRELATION BETWEEN THE TWO ATTITUDE AREAS
MEASURED

• This involved converting responses to scores and
  correlating subtotals for Items 1 5 and Items 6
  10.
• Correlation coefficients for Lebanese 0.51 plt0.0
  1
• for Australian 0.60 plt0.01
• for all 0.57 plt0.01
• This finding suggests that pre-service teachers
  who harbour more assertive attitudes towards
  environmentally responsible behaviour are also
  likely to exhibit more positive views of the role
  of schools in fostering environmental awareness
  and responsibility.
• There were no statistically significant
  correlations between attitude scores knowledge
  scores (no surprise the relationship between
  knowledge attitudes is an elusive one).

33
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR TEACHER EDUCATION

• There is an overall need to raise trainee
  teachers awareness of environmental issues.
• Our teachers-to-be learn about environmental
  issues at school but anecdotal evidence suggests
  that these topics are often treated somewhat
  cursorily. Better integration with examination
  syllabi would improve this situation.

34
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR TEACHER EDUCATION

• We suggest that any student enrolled in a
  pre-service Education programme should be obliged
  to enrol in an environmental science or ecology
  course. There is already a mandatory science
  requirement for the B.A. in Education a
  compulsory elective in the Teaching Diploma that
  could be redirected towards environmental
  studies. Ideally there could be an Environmental
  Studies for Teachers akin to the existing
  Science for Elementary Teachers course. Such a
  course should make a point of focusing on
  national as well as global environmental issues,
  particularly those less visible ones that are
  outside the urban areas.
• In-service teacher education also needs to
  address environmental inclusions in the
  curriculum, not just in Science.