A Comparative Study on Pre-Service Teachers' and Elementary Students' Attitudes towards the Environment

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to assess Turkish elementary school students' and pre-service teachers' environmental attitudes, and to explore whether there was a significant difference in the attitudes towards the environment of the above mentioned two groups. Data was gathered by circulating a 45-item ‘Environmental Attitude Questionnaire’ to a total of 1235 6th, 7th and 8th grade students, and 334 pre-service teachers. The results indicated that participants of this study accepted that environmental pollution is a serious problem of our times and it will not diminish in the future. Also they are aware of individual responsibilities in finding solutions for environmental problems. A similar conclusion, however, cannot be drawn when the attitudes towards solutions for the environmental problems are of concern. The findings also demonstrated that pre-service teachers and elementary school students significantly differed in their attitude towards the environment.