Pre-service teachers’ attitudes to and knowledge of marine plastic pollution and its impacts on the natural environment
Ervik, Hilde, Evans, Neus (Snowy), and Taylor, Subhashni (2024) Pre-service teachers’ attitudes to and knowledge of marine plastic pollution and its impacts on the natural environment. Journal of Cleaner Production, 478. 143950.
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Abstract
Marine plastic pollution is a pervasive worldwide problem, with over 17 million metric tons of plastic entering oceans annually. While education is key to addressing this issue, initial teacher education lags behind other types of education. This paper responds to this gap by investigating a small sample of Australian early childhood and primary pre-service teachers’ (n = 13) attitudes to and knowledge of marine plastic pollution and its impact on natural environments. A mixed-methods questionnaire revealed that 100% of respondents are concerned about the impacts of marine plastic pollution, 100% believe consumers must demand less plastic, and 91% call for increased government efforts to clean up plastic pollution. Responses to the open-ended questions also identified challenges associated with tackling this issue, including the economic viability and widespread use of plastics, inadequate waste management systems, and resource constraints. Results also revealed that most respondents possess good knowledge about what constitutes marine plastic pollution and the impacts on natural and social systems. However, only a few could identify specific chemical effects of plastic pollution. This study provides baseline data to inform the development of marine plastic pollution education for initial teacher education programs, addressing a critical gap in preparing future teachers to tackle a global issue.
| Item ID: | 85262 |
|---|---|
| Item Type: | Article (Research - C1) |
| ISSN: | 0959-6526 |
| Copyright Information: | © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ). |
| Date Deposited: | 29 Apr 2025 01:36 |
| FoR Codes: | 39 EDUCATION > 3901 Curriculum and pedagogy > 390105 Environmental education curriculum and pedagogy @ 100% |
| SEO Codes: | 28 EXPANDING KNOWLEDGE > 2801 Expanding knowledge > 280109 Expanding knowledge in education @ 100% |
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