Environmental Education in Delta State: a Survey of Current Practices and Priorities.
CHAPTER ONE
PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The study intends to create a holistic environmental consciousness and awareness in student as a key to future participation in community action, decision-making and problem solving in issues of environment. Such is a step towards future sustainable development among selected secondary school students of Delta State District.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
In this chapter two, literatures were reviewed based on the following topics which include; The concept of Environmental Education, global trend of environmental education, Goals and objectives of environmental education Present State in Nigeria, Challenges of Environmental Education, Methods of Teaching Environment Education, Place of environmental education in Nigeria education curriculum, Infusion strategy of Environmental Education (EE) in Nigeria Education system ,Pathway in actualizing eco-friendly behavior in Nigeria through environmental education.
THE CONCEPT OF ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION
It is a process of imparting awareness an adequate knowledge about the problems and function of the environment, how to use it wisely and proffer solutions the current environmental problems. (Abubakar; 2010) opined that the concept is concerned with the ‘analysis of the nature, causes and consequences of the current environmental issues.” (Akintunde; 2008) defined environmental education as “the expansion of the study of ecology; a branch of biology dealing with the interrelationship of living organisms with one another and with their surroundings. Therefore, the fundamental role of environmental education (E.E.) is to give concrete awareness about the environment and how to use it for sustainable development. (Abubakar; 2010) outline the objectives of environmental education as follows:
- Awareness :- To help social groups and individuals acquire an awareness and sensibility to the total environment and its allied problems and/or issues.
- Sensitivity:- To help social groups and individuals gain a variety of experience in, and acquire a basic understanding of the environment and its associated problems and/or issues.
- Attitude:- to help social groups and individuals to acquire a set of values and feeling of concern for the environment and motivation for actively participating in environmental improvement and protection.
- Skills;- to help social groups and individuals acquire skills for identifying and solving environmental problems and/or issues.
- Participation:- to provide social groups and individual with an opportunity to be actively involved at all levels in working toward, resolution of environmental problems/or issues.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Introduction
This chapter consists of research design, population, sample size and sampling techniques, research instruments, validity and reliability of the instruments, data collection and data analysis procedures.
Research design
The study employed both qualitative and quantitative strategies. Qualitative approach allowed the researcher to get in-depth information from respondents using one to one interviews and focus group discussions. Quantitative methods of data collection also made the researcher get data which was presented using frequencies and pie charts.
Population of the study
The main target population of the study was secondary school students. It was from this population that one hundred (100) secondary school students were selected from four (4) schools that were picked. However, teachers were also targeted from which thirty-two (32) were interviewed and four (4) school principals.
CHAPTER FOUR
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Introduction
This chapter deals with the presentation of research findings from the field on environmental Education in schools towards sustainable development. Therefore, the researcher presented data using the objectives as well as the corresponding research questions. Diagrams such as pie charts and tables were used to present data especially quantifiable data. Qualitative data however, was presented in prose and verbatim.
Data Presentation and Analysis
One Hundred (100) copies of the questionnaire were distributed. It was based on the one Hundred (100) copies of the questionnaire that the data was presented and analyzed. The gender and residential areas of the respondents are shown in table1.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Summary
Environmental education, awareness, knowledge, and attitude at school and community levels, the environment continues to be polluted and degraded. Waste management still remains a challenge in urban areas and deforestation in rural areas continues being rife. Surface and ground waters as well as soils are contaminated and the air is polluted. It is against this background that this study was conceived to produce critical reliable knowledge embodying the clear and better explanation on environmental education as tool for sustainable development. Indeed, environmental awareness programmes in schools although, were to a larger extent found to be there, were not very viable.
Conclusion
The objectives of this study were to evaluate the students’ understanding of environmental sustainable development in secondary schools, determine the availability and viability of environmental awareness programmes and identify challenges faced by secondary schools in carrying out environmental awareness. The study revealed that secondary school students’ understanding of environmental issues towards sustainable development was found to be averagely low and that was so because issues of sustainable development were not very well spelt out and encouraged in schools. However, the general understanding of environmental issues was above average because apart from learning about environmental issues from electronic and print media, students also learnt these issues in class in such subjects as Social studies , Basic science and Agricultural Science.
Recommendations
There are many recommendations that can be made to raise environmental awareness in schools.
The following are the recommendations, some of which came from the respondents themselves:
- There is need to design and develop relevant environmental programmes for schools through the media, entertainment and workshops. Schools need to liaise with other interest groups such as non-profit making organisations dealing with environmental issues to collectively contribute to a healthy environment. This however, should also be backed by government efforts and guidelines.
- Training of educators to teach environmentally orientated approaches in colleges should be promoted.
- Integrate the principles of environmental education and sustainable development programmes at Pre-service and in-service teacher education. This would equip trainee teachers with environmental knowledge.
REFERENCES
- Abubakar, U.I. (2010). Teaching environmental education through Geography studies in senior secondary school. The Dulbuni Journal of Educational Research, 1(4), 176-183
- Adams, W.M. (2006). The Future of Sustainability: Re-thinking Environment and Development in the Twenty-first Century. London: Earth scan Publishers.
- Ajiboye. J.O. and Oyetade, E.M. (2005) Environmental education in Nigeria Teach education curriculum. Nigeria Journal of social States 1(2),52-58.
- Akintude, S.A. (2008). Environmental education and sustainable development in Nigeria; in J.S, Babatolu and G. Ikuejube (Ed). Perspective on contemporary socio-political and environmental Issues in Nigeria. Ibadan:- Alafas Nigeria Company. IP.
- Bruntland Report. (1987). Report of the WCED.United Nations General Assembly, 96thplenary meeting, 11 December 1987.
- Cheremisinoff, N. and Bendavid-val, A. (2001).Green Profits. The managers environmental handbook. Burlington: Butterworth-Heinemann.
- Dale, A and Hill, S. (2001). At the edge: Sustainable Development in 21st Century. Vancouver: UBC Press.
- Deakin University Press.Cowell, K. (1999). Research Designs: Qualitative and Quantitative Research. Colorado: Mc Crawl.
