Current Environmental Efforts in Ohio School Districts.

Overview & Synopsis

In an effort to better describe the environmental education needs of the secondary schools in the State of Ohio, this thesis sought to determine whether or not Ohio high schools were incorporating environmental education into their curricula. Educators from 100 randomly selected high schools were administered questionnaires in 1982-83, and again in 1986. The responses were analyzed with regard to possible relationships between school size, type of school district, geographic location of the school district, and the number and type of courses offered that contained environmental education topics. The study indicated that there were no relationships between any of the variables studied except for the environmental education courses and their curricular headings. Schools tended to offer environmental education courses under the curricular headings of science, social studies, vocational education, physical education/health, and home economics. Three environmental education topics were taught in at least 50 percent of the courses. Appendices include a list of high schools in the study and the survey instrument. (TW)