Gender,age and subject matter: impact on teachers’ ecological values

By means of environmental education, teachers are supposed to intervene in pupils’ awareness and concern of environmental issues. Teachers’ environmental attitudes, however, have rarely been studied. We analysed 367 German pre- and in-service teachers’ environmental attitudes for their structure and socio-economic correlates within the frame of a European project. Thus, we retrieved for adults the two-dimensional model of ecological values (2-MEV) presented for adolescents by Bogner and Wiseman (Sci Educ Int 15(1):27–48, 2004). For the two domains, Preservation and Utilisation, the psychometric structure was confirmed and discriminative correlations with age, gender and teaching subject were unveiled. Further research is needed to deduce the implications for teaching practice.     

Use of loglinear models to assess factors influencing concern for the natural environment

Since it is necessary to isolate the most significant factors influencing personal concern for the environment, this paper utilizes loglinear models for identifying the interactions and interrelationships underlying multidimensional environmental survey data. A field study in Guyana conducted face-to-face interviews with 1600 citizens. Acquired categorical data were then subjected to loglinear modeling techniques to determine what significance the factors education, age, residential location, and gender have on personal concern for the environment. The loglinear models obtained from the five-dimensional contingency table suggest that there is a direct relationship between education and personal concern for the environment. Age has an interaction with education, and some influence on environmental concern, with younger respondents expressing higher concern for the environment than older respondents. Other results from the loglinear model demonstrate that residential location and the gender of the respondents do not have any statistically significant association with personal concern for the environment.     

Environmental Education: Biodiversity

Environmental education was a principal topic on the agenda of the Stockholm 1972 Conference. In response to its recommendation UNESCO and UNEP developed and launched the International Environmental Education Program (IEEP) in 1977. Environmental education was perceived to encompass in-school and out-of-school activities and public awareness. Later developments added training to its objectives and the concept of sustainable development to its dimensions. The international Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) represented a phase in the world commitment to conservation of nature. It underpinned biodiversity in the fields of environmental education. Biodiversity education is based on five pivots: scale of boundaries (from local to worldwide), perspectives, goals, themes (vary according to actors), and assimilation (evaluation of programs of action). Directions relate to learners and teachers, and processes address: awareness, school education, education (and professional training) at tertiary level, roles of communication and media institutions.     

提高中学生素质应重视环境保护教育

环境问题是当今人类面临的一个突出问题,解决环境问题的关键在于提高公众环保意识,而加强青少年环境教育则是提高公众环保意识的基础.越来越多的事实和经验证明,环境教育和提高学生素质密切相关,它决定着这一代青少年文明道德水平和价值取向,因此,提高中学生素质教育应重视环境教育.     

番禺市民环境意识调查与评价研究

为了了解番禺市民环境意识的现状,把握市民环境意识的总体水平,探讨今后环境保护宣传教育的重点和方向,对番禺市21个镇区的市民的环境意识进行了抽样设想。从环境态度,环境行为,环境知识3个方面对市民的环境意识水平进行了评价,并对影响环境影响水平的个人因素进行了分析和综合评价。结果表明：现阶段番禺市民环境意识勉强进入中 等水平,而市民的环境态度已进入较高水平,环境知识为中等水平,环境行为为中等水平,市民的环境态度,环境行为,环境知识水平相互脱节,表现为意识先行,行为滞后。     

What is (responsible) consumption? Discussing environment and consumption with children from different socioeconomic backgrounds in The Netherlands

This research explores the attitudes of children from different socioeconomic backgrounds toward consumption with the aim of establishing a framework for incorporating the subject of (responsible) consumption into the upper elementary school curriculum. This study draws upon the four-step methodological procedure, including consumption diaries, focus-group sessions, interviews, and concept mapping, conducted among 140 upper elementary school children in the Netherlands between September 2010 and January 2011. The consumption diaries, chronological documents recording purchase, use and waste of materials, were used both as analytical tools and the means to stimulate environmental awareness. Comparison of the clusters generated by concept mapping analysis shows that there are significant differences between attitudes of children from different socioeconomic backgrounds. While pupils from the “well-to-do” predominantly ethnically Dutch schools showed greater awareness of and concern about their own consumptive patterns, children from less economically advantaged and ethnically mixed schools demonstrated lower environmental awareness and concern. However, children from the disadvantaged schools demonstrated more pro-environmental consumptive behaviors associated with the money-saving activities.     

Environmental Attitudes and Behavior of Primary and Secondary Students in Asian Cities: An Overview Strategy for Implementing an Eco-schools Programme

Environmental education is essential to the success of Agenda 21. Yet currently it is without focus and effectively side-lined. This paper presents the results of preliminary investigations on the environmental attitudes and knowledge of Indian and Filipino primary and secondary school students, and their readiness to engage in pro-environmental behavior that could involve some change in their personal lifestyle. For the most part, environmental education efforts are embedded mainly into various science subjects. The relationship between environmental education and environmental awareness is analyzed to examine whether schools' environmental education could contribute to the shaping of environmental attitudes. A strategy and accompanying methodology for establishing environmental education is supplied.     

