A journey into the minds of those who will teach the next generation about our planet
Imagine a world where every biology teacher not only explains photosynthesis but also inspires a deep, lasting commitment to protecting the natural world. This vision rests on the environmental attitudes and knowledge of today's prospective teachers and biologist candidates—individuals who will shape ecological understanding for generations.
Recent research reveals a complex picture: while future educators generally express strong concern for the environment, significant gaps often prevent these attitudes from translating into consistent action.
This article explores the fascinating science behind how our future educators relate to the environment and what this means for the future of environmental education.
Research conducted with biology teacher candidates at the University of Papua revealed encouraging levels of environmental concern. In a study of 75 prospective teachers, researchers found that 86.7% demonstrated good environmental attitudes, while 8% showed excellent attitudes, and only 5.3% displayed low concern 1 .
Recognition of current environmental emergencies
Understanding of ecological equilibrium
Acknowledgment of planetary boundaries
Rejection of human-centered worldviews
Beyond general attitudes, a crucial factor in effective environmental education is self-efficacy—a teacher's belief in their ability to successfully teach environmental concepts. Research from Gazi University examined biology candidate teachers' self-efficacy beliefs regarding environmental education and found they generally rated above medium levels 4 .
Importantly, this research discovered that environmental self-efficacy beliefs increased as students progressed through their academic program, suggesting that targeted education can strengthen future teachers' confidence in delivering environmental content 4 .
One of the most persistent findings in environmental psychology is the attitude-behavior gap—the disconnect between what people say they value and what they actually do. This phenomenon is particularly relevant for environmental issues, where surveys consistently show that 94% of respondents across 28 European countries consider environmental protection important, yet only about one-third regularly engage in behaviors like reducing energy consumption or avoiding single-use plastics 6 .
This gap becomes especially pronounced in high-cost situations. An illuminating 2019 study published in Ecological Economics demonstrated that environmental attitudes significantly predict behavior in low-cost scenarios but become virtually irrelevant when people face significant costs or inconvenience to protect the environment 3 .
To understand this phenomenon better, let's examine a crucial experiment that tested the low-cost hypothesis of environmental behavior.
Researchers conducted an online experiment with 660 U.S. participants, recruiting them through Amazon Mechanical Turk. The experiment presented participants with a climate change mitigation game where they could use monetary endowments to support actual carbon offset initiatives 3 .
The study manipulated two key factors:
Participants made real decisions about allocating money between personal compensation and climate protection, with the carbon offsets actually being purchased based on their choices 3 .
The findings provided strong support for the low-cost hypothesis. Environmental attitudes positively predicted contributions to climate protection in low-cost conditions, but this relationship disappeared in high-cost situations 3 .
This suggests that even individuals with strong environmental values struggle to translate them into action when the personal costs become significant. The researchers concluded that attitude-changing interventions alone may be insufficient for promoting environmentally responsible behavior in high-cost contexts, where economic incentives or structural changes might be more effective 3 .
| Environmental Attitude Component | Average Score (out of 5) |
|---|---|
| Eco-crisis Awareness | 4.00 |
| Balance of Nature | 3.99 |
| Limits to Growth | 3.81 |
| Anti-anthropocentrism | 3.61 |
| Anti-exemptionalism | 3.48 |
Source: 1
Research suggests several promising approaches for strengthening the connection between environmental attitudes and behaviors:
Implementing environmentally benign laboratory experiments in science education significantly increases student understanding of green chemistry principles and sustainability 8 .
Simple reminders displayed at the moment and place where decisions are made have proven effective for easy, repetitive behaviors like turning off lights or recycling 6 .
Since self-efficacy grows with academic progression, environmental education should scaffold learning experiences from simple to complex actions 4 .
| Behavioral Domain | Effect Size of Prompts |
|---|---|
| Public Recycling | 0.95 (high effect) |
| Public Energy Conservation | 0.54 (moderate effect) |
Source: 6
| Concept | Description |
|---|---|
| Carrying Capacity | Maximum population size an environment can sustainably support |
| Keystone Species | Species with disproportionate impact on their ecosystem |
| Biogeochemical Cycles | Movement of essential elements through ecosystems |
| Trophic Levels | Feeding positions in a food chain |
| Ecological Succession | Process of change in species composition over time |
Source: 9
Introduce basic ecological concepts and foster awareness of environmental issues through engaging, accessible content.
Provide hands-on experiences with green practices and environmental problem-solving in controlled settings.
Support implementation of environmental education strategies in real teaching contexts with mentorship and resources.
Empower educators to become environmental education leaders who can influence curriculum and institutional practices.
The research on prospective teachers' and biologist candidates' environmental knowledge and attitudes reveals both promising trends and significant challenges. While future educators generally demonstrate positive environmental attitudes, the persistent attitude-behavior gap—especially in high-cost situations—suggests that attitude change alone is insufficient.
The most effective approaches will likely combine targeted education that builds both knowledge and self-efficacy, strategic prompts that make sustainable choices easier, and systemic changes that reduce the costs of environmentally responsible behavior. As we continue to face complex environmental challenges, equipping our future educators with both the understanding and the tools to bridge the attitude-behavior gap becomes increasingly crucial—not just for their development, but for the planetary awareness of generations to come.
The journey toward effective environmental education requires us to look beyond what future teachers know and feel, to focus equally on empowering them to transform concern into consistent action—both in their personal lives and their professional practice.