A Comparative Survey of the Incorporation of Environmental Education into School Curricula. Environmental Educational Series 17.

Overview & Synopsis

The UNESCO International Environmental Education Programme has undertaken a comparative study of the incorporation of environmental education into elementary and secondary school curricula. A survey was designed to investigate how environmental education has been introduced into school curricula in different educational systems in various countries. This document presents environmental education in terms of its goals, objectives, and guiding principles, as formulated at the International Workshop on Environmental Education, held at Belgrade, Yugoslavia, in 1975, and the International Conference on Environmental Education, held at Tbilisi, Russia, in 1977. Survey responses are included from the nations of Colombia, West Germany, India, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Russia, and Venezuela. These responses included: (1) national policy on environment and environmental education; (2) environmental education curriculum, including aims, objectives, content, teaching methodologies, and examples of learning activities; (3) evaluation; and (4) teacher education. The responses are synthesized and trends and problems are described. A bibliography is included. (TW)