Exploring the selfhood of primary school teachers in the teaching and learning of Environmental Education : a mixed methods approach

Abstract

Effective learning in environmental education, which is introduced at primary school level in South Africa, has the potential to encourage behavioural modification essential to mitigate current environmental issues. While methods of delivery and teaching resources are important, the educator is considered the greatest determinant of knowledge delivery and retention. Consequently, this study explored the selfhood of teachers of Life Skills influence curriculum delivery and learning in environmental education. A mixed methods intervention approach was employed with participants of one school receiving a teaching intervention and the other school designated as the control. Participants included five Grade 5 public primary school Life Skills educators and Grade 5 learners from the KwaDukuza area. All learners completed an assessment book post intervention which was designed to evaluate environmental knowledge retention. Qualitative findings from pre and post interviews with educators was evaluated by thematic analysis. Parker Palmer’s Theory of Selfhood to analyse the data using key conceptual tools such as ‘we teach who we are’ and ‘identity and integrity’ (Palmer 1997). Shulman’s Theory forms the framework to help understand the knowledge base of the educator which frames teacher education and teaching practice (Shulman 1987). This study offered a nuanced perspective of Environmental Education at primary school level within KZN. The main themes emanating from the qualitative aspect of the study were teaching experiences, years of teaching, contextual challenges which influenced teaching methods and reasons for adopting these methods for environmental education. Despite the similar challenges across both schools, certain educators were able to introduce innovation into their teaching. Those educators displayed a greater passion and intrinsic belief in the subject which manifested in their pedagogic efforts. The quantitative findings of this study indicated that there was no statistical significance when knowledge and understanding was compared between the intervention and control school (p>0.05). It can be concluded that regardless of the method of teaching employed, knowledge and understanding of learners remained similar therefore the greatest determinant of successful environmental education is the teacher. The selfhood and experiences of the teacher played a significant role in ensuring effective environmental education delivery