Understanding the science of environmental issues: development of a subject knowledge guide for primary teacher education

In the light of an increased concern for environmental education (especiall y in the context of sustainable development) in the UK, this study used que stionnaire surveys to explore the understanding of 170 practising primary s chool teachers, 120 primary trainees and 88 secondary science trainees in f our areas: biodiversity, the carbon cycle, ozone and global warming. A meth odological innovation in this research was the prior identification of basi c scientific explanations of each area for a primary teacher and the use of these as benchmarks for judging understanding. Knowledge of the component parts of these explanations was tested in the questionnaires. Hence the stu dy was able to identify those underpinning science concepts which were well understood, and those which were not so well understood. The frequencies o f several misconceptions, uncovered in earlier interviews and also included in the questionnaires, are also reported. It is suggested that both the ba sic explanations and the difficulties of understanding displayed by the tea chers in some areas can usefully inform programmes of professional developm ent for sustainable development and environmental education. An outline of a guide for teachers adopting this approach is provided.