Children's concept about waste management : insights for environmental education programme planning in small island states

Abstract

A change in personal behaviour was identified as the way forward to achieve sustainable development; a state of mind where the impacts on social, environmental and economic aspects are collectively taken into consideration. Given their unique characteristics, this research points out how such a reorientation of lifestyles is imperative for Small Island Developing States' future. Environmental education practices, identified in international, regional and national fora as being vital for instilling sustainability concepts, were found to be less effective than predicted. This study sets out to identify the causes of such failure. It strives to analyse the missing links between environmental education sustainability principles and its inability to reach set targets with special emphasis on the ability to steer the development of such sustainability concepts in children. Data was collected through two distinctive yet interlinked routes where different methodological practices were employed. Likert-type questionnaires were distributed via email to environmental educators from nine Small Island Developing States (SIDS): Fiji, Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea for the Pacific Region; Jamaica, Tobago and Belize for the Caribbean Region; and Cyprus, Malta and Mauritius for the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Indian Regions. The aim of this exercise was to collect data about practices in environmental education m SIDS, thus identifying any common trends and struggles in its implementation. The second phase of the research involved the collection of in-depth data about children's perceptions on environmental issues. This was carried out by means of individual interviews, performed with a sample of 7-8 year old boys and girls from two primary schools, one of which embraced sustainable behaviour practices through the promotion of recycling. The results obtained from both the questionnaires and the interviews were then merged in order to provide a holistic picture of environmental education practices in SIDS and their level of effectiveness. The data collated revealed that SIDS are experiencing a number of similar constraints when it comes to the adequate implementation of environmental education, thus common solutions, which can be identified through collaborative efforts between SIDS educators, are encouraged. Moreover, the interview results reveal how these factors are limiting the education system's success in promoting sustainable concepts in young citizens. It was observed that these restraints arc compromising the pedagogical practices of environmental education by confining it to passive transfer of knowledge with little emphasis on values and attitudes. The implications of these findings point out a number of changes deemed necessary in future environmental education and for the effective development of ecological and sustainable attitudes and behaviour, with special reference to SIDSscenario.