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Teachers’ Perspectives on the Human-Nature Relationship: Implications for Environmental Education

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Abstract

This study based on a theoretical framework of three main environmental perspectives in the human-nature relationship (anthropocentrism, biocentrism and ecocentrism), aimed to identify their incidence in teachers involved with environmental projects when confronted with diverse environmental issues. 60 teachers drawn from four school cycles in Portugal (crèche; 1st cycle, 6–9 years old; 2nd cycle, 10–11 years old; 3rd cycle and Secondary school, 12–17 years old) were interviewed and divided into two groups: generalist teachers (crèche and 1st cycle) and specialists in different subjects (2nd and 3rd cycles and secondary). The results showed a higher occurrence of biocentric perceptions in all teachers (more significantly in those from the 1st group). Comparatively, the teachers from the 2nd group showed more ecocentric perceptions. These differences can be explained by the models of teacher education (initial and inservice) and by the influence of the specific characteristics of the cycles in question. In contrast, the teachers' environmental projects were mostly centred on sustainable use of resources, which inevitably favours anthropocentric arguments. The results allow us to conclude that different environmental approaches are possible, especially if teachers are aware of the importance of dealing with more controversial environmental issues.

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Notes

  1. See complete references at the end of the article.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Lisbon Higher School of Education, Centre of Geology of Oporto University, Rua do Campo Alegre, 4169-007, Oporto, Portugal

    António Almeida

  2. Department of Geosciences, Environment and Land Planning, Centre of Geology of Oporto University, Faculty of Science of Oporto University, Rua do Campo Alegre, 4169-007, Oporto, Portugal

    Clara Vasconcelos

Authors
  1. António Almeida
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  2. Clara Vasconcelos
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to António Almeida.

Appendix 1

Appendix 1

With Which of the Following Statements Do You Most Identify? Why?

Position on the Value of Nature

  1. A -

    The value of nature derives from the kind of economic, aesthetic, scientific, historical and lifestyle benefits found in it by the human being.

  2. B -

    The value of nature derives from the different life forms found within it, regardless of the use to which the human being can put them.

  3. C -

    The value of nature derives from the different biogeochemical processes that permit the manifestation of inanimate forms and different life forms.

Position on Economic Development

  1. A -

    Human beings, in order to ensure economic growth to satisfy their wishes and desires, may, if necessary, endanger certain species on the planet.

  2. B -

    Human beings, in order to ensure economic growth to satisfy their wishes and desires, should do so without endangering other species, whose well-being is as important as their own.

  3. C -

    Human beings, in order to ensure economic growth, should adapt and accede to natural processes, even if this limits the satisfaction of their wishes and desires.

Position on Hunting

  1. A -

    Hunting is an important activity for humans because it allows for the development of various skills, such as attention, observation, manipulation, agility, etc. as well as the feeling of well-being that comes from outdoor activities.

  2. B -

    Hunting is a senseless activity in that it corresponds to no real need in modern Man and shows lack of respect for the natural welfare of the hunted species through ruses designed to deceive them.

  3. C -

    Hunting, although not especially relevant in terms of the skills it develops in Man, strengthens the bond between Man and nature and may also be justified when this is threatened by particular species.

Position in Relation to Zoos

  1. A -

    Zoos are essential institutions for people, especially young people, to experience the biodiversity of the planet. They also contribute to scientific education, the preservation of endangered species of interest to the human being, and have a positive effect on tourism.

  2. B -

    Zoos are institutions that serve interests foreign to the animals they enclose, in that they restrict their freedom and natural behaviours, while the recreation of their habitats is aimed solely at easing the conscience of visitors.

  3. C -

    Zoos are institutions that tend to concentrate on species foreign to their location, regardless of whether they are representative in terms of their role in nature, and would only make sense if they worked in conjunction with the preservation of local or national nature reserves.

Position in Relation to the Human Species

  1. A -

    The human species, being the most sophisticated on Earth, has succeeded in freeing itself of the constraints of nature and turning it to its own advantage.

  2. B -

    The human species is the most sophisticated on Earth, although awareness of this fact should not imply contempt for other species, whose integrity should be equally respected.

  3. C -

    The human species is the most sophisticated on Earth, but still only a cog in the system and therefore should be subject to inevitable constraints.

Position on Human Nourishment

  1. A -

    The human diet should include a variety of foodstuffs, this being a question of personal taste, preference and need, while also contributing to health.

  2. B -

    The human diet should include essential foodstuffs that are healthy without causing the death of other animal species.

  3. C -

    The human diet should include a variety of foodstuffs, since this is the result of the human being’s evolutionary past and therefore essential to remaining in good health.

Position on Cultural Diversity

  1. A -

    Cultural diversity is an important value, provided that certain practices do not call into question human integrity and that of different life forms, given that such practices can have a negative effect on the character of the people who both perform and observe them.

  2. B -

    Cultural diversity is an important value, provided that certain practices do not call into question human integrity and that of different life forms, particularly the more complex species that have a way of life worthy of respect.

  3. C -

    Cultural diversity is an important value, and certain practices involving living or inanimate beings are timeless manifestations of the human being’s integration into nature and of his relationship with other life forms.

Position on Pollution

  1. A -

    Pollution, although it should be kept within levels that do not affect public health, constitutes a necessary evil given the need to make viable essential productive sectors.

  2. B -

    Pollution should be controlled in such a way as to endanger the smallest possible number of species on Earth and of the living creatures who represent them.

  3. C -

    Pollution should be controlled since it alters the distribution of the species in a particular region by favouring the strong and eliminating the weak, thus affecting the balance of nature.

Position in Regard to Parks and Nature Reserves

  1. A -

    The demarcation of parks and nature reserves is essential in that they constitute areas in which nature can flourish, are of scientific interest and enable us to preserve species that may be of use to the human being in the future.

  2. B -

    The demarcation of parks and nature reserves is essential since they are areas that provide, par excellence, the best conditions in which different life forms can flourish with a minimum of human interference.

  3. C -

    The demarcation of parks and nature reserves is essential because they constitute areas that, if large enough, help to maintain the balance of the planet and ensure the continuation of natural processes leading to the origin and extinction of species.

Position on the Consumption of Ecological Products

  1. A -

    The consumption of ecological products is beneficial in terms of public health because many of them use harmless substances and allow future generations to maintain levels of consumption similar to those of today, given that they include recyclable materials and fewer raw materials.

  2. B -

    The consumption of ecological products is beneficial because manufacturing processes favour alternative raw materials over substances derived from living creatures, some of them endangered species, and avoid animal testing.

  3. C -

    In the majority of cases, the consumption of ecological products is ineffective because it is based on the contradiction that the consumer is the agent of environmental change, when in fact actual consumption is one of the main culprits in the environmental crisis

Note: In the appendix, the anthropocentric, biocentric and ecocentric statements always appear in this order.

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Almeida, A., Vasconcelos, C. Teachers’ Perspectives on the Human-Nature Relationship: Implications for Environmental Education. Res Sci Educ 43, 299–316 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-011-9272-z

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