Jérémy Castéra

Teachers’ conceptions of the environment: anthropocentrism, non-anthropocentrism, anthropomorphism and the place of nature

Analyses of attempts to prevent the worsening of environmental problems on Earth often identify two key lines of critique about contemporary school curriculum: first, its role in entrenching anthropocentrism as the dominant paradigm for people-environment relations, and then, also compounding this, their combined role in furthering a loss of connection with nature. However, those who advance such critiques do not always acknowledge that teachers perceive and enact curriculum in a variety of ways, including resisting these possible outcomes or rejecting such conceptions, be that in relation to schooling in general, or environmental sustainability as a particular focus for curriculum policy and activities. In light of this, our paper focuses on the substance and significance of teachers’ conceptions of anthropocentrism and related constructs to curriculum, drawing on a range of theoretically- and empirically-based insights. First, we consider the literatures of environmental ethics and eco-philosophy to examine why dominant readings of nature and anthropocentrism are contested, and how this plays out in education, including for curriculum making. Then, within this context, we present results of a quantitative study of 201 inservice and preservice teachers in Australia, drawing on responses to selected items from the ‘BIOHEAD-Citizen’ questionnaire. Our findings illustrate a range of anthropocentric and non-anthropocentric conceptions of the environment, illuminating their relation to both consistent and contrasting findings on related concepts of anthropomorphism, and attitudes towards nature and environment. As our analysis shows, the teachers’ responses cluster into four ‘groups’ of conceptions, which illustrate a range of anthropocentric possibilities, typically related to negative attitudes to nature and environment, and non-anthropocentric ones, usually related to positive attitudes to nature and environment, particularly when combined with anthropomorphism. Given the links between non-anthropocentrism and pro-environmental behaviours, and the significance of educators’ ecoliteracy for advancing action on unsustainability via curriculum (re)development established in previous research, we conclude our paper discussing the value and challenges of (i) fostering ecocentrism and (ii) facilitating nature experiences, via contemporary preservice teacher education.

Young Adults’ Belief in Genetic Determinism, and Knowledge and Attitudes towards Modern Genetics and Genomics: The PUGGS Questionnaire

In this paper we present the development and validation a comprehensive questionnaire to assess college students’ knowledge about modern genetics and genomics, their belief in genetic determinism, and their attitudes towards applications of modern genetics and genomic-based technologies. Written in everyday language with minimal jargon, the Public Understanding and Attitudes towards Genetics and Genomics (PUGGS) questionnaire is intended for use in research on science education and public understanding of science, as a means to investigate relationships between knowledge, determinism and attitudes about modern genetics, which are to date little understood. We developed a set of core ideas and initial items from reviewing the scientific literature on genetics and previous studies on public and student knowledge and attitudes about genetics. Seventeen international experts from different fields (e.g., genetics, education, philosophy of science) reviewed the initial items and their feedback was used to revise the questionnaire. We validated the questionnaire in two pilot tests with samples of university freshmen students. The final questionnaire contains 45 items, including both multiple choice and Likert scale response formats. Cronbach alpha showed good reliability for each section of the questionnaire. In conclusion, the PUGGS questionnaire is a reliable tool for investigating public understanding and attitudes towards modern genetics and genomic-based technologies.