The environmental problems in the training of primary education teachers

Abstract

Environmental problems are a challenge for today's society; hence, it is an area of interest in the educational field at different levels of education. We propose an investigation from the didactics of the social sciences, in the teacher training, to analyze the social representation of this problem and the way in which the environmental challenges in the classrooms of primary education by the future teachers would be included. In this work, we present the results obtained with respect to this last question. The research, which corresponds to a case study, is established from a socio-critical approach, seeking the obtaining of results that can help in the process of teacher training. The data has been obtained through a questionnaire, developed with the purpose of obtaining both qualitative and quantitative information. The research was carried out during the 2017-2018 academic year, at the Faculty of Educational Sciences of the University of Córdoba. The results show the conception of environmental problems as a relevant concern for students; however, it highlights a fairly ambiguous conceptual knowledge marked by the influence of the media, as well as a limited capacity to propose didactic sequences that encourage a necessary social change and a holistic and comprehensive environmental education.