Conceptions and awareness concerning environmental education: a Zimbabwean case‐study in three secondary teacher education colleges

Abstract

This article reports on a baseline survey, designed to collect information on students' and teachers' conceptions on environmental issues and their involvement in three Zimbabwean colleges of secondary teacher training. The survey was the first step of a research programme designed to evaluate the Secondary Teacher Training Environmental Education Programme (St²eep). It was found that students perceive the environment mainly in terms of biophysical issues whereas teachers also relate the environment to social, economic and political issues. Both students and teachers of environment‐related subjects are significantly more concerned about the environment and are more involved than their fellow students and colleagues of other subjects. Environment‐related subjects are seen as most suitable for inclusion of environmental education by the respondents.