Environmental Education in Wisconsin: A Teacher Survey

Abstract

This study assessed Wisconsin teachers' perceived competencies in, attitudes toward, and class time devoted to teaching about the environment. A valid and reliable survey instrument was developed and mailed to 1,545 randomly selected elementary and secondary education teachers. Results imply that lack of training in environmental education (EE) is a major reason teachers do not infuse these concepts. Analysis revealed that teachers perceived they were most competent in educating students about the environment in the cognitive domain, and less so in affective education and in environmental action strategies. Although teachers' attitudes toward EE were positive, they reported that they spend less than ½ hour per week per subject teaching about the environment.