探析绿色校园文化的环境教育功能--以中国环境管理干部学院为例

绿色校园文化在对大学生进行环境教育中具有重要作用。通过对中国环境管理干部学院的实证研究,提出高等学校可以从办学理念,办学特色等精神层面,从社团行动、教师行为、教学管理行为等行为层面,从校园基础设施、校园环境教育解说体系等物质层面三个方面对大学生进行环境教育。     

Youth environmental attitudes in Australia and Brunei: implications for education

This paper explores similarities and differences in the knowledge, beliefs and actions that comprise the environmental attitudes of senior secondary school students in Australia and Brunei. Utilising data from a wider international study in Asia and the Pacific (Yencken et al. , 2000), the paper uses findings from these two countries to illustrate the pervasiveness of global environmental concerns over local cultural influences in the construction of youth environmental attitudes in Australia and Brunei. Thus, young people in these countries, as they do in all parts of the Asia-Pacific region, have very similar levels of environmental awareness and knowledge, sources of environmental, beliefs, systems or world views about the environment, and levels of perceived control over environmental trends. They also have a shared desire for schools to do more in the area of environmental education. The paper concludes that much more effort needs to be made in certain areas. The first is to encourage teachers and others who have influence over young people to develop their own knowledge and skills to be able to teach environmental education effectively. The second is in the area of curriculum and pedagogical reform so that young people explore the many possible ways in which current systems can change to support sustainability, in which current lifestyles reflect these systems, and in which their own actions can contribute to a sustainable future.     

The effect of age,gender and marital status on residential satisfaction

ABSTRACT

Residential satisfaction is a vital component of individual quality of life which has been explored by researchers from different perspectives. This study takes the stance to investigate residential satisfaction from sociodemographic standpoints. The purpose is to contribute to further research on residential satisfaction by exploring specifically the impact of age, gender and marital status on overall residential satisfaction and in more detail with components of residential satisfaction of residents living in apartment buildings in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Quantitative analyses of a survey of 204 residents living 59 apartment buildings in Dhaka was conducted to examine whether there is any relation between residential satisfaction with age, gender and marital status of the apartment dwellers. This study also examined if these sociodemographic characteristics had a moderator effect on some of the key components of residential satisfaction. Primary findings indicate that there exists a significant relationship between residential satisfaction with age, gender, and marital status. Further analysis revealed that the “Married” group was more satisfied than the “Single/Never married” group, senior people tend to be more satisfied than are younger respondents and females were more satisfied than males concerning overall residential satisfaction. This study concludes that potential sociodemographic differences among households in apartment developments in Dhaka should be considered for effective residential satisfaction and to create a socially sustainable living environment.     

开展新形势下环境保护宣传教育工作的几点思考

环境保护事业在发展，宣传教育工作也要与时俱进。环境保护不仅是一门专业，更重要的是一个理念，是新的文明和新的文化形态。宣传这种理念需要一种无私的奉献精神，更需要一种有效的手段。在强化公众的环保意识的同时，更要针对领导干部、企业负责人、消费者等不同群体开展环保教育，建立宣传教育的配套机制，依托多元主体，进行各有侧重的环境保护宣传教育。     

汶川灾区居民环境意识现状与提升对策研究——以龙门山镇为例

以彭州市龙门山镇为例,实地调查、问卷调查与访谈相结合,从知识、态度和行为三个角度对灾后公众环境意识状况进行研究。当地居民环境知识水平普遍较低;对环境问题关注度较高,环境态度较好;环境行为差异较大。职业、性别、年龄和文化程度对环境意识影响主要体现在环境知识方面而对环保态度和环保行为影响不大。旅游业受地震破坏严重,灾后物资紧缺,环境教育应结合实际,针对学生、村民、公务员等不同人群分别采取对应措施。     

Public opinion and siting solid waste landfills in Kuwait

Siting municipal solid waste landfills in Kuwait had not considered public concerns about the location of such facilities. Kuwait Municipality has disposed urban waste in abandoned sand quarries for the past 20 years in an unplanned fashion. Due to this improper siting criteria, environmental and health problems have risen from old landfills that are located in residential areas. In an effort to help responsible decision-makers in assessing public support for siting landfills a structured, yet simple, questionnaire was designed and distributed to a random sample of heads of households. Statistical techniques were employed to examine trends and relationships between the sample public responses concerning landfill siting criteria. The findings of the research indicated that a significant percentage of the responding sample did not know about the various landfill impacts and less than 50% were aware of the negative impacts of landfills on the public health and the environment. The visual appearance of the landfill scored the lowest impact in the opinion of the sample public while the most important aspect in siting a landfill appeared to be its economic consideration. The research findings also directed attention to the important role that the media could play in increasing public awareness. Results from the cross-classification analysis demonstrated the existence of differences in awareness levels according to age, nationality, martial status, education, and occupation of the responding sample. Statistically, these differences were significant at the 95% significance level, as supported by the test of the χ-square.     

