Developing Environmental Culture in Teacher Training
Imagine a classroom where lessons about carbon cycles escape textbook pages to transform into school garden projects, where mathematical word problems calculate real energy savings in school buildings, and where history connects to local environmental movements.
This vision of environmentally infused education depends on a crucial but often overlooked factor: teachers who embody environmental culture in their professional practice. As climate change accelerates and biodiversity declines, the role of education in shaping sustainable societies has never been more critical 1 .
Future teachers are not just instructors but architects of cultural values and behaviors.
Their ability to integrate environmental awareness makes them catalysts for ecological stewardship.
Teacher training represents a strategic intervention point for cultivating environmental culture.
Research shows that many educators feel overwhelmed and underprepared to address environmental issues despite recognizing their urgency 1 . They perceive the looming ecological crises but often lack the depth of knowledge, pedagogical tools, and confidence to translate concern into effective educational practice.
At the heart of environmental culture lies the concept of environmental literacy—a multidimensional capacity extending far beyond factual knowledge about ecosystems. According to research, genuine environmental literacy encompasses four interconnected pillars 2 :
Understanding what motivates pro-environmental action is essential for teachers hoping to inspire it. Several powerful theories illuminate this pathway:
This framework suggests behavior is driven by beliefs about consequences, perceived social pressure, and perceived behavioral control 4 .
This theory proposes that pro-environmental actions often stem from activated personal norms—an internalized sense of obligation to act 4 .
This perspective emphasizes the role of personal agency and self-efficacy—the belief in one's capability to produce given attainments 7 .
| Component | Description | Manifestation in Teaching |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental Knowledge | Understanding ecological principles, human impacts, and sustainability concepts | Accurately explaining climate science, connecting local issues to global patterns |
| Environmental Affect | Developing sensitivity, appreciation, and emotional connection to natural systems | Expressing wonder about natural phenomena, concern for environmental justice |
| Environmental Skills | Abilities to investigate, analyze, and evaluate environmental issues | Leading field-based investigations, facilitating critical thinking about solutions |
| Pro-Environmental Behaviors | Consistent actions that minimize harm and support ecological health | Modeling sustainable practices, empowering students to take tangible actions |
Effective environmental training for future teachers moves beyond simply adding environmental facts to the curriculum. Instead, it seamlessly integrates ecological understanding into pedagogical content knowledge—the specialized understanding of how to make a subject comprehensible to others 1 .
Training programs that successfully develop environmental culture often employ contextualized learning that connects abstract concepts to local environments and issues . This situated approach makes environmental knowledge more personally relevant and pedagogically useful.
| Activity Type | Description | Developed Competencies |
|---|---|---|
| School Sustainability Audit | Assessing energy, waste, and procurement practices in educational settings | Systems thinking, data analysis, collaborative planning |
| Eco-Project Design and Implementation | Creating and executing environmental projects with students | Project management, pedagogical design, community engagement |
| Case Studies of Environmental Issues | Analyzing complex real-world environmental challenges | Critical thinking, ethical reasoning, interdisciplinary connections |
| Teaching in Natural Settings | Developing and delivering lessons in outdoor environments | Curriculum adaptation, risk management, place-based education |
The most effective teacher training programs employ experiential methodologies that mirror the participatory approaches teachers will use with their own students. Rather than passively receiving information, future teachers engage in project-based learning, community assessments, and action research that develop their environmental understanding while building their teaching repertoire 1 .
These experiences do more than build knowledge—they shape professional identity. When teacher candidates tackle authentic environmental projects, they begin to see themselves as educators who can facilitate meaningful change. Research on teacher well-being suggests that such professional development not only builds skills but enhances multiple dimensions of psychological well-being, including environmental mastery, purpose in life, and personal growth 3 .
