Evaluation of environmental education programmes as a means for policy making and implementation support: the case of Cyprus primary education

This investigation emerges from the awareness of the marginalisation environmental education faces and the need for the development of an effective policy for the implementation of environmental education in Cyprus. The purpose of the research study is to present. as an end product, information that would be useful in the formation of a National Programme for the implementation of environmental education in Primary Education in Cyprus. The thesis describes the current situation of environmental education and examines current practices. Out of a limited variety of environmental education programmes that currently run in Cyprus Primary Education, the Eco-School project is taken as an example. This research study, firstly, aims to measure the success of the Eco-School project, by testing children's environmental cognition, awareness and action and comparing them to the environmental cognition and action of children in other schools outside the programme. It also attempts to reveal the factors that contribute to successful implementation of the project as well as practices that could be improved or avoided. The teachers' opinions are analysed both at organisational and personal levels. Since they are closely involved in any school innovative project, they should be given the opportunity to express their opinion and experience about the organisation of the policy, their expectations and the problems they foresee. Briefly, the general research aims are to: 1. describe the current situation of environmental education in Cyprus; 2. obtain interested parties' opinions about the development of a National Programme for the implementation of environmental education in Cyprus Primary Education; 3. verify and evaluate the impact of the Eco-School project 4. distinguish the factors that contribute to the successful implementation of an environmental education programme. Finally the information obtained is the basis of a proposal model, which might facilitate environmental education implementation

Devising a Competence-Based Training Program for Educators of Sustainable Development: Lessons Learned

Over recent decades, education policy has been preoccupied with economic growth while paying insufficient heed to global sustainability challenges. International initiatives to promote education for sustainable development (ESD) have been hampered by a lack of clarity on how to implement this form of education. To address this concern, a Rounder Sense of Purpose (RSP) began as a three-year EU-funded project that set out to develop a practical accreditation model for educators working on ESD. Expert and user opinion was sought through several rounds of structured consultation with over 500 people, chiefly using a Delphi approach, to develop and validate the model. The resulting framework comprises 12 competences, each with three learning outcomes and several underpinning components. This is supported by a range of activities largely reflecting a constructivist pedagogy. A range of assessment techniques have also been piloted within the project although this remains an area for further enquiry. Ultimately, it was decided not to design a single qualification template because defining the award to such a level of detail would make it more difficult to apply across multiple jurisdictions. Partners also felt that such an approach would atomize learning in a way that runs counter to the holistic principles of sustainability. RSP provided a rich learning experience for those involved and has already demonstrated its potential to extend its impact well beyond the original participants

Leading sustainable schools: exploring the role of primary school principals

The purpose of the paper is to identify the kinds of leadership that are likely to support implementing and sustaining education for sustainable development (ESD) effectively in a primary school. The paper identifies links between ESD and principal leadership literature and constructs a conceptual model of the leadership practices needed for reorienting a school to ESD/education for sustainability. Aspects of the model are explored through Cypriot principals' views on leadership and reported leadership practices. Data were obtained by a nationally administered questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. Outcomes indicated some enabling factors for ESD implementation such as encouraging teachers to engage in ESD programmes, collaborate with others and other ways of support which nevertheless reflect what is generally expected of school administrators without seeking deep change. Constraining factors included principals' reported lack of confidence in administrative skills for sustainable schools, limited willingness to challenge the status quo, limited engagement in actions important for supporting ESD activities and features of the national educational policy. Constraining factors pointed towards principals' limited commitment to ESD. The practical significance of the findings is that they identify specific areas of needed professional development for principals such as empowering staff, encouraging critique of current approaches and exploring alternative possibilities for curriculum, pedagogy and policy

The integration of biodiversity education in the initial education of primary school teachers: four comparative case studies from Europe

In this article, we present results from an international research study on biodiversity education in pre-service education of primary school teachers. The study was carried out between 2004-2006 in four teacher education institutions in Cyprus, England, Switzerland and Germany. We used document analyses and indepth interviews with 27 teacher educators and 22 student teachers to examine the integration of biodiversity into the pre-service teacher education programmes, and the student teachers' satisfaction with their respective education. In all teacher education institutions, aspects of biodiversity education were integrated mostly in the natural science modules which provided students at least with some information on the scientific aspects of biodiversity. Few modules included aspects of the controversial nature of biodiversity conservation in relation to economics, ethics, social and political concerns, and methodological approaches on how to deal with this. In the institutions in Cyprus, England and Germany the teaching focus was content-oriented, whereas in Switzerland a situated method-oriented approach was used. The student teachers in Switzerland felt more confident to teach about biodiversity in school. All interviewees thought it necessary to prepare primary school student teachers on how to address biodiversity in schools, and strategies on how best to achieve this are critically discussed

Confidence and perceived competence of preservice teachers to implement biodiversity education in primary schools—four comparative case studies from Europe

This multinational research study was carried out between 2004 and 2006 in four teacher education institutions in Cyprus, England, Switzerland, and Germany. With the help of a written questionnaire, the confidence and perceived competence of preservice primary teachers (N = 690) to deliver biodiversity education in school were investigated. Data were triangulated with findings from a previous stage of the overall research project. Study participants' confidence to carry out certain outdoor activities in school increased with the number of similar experiences they had during their own secondary school education, and the more personal classroom experiences they had during their teacher education. A sound knowledge of local wild organisms strongly added to their confidence. However, preservice teachers' perceived competence, and thus motivation to implement biodiversity education later on in school, was related even more strongly to the extent of preparation they had received during their teacher education. The results indicate that teacher education programmes that focus exclusively on filling (biodiversity) knowledge gaps might fail to raise confidence and competence in their students to carry out biodiversity education in school. Programmes that have a higher possibility of attaining effectiveness in biodiversity education seek to strike a balance between background knowledge development, pedagogical content knowledge, and opportunities during teaching practice that leads to experiential gains in enacting meaningful activity sequences and engaging students in holistic educational innovations. Within such programmes, it would be fruitful to further explore the relationship between confidence, perceived competence, and actual teaching performance