Environmental justice in Nigeria: A narration of residents’ experience in Ile-Ife

The sharing of environmental cost by residents in various residential areas in the developing world is perceived to be unfair. This study therefore assessed residents’ experiences of environmental justice in Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Three residential areas were identified in the study area and samples were selected using systematic sampling. Using availability and condition of urban infrastructure, severity of environmental problems and residents’ involvement in environmental issues, the study examined environmental justice in the study area. The study established a variation in environmental issues across identified residential areas. The severity of environmental problem measured through an index tagged Severity of Environmental Problem (SEPI) revealed that environmental problems was most severe in the core (SEPI = 4.00), followed by the peripheral area (SEPI = 3.71) and least in the transition area (SEPI = 3.56). On the condition of available environmental infrastructure, the study revealed that the conditions of infrastructure were most improved in the peripheral area (ICI = 3.07), followed by the core (ICI = 2.67) and the least in the transition area (ICI = 2.42). The study concluded that residents’ experiences of environmental justice differ significantly across the different residential zones as reflected by residents’ socio-economic characteristics. Furthermore, it established that age, gender, educational status, and number of years spent in the area can be used to explain the differences in residents’ experience of environmental justice in the study area. To enhance the liveability, the study recommends adequate provision of environmental amenities needed by each category of people in the city.     

Pressing the Local Account: a case study of meanings and responsibilities with regard to the local press and a local nature reserve

This case study concerns the effect of meanings and use of language by a local newspaper in relation to an environmental incident in a town in south-east England that will be called Woodbridge. It explores the implications of insensitive, or misleading, use of language over a four-month period towards the end of 1995 through recordings and observations made at the time. The event is explored through the eyes of a local teenager called Tim who was involved in a school environmental education research project and who became a key player in the developing out-of-school conflict. Although the account concerns a controversy that raged several years ago, it nevertheless raises general concerns regarding newspaper coverage of environmental issues at the local level, the tension between profits and reporting truth and the apparent lack of a medium- to long-term approach to environmental issues. All names are fictitious to ensure anonymity in what remains a sensitive memory.     

民族地区中学生环境意识调查与分析——以松潘中学生调查为例

鉴于目前对民族地区中学生环境意识的调查研究还十分缺乏,为了解他们的环境意识现状,以推动民族地区环境意识教育活动的开展。通过采用问卷调查的方法,对松潘县400名中学生环境意识现状进行了调查。调查结果发现,当地中学生整体环境意识水平中等、个体差异较大、环境保护行为水平中等偏低,＂知＂、＂意＂、＂行＂3部分之间存在脱节现象。...     

赤水河流域仁怀市生态保护态度与行为研究

通过调查问卷的形式探索了仁怀市赤水河两岸的村民在生态保护中的态度与行为。结果表明:沿赤水河两岸居住的部分村民的环保意识相对较低,居民的环保意识与所受教育程度有关,且居民了解环保知识的渠道单一,需要加强多渠道宣传;居民的日常生活和农耕对赤水河的污染较小,周围酒厂及小工厂的污染"贡献"较大。当地环保部门应该加强宣传,提高两岸居民的环保知识水平,减少生活污染,严格控制企业污染排放,减少工业污染,从而维护赤水河流域生态安全。     

加强中学生环境保护知识教育在教学中的实践

日趋严重的环境问题已成为世界性的问题,环境污染与人类生存、社会的发展和进步出现了尖锐的矛盾,已引起世界各国政府的高度关注。要解决环境问题,必须从教育入手,特别是在中小学中加强环境教育。怎样对学生进行环境教育呢？本文从三个方面进行了探讨,一是以讲座形式对学生进行环境教育;二是组织学生进行课外活动或参观;三是请有关专家对学生进行专题报告。学生通过这些活动可了解到化学物质对环境污染所造成的严重后果,了解到环境问题是和每个人息息相关的,保护环境是每个人义不容辞的责任,这将使中学化学教育在加强环境保护教育中起到应有的作用。     

Pressing the Local Account: A case study of meanings and responsibilities with regard to the local press and a local nature reserve

This case study concerns the effect of meanings and use of language by a local newspaper in relation to an environmental incident in a town in south-east England that will be called Woodbridge. It explores the implications of insensitive, or misleading, use of language over a four-month period towards the end of 1995 through recordings and observations made at the time. The event is explored through the eyes of a local teenager called Tim who was involved in a school environmental education research project and who became a key player in the developing out-of-school conflict. Although the account concerns a controversy that raged several years ago, it nevertheless raises general concerns regarding newspaper coverage of environmental issues at the local level, the tension between profits and reporting truth and the apparent lack of a medium- to long-term approach to environmental issues. All names are fictitious to ensure anonymity in what remains a sensitive memory.