Environmental literacy and epistemological beliefs of Filipino pre-service teachers: A search for congruency

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Research Paper 01/05/2018
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Environmental literacy and epistemological beliefs of Filipino pre-service teachers: A search for congruency

Gilbert C. Magulod Jr.
J. Bio. Env. Sci.12( 5), 196-204, May 2018.
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Abstract

Future teachers must have to be environmentally literate and competent enough in producing informed learners who can make environmentally responsible decisions and exhibits environmental responsible behavior. The study investigated the relationship between the environmental literacy and epistemological beliefs of pre-service teachers. It employed descriptive correlational research design. The participants were the sixty pre-service teachers of Cagayan State University randomly selected. Findings revealed that there is a high level of environmental literacy among the pre-service teachers. Likewise, they exhibit positive personal epistemological on the five dimensions. Significantly, the test of difference showed that sex is the single variable showing a significant difference in the environmental literacy while parents’ education attainment also spelled significant differences on the epistemological beliefs of the pre-service teachers. The study also found out that there is a significant relationship between the environmental literacy and epistemological beliefs of the pre-service teachers indicating that the higher the environmental literacy of the respondents the more they likely to exhibit sophisticated belief about environmental knowledge. Results of the study further suggest that there is a congruency between the environmental literacy and epistemological beliefs of the pre-service Filipino teachers. The higher they perceived themselves to possess the ability to learn the higher they manifest environmental literacy. Therefore, epistemological beliefs of the pre-service teachers should be taken into consideration in the teacher education training program to develop future educators who are environmentally literate.

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