Self-evaluation as a tool in developing environmental responsibility

Abstract

Environmental Education (EE) or Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) programmes frequently purport to help students develop attitudes and values that promote sustainable lifestyles. Nevertheless, the majority of assessment and evaluation practices associated with these programmes, while catering for knowledge content and skills, usually do not target the affective domain due to the use of traditional tools. The Environmental Education Programme (EEP), offered by the University of Malta, was designed with the specific aim of providing an EE/ESD course (for student-teachers) that specifically targets the development of pro-environmental values. The course contained study units (spread over a period of three years) that fitted within the education about/through/for the environment paradigm, but the major effort was addressed towards the evaluation process. Student-teachers were asked to keep journals in which they would reflect on their experience throughout the programme. Towards the end of the programme student-teachers shared their accumulated experiences and were asked to assess their own performance. Besides providing a documentation of the educational outcomes of the EEP, the paper provides critical insight into the student-teachers’ reflections and provides suggestions for the development of similar programmes.