A study was undertaken to identify characteristics of teachers and school systems related to adoption of environmental education (with emphasis on wildlife ecology education) in K- 12 public schools in California. A survey questionnaire was mailed to a sample of 526 teachers. Response rate was 62.4 percent. A total of 60.1 percent of the teachers were currently incorporating or at one time incorporated environmental themes into their curricula. Variables having significant influence on adoption of environmental education included participation in wildlife activities, wildlife knowledge, sex, age, subject taught, and exposure to in-service training. Non-consumptive activities were more popular with teachers than consumptive activities. Teachers correctly answered an average of 58.0 percent of wildlife knowledge items.
|
