Abstract:
The aim of the study was to determine the perceptions of primary school students
about environmental problems and environmental education. The working group is
composed of 50 students who are enrolled in a public school in Yeniçağa. A
structured interview form was used as a data collection tool. According to research
findings, students expressed the concept of environment as life friendly, home,
oxygen, life, living space, tree, world and nature. The students expressed the garbage
wastes, the destruction of the trees, the soil pollution, the discharge of the garbage to
the waters, the throwing of the waste pills, the air and the noise pollution, and the
forest fires as the environmental problem. They have stated that the municipalities
may be the Provincial Directorates of the Environment, schools and school managers,
teachers, Forestry Directorates, Forestry, Public Education Centers, people or
institutions involved in the environmental education of TEMA. Students stated that
they can prevent and solve environmental problems by planting saplings, throwing
garbage into trash cans, using recycling cans, putting out fire after picnic, putting
filters on factory chests, not throwing garbage into lakes and rivers, educating people
about the environment, putting garbage cans on streets and collecting waste
batteries. Students have stated that they have a battery collection project in their
schools, that environmental education is done in cooperation with TEMA, tree
planting work is done and they want these studies to continue. They also stated that
recycling boxes were placed and paper and lids were collected. In the schools
students wanted people to take environmental education, to make theaters related to
environmental education, to make music publications about the environment, to
organize nature notebooks, to organize contests about environmental cleanliness
and to create environmental magazines. As the research findings suggest, primary
school students are highly sensitive the environment and environmental problems. In
this context, it is understood that environmental education is important in primary
schools.