A significant study examining the relationship between knowledge types and environmental commitment offers compelling insights for teacher training. The research built on earlier work by Frick, Kaiser, and Wilson (2004) that identified three distinct types of environmental knowledge 2 :
Understanding how ecological systems work
Knowing how to implement pro-environmental behaviors
Understanding the relative impact of different actions
The researchers employed a quasi-experimental design with pre-test and post-test measures to examine how different knowledge types influence environmental behavior and teaching commitment. Participants were teacher candidates enrolled in sustainability education courses across multiple institutions.
Participants' environmental knowledge, attitudes, and teaching practices were assessed through standardized instruments.
Different groups received training emphasizing different knowledge types: system, action, or effectiveness knowledge.
Participants integrated environmental content into their teaching practice during student teaching placements.
Changes in knowledge, attitudes, and teaching behaviors were measured, including video analysis of teaching sessions.
The findings revealed striking differences between groups. While all participants increased their environmental knowledge, those in the effectiveness knowledge group showed significantly higher levels of persistence in addressing environmental challenges in their teaching practice.
| Knowledge Type | Description | Impact on Teaching Practice |
|---|---|---|
| System Knowledge | Understanding ecological principles and environmental problems | Strong correlation with factual knowledge but weak connection to implementation |
| Action-Related Knowledge | Knowing how to perform specific pro-environmental behaviors | Leads to frequent but sometimes unsustained implementation efforts |
| Effectiveness Knowledge | Understanding the comparative impact of different actions | Strongest predictor of persistent implementation despite obstacles |
Teachers with stronger effectiveness knowledge were 3.2 times more likely to overcome barriers to environmental education implementation. These results suggest that understanding the relative impact of different actions may be crucial for sustaining environmental teaching practices despite the many challenges beginning teachers face.
Developing environmental culture in future teachers requires more than individual coursework—it demands a supportive ecosystem that reinforces and extends environmental learning. This includes:
The physical and policy environments of educational institutions also play crucial roles. When teacher training programs model sustainability through their operations—such as waste reduction, sustainable food systems, and green building design—they create consistent messages that reinforce formal instruction.
| Component | Function | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Theoretical Frameworks | Provide conceptual foundations for understanding behavior change | Theory of Planned Behavior, Value-Belief-Norm Theory, Social-Cognitive Theory |
| Assessment Tools | Measure environmental literacy, attitudes, and implementation | Two Major Environmental Value model (2-MEV), Environmental Literacy Survey |
| Pedagogical Models | Offer effective approaches for environmental education | Project-based learning, Place-based education, Action research |
| Support Systems | Sustain commitment and enhance implementation | Mentorship networks, Professional learning communities, Administrative support |
Measuring the development of environmental culture requires multiple assessment approaches that capture both internal transformations (values, attitudes, identities) and external manifestations (teaching practices, student outcomes). The Two Major Environmental Value model (2-MEV) with its factors of Preservation (PRE), Utilization (UTL), and Appreciation of Nature (APR) offers one validated approach to assessing the attitudinal dimension of environmental culture 2 .
This assessment information should fuel continuous improvement of teacher preparation programs. By understanding what experiences most effectively develop environmental culture—and what barriers impede it—teacher educators can refine their programs to better prepare teachers for their crucial role in building sustainable societies.
The development of environmental culture in future teachers represents one of our most powerful levers for cultural transformation toward sustainability.
By moving beyond additive approaches to embrace deeper integration of environmental understanding into professional identity and practice, teacher preparation programs can graduate educators who don't just teach about sustainability but embody it in their classrooms and communities. The journey involves developing not just knowledge but affective connections, practical skills, and professional behaviors that together form a robust environmental culture.
As we face escalating environmental challenges, these culturally transformative educators become agents of hope—professionals equipped to guide future generations.
Their training represents not just an educational reform but a civilizational investment in the ecological literacy our collective future requires.
Through thoughtful, evidence-informed preparation that connects knowledge to action and values to practice, we can cultivate the green educators our world needs—teachers who will grow the environmental culture of tomorrow in today's classrooms.