Improving the Attitudes of Tehrani Preschool Teachers towards the Environment through Teaching

Improving the Attitudes of Tehrani Preschool Teachers towards the Environment through Teaching N. Moosavi, Ph.D.* M. Sharifiaan Saani, Ph.D.** G. Ghaa’edAmini Haarooni, Ph.D.*** S. Sanaaye’ Goldooz, Ph.D.**** A. Darvishi***** F. Ghamarzaad Shishvaan******   Given the environmental crises, it is necessary to help citizens with the improvement of their attitudes. Attitudes, or predispositions to react cognitively, emotionally, and behaviorally towards their subject, which can be the environment as well, need to be positive in order for the person to have a constructive interaction with that subject (e.g. the environment). Preschool teachers’ attitudes towards the environment would have an impact on their teaching and pupils in such a way that it may shape the children’s attitudes towards the environment in the future. Hence, helping teachers to improve their attitudes in this regard would be helping their current and future students as well. In this research, an accessible group of 29 pre-school teachers willing to help with the trial of a short course on the environment designed to improve the attitudes, was initially assessed on their knowledge, values, and behaviors (skills) in relation to the environment. At the end of the short course on environment, the same instruments were used to gather the same set of data. Comparing the two sets of pre- and post-test data lead to the conclusion that taking the course has resulted in improvements in all three dimensions of participants’ attitudes towards the environment. It is observed that the most improved dimension is the cognitive dimension, as the participants’ knowledge of the environment increased dramatically. Keywords: environmental education, environmental awareness, pre-school teachers, attitude, knowledge, skills. _______________________ Date received: July 9, 2017                      Date accepted: July 17, 2018 *Assistant Professor, Department of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran. [email protected] **Associate Professor, Department of Social Welfare Management, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran (Corresponding Author). [email protected] ***Assistant Professor, Social Welfare Management Research Center, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran. [email protected] ****Ph.D. in Environmental Planning, Faculty of Environment, University of Tehran. [email protected] *****M.A. in Administration, Tarbiyat Modares University. [email protected] ******M.A. in Economics, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran. [email protected]