Environmental education as a stand-alone subject in Grades 10, 11 and 12. A case study of one high school in the East London education district
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Date
2014
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Abstract
This study was inspired by the researcher’s passion for environmental education to
becoming an independent academic school subject.
Armed with the Wildlife and Environmental Society of South Africa (WESSA)
educator training course and exposure when WESSA piloted its project in the school,
the researcher embarked on the sampling of the school population in respect of the
feasibility of environmental education as a stand-alone subject rather than an
integrated entity of other subjects as the case in the current Curriculum and
Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) document.
The researcher undertook a qualitative study using a case study approach of one
WESSA pilot school to determine the perceptions of learners who were involved in
the pilot study as a Youth Club or Eco- club members as well as those learners who
were not involved in the WESSA study. The researcher furthermore interviewed a
sample of three teachers who reflect the sentiments of school teaching population
and presented findings on their attention given to EE in CAPS curriculum. The
argument is for the need for EE to become a stand-alone subject and the need for a
specialised teacher to teach this particular subject.
The study reviewed literature from Mpumalanga and Lusikisiki in the Eastern Cape.
The researcher argued for EE as an important subject that aligns to a democratic
South Africa that focuses on the respect for the environment and the sustenance of
citizens within a school community.
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Keywords
Environmental education -- Study and teaching -- South Africa, Environmental education