Effects of Nature Training Projects on Environmental Perception and Attitudes

Abstract

Abstract. Environmental education aims to create positive and environmental-sensitive perceptions, attitudes and behaviours toward environmental protection. This education primarily focuses on changing the attitudes and behaviours of students, rather than transferring information. Nature training projects provide improving methods to impart information on nature and environment in formal education programmes and develop people that are sensitive to society and environment. In 2014, a project titled "Judas Trees Are Blooming" was implemented in Turkey with the participation of secondary school 6 th grade students. The aim of the project was to create positive perception and attitudes regarding nature, forests and the environment. This study investigated and determined the effects of nature training projects on environmental perception and attitudes of secondary school students using the above-mentioned project as a case study. Students that participated in the project had more positive environmental perception and attitudes compared to those who did not participate according to questionnaires and observations given during the project. These positive environmental perceptions and attitudes are the benefits of forests, the importance of plants for our life, the mysteries of the worlds of plants and insects, nature and environmental protection and photosynthesis. Furthermore, the project provided positive contributions for raising awareness and improving the interest and knowledge of the participants regarding nature and the environment.

An Analysis of the Sustainable Development of Environmental Education Provided by Museums

“…Most of the specialists in various fields have devoted themselves to environmental education. In the past, many studies on environmental education focused on the protection of ecoenvironmental education in formal educational fields [10][11][12][13][14][15]. Museums, in the field of non-formal education, offer relatively few missions related to the environment.…”

Students’ attitudes towards the environment and marine litter in the context of a coastal water quality educational citizen science project

“…As issues related to the environment have sparked the interest of society in general, there is a growing concern, from citizens, regarding the potential consequences of environmental issues for their daily lives (European Commission, 2014). Thus, citizens often exhibit positive attitudes towards the environment (Korkmaz et al, 2017; Srbinovski, 2019). Indeed, as reported in the literature (e.g, Hartley et al, 2018; Lucrezi & Digun-Aweto, 2020; Teixeira, 2018), the public tends to be aware of environmental problems, such as marine litter, and recognise the need for measures to solve or minimise these problems.…”

Bibliometric Review of the Forest as a Tool for Environmental Education

“…Roos and Becker (2012) report that projects with studies that encompass generative themes from a theoretical-practical basis can use, for example, field trips, lectures, and workshops, which serve as subsidies for the school community, as well as for any citizen who has some knowledge in the environmental area and who wish to develop small intervention projects. For Korkmaz et al (2018), projects that aim to involve people Regarding formal teaching, some works report actions in the traditional teaching method, using field practice as a support didactic strategy, as is the case of the work carried out by Dolins et al (2010), who describes a program called "Children and Trees Growing Together". This program involves teachers, parents, and children in improving the school environment through reforestation, with one of the activities being planting and monitoring plant growth.…”