Analysis of prospective teachers’ environmental identities in terms of some variables

Abstract

This study examines how environmental identity of prospective teachers studying in different departments of faculty of education has changed in some variables (such as their departments, gender, hometown, families’ place of residence, enrollment to courses about the environment, activities about the environment, and their membership to non-governmental organizations about the environment). The survey method was used in the current study. The sample comprised 644 prospective teachers. In this study, Environmental Identity Scale was used to collect the data. The data were analyzed using independent samples t-test and one-way ANOVA. The results showed that the prospective teachers studying social studies teaching programs had a significantly lower environmental identity than those studying in other departments (i.e., science teaching, Turkish teaching, early childhood teaching, and elementary school teaching). Additionally, prospective teachers’ environmental identity levels did not differ according to their gender and whether they are members of an environmental non-governmental organization. Furthermore, it was observed that prospective teachers who grew up in rural areas and whose families lived in rural areas had a higher environmental identity than those who grew up in urban areas and whose families lived in urban areas. Moreover, the results showed that the prospective teachers who took environmental courses and who participated in environmental activities had a high environmental identity.