Joy A. Palmer

Influences and Experiences Affecting the Pro‐environmental Behaviour of Educators

SUMMARY This paper examines the relative importance of various categories of influence and formative life experiences on the development of environmental educators’ knowledge and concern for the environment. The authors analyse the ways in which the importance of influences may change through time or be affected by the subjects age. Conclusions are drawn and discussed, including the crucial role of the family and of childhood experiences outdoors in promoting the development of concern for the environment and pro‐environmental adult behaviour.

An Overview of Significant Influences and Formative Experiences on the Development of Adults’ Environmental Awareness in Nine Countries

Summary This article, like the preceding one in this special issue of the journal, examines the relative importance of various categories of influence and formative life experiences on the development of environmental educators’ knowledge of and concern for the environment. It provides an overview of data deriving from nine countries (Australia, Canada, Greece, Hong Kong, Slovenia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Uganda, UK) and highlights global similarities and differences.

Significant Influences on the Development of Adults’ Environmental Awareness in the UK, Slovenia and Greece

Summary This article provides an overview and discussion of the relative importance of various categories of significant influences and formative life experiences on the development of environmental educators’ knowledge of and concern for the environment. A previous article in this journal (Palmer & Suggate, 1996) presents relevant findings deriving from the UK and analyses the ways in which the importance of influences may change through time or be affected by the subjects age. Here, the team of international authors presents data from three European countries and engages in both location‐specific and cross‐cultural comparative analysis.

Research Matters: A Call for the Application of Empirical Evidence to the Task of Improving the Quality and Impact of Environmental Education.

Abstract This paper argues for an increase in the application of empirical evidence to the task of improving the quality and impact of environmental education. Whilst the global scene in environmental education appears to portray optimism and great endeavour, there remain key issues to resolve. Such issues include the apparent lack of impact of formal educational programmes on individuals environmental awareness and concern. The paper argues that an empirical research base can illuminate significant findings relating to human motivation and cognition which may help to resolve such issues. It provides an overview and discussion of some of the findings of one particular substantial international research project in order to illustrate the underpinning case for using research to inform both policy and practice and gives some examples of how the evidence generated from this research programme is being used to shape educational policy and practice.

From Santa Claus to sustainability: emergent understanding of concepts and issues in environmental science

Abstract This paper describes part of the preliminary data analysis of a research project entitled ‘Emergent Environmentalism’, funded by the E.S.R.C. It provides a brief overview of the theoretical background of the project as a whole which is concerned with the nature and development of childrens early knowledge and awareness of environmental issues. One of the four component studies of the research project, namely ‘Emergent Knowledge of The Environment’, is then described and discussed. This provides data which illuminate the extent to which four‐year‐old children know and understand about four selected environmental issues, the sources of their knowledge and an idea of whether they have any sense of concern for the world in which they are growing up. Examples of concept maps that have been constructed for each subject are provided which demonstrate that pre‐school children may well have a strong base of accurate scientific knowledge upon which early years environmental teaching may build.

Thinking about waste: Development of English and Polish children's understanding of concepts related to waste management

SUMMARY This paper contains an overview and discussion of longitudinal and international data relating to young peoples developing understanding of waste materials and waste management from the age of four years. It describes data collected from samples of children in England and in Poland. Firstly we present longitudinal data from the English sample. Secondly we present data from four and six year-olds in Poland. Finally we make comparisons as far as is possible between the data from the two countries. Conclusions demonstrate that young people are very capable indeed of developing sophisticated understanding of waste issues; that carefully structured teaching materials designed to introduce an appropriate range of concepts in a progressive fashion are very important to the development of appropriate understanding; that teacher education on the subject is crucial to educational programmes, and that a holistic approach to waste management education underpins the acquisition of appropriate knowledge.

Rural Children's Views on Human Activities and Changes in a Greek Wetland

We studied the views of Greek children about their likes/dislikes regarding changes to a protected wetland as a result of human activities. We focused on two primary-sector (i.e., fishing, harvest) and two ecotourism (i.e., bird watching, boat tour) activities as these reflect the contrast between traditional land uses and newly established management regimes. We used photos as visual aids for conducting structured interviews with 200 children aged 4 to 10 years. Fishing generated the most negative dispositions, although all activities elicited positive reactions by the majority of children. Our findings add to the existing literature on the image of nature as unchanging and the divide between nature and society in the views of rural children. Messages promoted in the study area through environmental management and education should address the fact that primary-sector activities are not incompatible with environmental conservation but can be transformed toward a more sustainable form.

Emerging knowledge of distant environments: An international study of four and six year olds in England, Slovenia and Greece

SUMMARY The research described here forms part of a major international research project entitled ‘Emergent Environmentalism’. This project aims to investigate the nature and origins of early ideas about the environment held by young people, the development of childrens environmental understanding and significant life experiences which influence the development of individuals environmental knowledge and concern. Findings discussed here derive from the three European countries of England, Slovenia and Greece and comprise the first published account of European cross-cultural data on knowledge of distant environments. The paper is concerned with young childrens developing awareness and understanding of two habitats, namely tropical forests, with the associated issue of deforestation, and polar lands, including the impact of global warming. Data help to explain aspects of the knowledge children have about these environments before they enter school, the development of this knowledge from ages four to six ...

Connoisseurship and Creativity: Monitoring Creative Thinking Abilities in Primary School Children in England

Abstract This article summarizes a research study that sets the connoisseurship and criticism model of qualitative evaluation within a traditional research design. Together, the methodologies aim to monitor and illuminate the development of creative thinking abilities in children. The creative thinking abilities of children in six classes, which worked according to two styles of curriculum and classroom organization, were pretested and posttested, and statistical analysis was used to ascertain whether any difference exists between pre- and posttreatment scores. All work was based on the childrens first-hand experiences from visits to an environmental education center. Researchers wrote criticisms to illuminate the complex processes and interrelationships within the classrooms of the sample schools. Used alongside each other, the methodologies confirmed research hypotheses, illuminated many of the complexities contributing to these outcomes, and identified other phenomena that warrant further investigatio...