Professional development of teachers for effective environmental education

Abstract

Studies have shown that most teachers in South Africa have no background in Environmental Education (EE), have not received pre-service training in EE and very little teacher education has taken place in EE. The Revised National Curriculum Statements emphasise the infusion of EE in all learning areas. There is, however, a problem whether there is a need for professional development of teachers for effective EE. The main aim of this study is to enable teachers to acquire knowledge and skills to infuse EE in all learning areas. The study gathered data through literature review from primary and secondary sources. The questionnaire was developed as a research tool and was sampled to 216 Tshwane North District Office teachers. The collected data are analysed by using the frequency tables indicating percentage of respondents in each category. The study recommends the professional development of teachers for effective implementation of EE in schools.