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Environmental Education Course Development forPreservice Secondary School Science Teachers in theRepublic of KoreaDonghee S. ShinPublished online: 31 Mar 2010.

To cite this article: Donghee S. Shin (2000) Environmental Education Course Development for Preservice SecondarySchool Science Teachers in the Republic of Korea, The Journal of Environmental Education, 31:4, 11-18, DOI:10.1080/00958960009598646

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The Journal of Environmental Education, 2000,Vol. 31 No. 4 11-18

Environmental Education Course Development for Preservice

Secondary School Science Teachers in the Republic of Korea

DONGHEE S. SHIN

ABSTRACT In Summer 1996, an opinionnaire survey was used to evaluate the opinions of Korean professors, in earth science education and geology departments, about the science concepts related to environmental issues that might be important for secondary preservice earth science teachers in the Republic of Korea. The opin- ionnaire contained 63 items within the 14 major topics being considered. It used a 4- choice, Likert-type scale and was completed by 47 professors (response rate = 51%). There was a good coincidence in opinions on major topics to be included. Respon- dents favored an environmental earth science course that emphasized the “human impact on the environment” rather than “natural environmental hazards.” Also, they favored study of natural hazards that commonly occur in Korea within a con- text of worldwide natural hazards.

lthough there is a growing body of environmental edu- A cation (EE) research (e.g., environmental knowledge, environmental attitudes, environmental behavior, and so forth), few articles consider EE as a subject applicable to all subject matter specializations within science teacher educa- tion fields. Ward (1991/1992) argued that the exigencies of environmental issues will make clear that some areas of sci- ence are more useful than others in providing direction for solving environmental problems. Since no one can be

Donghee S. Shin is an associate research fellow in the Division of Science Education at the Korea Institute of Cur- riculum and Evaluation in Seoul.

expected to master all the basic sciences equally, this prior- itizing can be quite valuable.

As one of several science subjects, secondary and under- graduate earth science courses have started to include the study of current environmental issues such as the green- house effect, energy consumption, air and water pollution, waste disposal, and acid precipitation (Carpenter, 1990; Mayer, 1995; Smith & Krockover, 1988). This attention, and consequent concern. provide the earth science educa- tion community with an unparalleled opportunity to exer- cise leadership in developing science education programs designed to enhance knowledge of our planet (Mayer, 1995). Carpenter (1990) criticized traditional teaching methods of earth science, which he characterized as a litany of facts and definitions. He said “Too often, a course in

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12 The Journal of Environmental Education

geology or the geological component of earth science courses deals with the origin and internal structure of the earth, the rocks and minerals that make up the earth’s inte- rior and surface processes, landform evolution, and earth history, in a context totally void of relevance” (p. 449). He also argued that “We must teach about earthquakes, volca- noes, internal processes, and plate tectonics in light of nat- ural geologic hazards. We must teach surface processes in the context of soil erosion, beach erosion, and water pollu- tion, just to mention three relevant issues” (p. 450).

Background As with the rest of the world, environmental problems

exist in the Republic of Korea. But it was not until the 1980s that Koreans paid particular attention to the increasing degradation of their environment. Such awareness of a changing environment helped convince people about the necessity for EE in Korea. Starting in 1996, the Korean gov- ernment’s attention to the environment accelerated when it began its affiliation with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Since 1960, the OECD has emphasized achievement of the highest possible sustainable economic growth and a higher standard of liv- ing among its member countries. Many efforts at EE accompany these goals. One example, set within the Center for Educational Research and Innovation of the OECD, is the “Environment and School Initiatives” study, which could be called an international attempt at curriculum development. These initiatives have had a grassroots, school-based focus: Each participating country chose a net- work of schools practicing EE with innovative strategies (OECD, 1995). Each country created a network of approx- imately ten to twelve schools and appointed a national coor- dinator to provide the links both within the country and with the OECD Secretariat. Therefore, to continue this trend, the Korean government has an opportunity to focus more atten- tion on the environment and on EE through its participation in OECD endeavors. However, because EE in Korea is at an embryonic stage, especially with reference to environmen- tal teacher education, this effort will need support from all concerned individuals and organizations.

For the past few years, environmental concern has prompted some science teacher educators and curriculum developers in Korea to include environmental topics within regular science courses or as optional coursework. These efforts have attempted to provide K-12 pupils with the nec- essary knowledge, values, and skills needed to participate in environmental conservation efforts and to devise solutions to problems in their immediate environment. Since 1990, the Korean Ministry of Education has encouraged the devel- opment of environmental science coursework for secondary school students (Korean Ministry of Education, 1992). Therefore, if Korean secondary school science teachers are to initiate environmental science instruction, they must receive appropriate training. In response to this necessity, a separate department of EE was first established at the Kore-

an National University of Education in 1994. Because of the demand for qualified teachers, EE workshops for certified teachers have been conducted since 1994 at Ewha Woman’s University (Korean Ministry of Environment, 1995). How- ever, because EE in the school system as well as in teacher education programs is still in its early stages, the develop- ment of EE curriculum theory and materials must continue.

Purposes of the Study Environmental education is relevant to the personal, geo-

economic, and political needs of modern technological society. It is a mechanism to promote improved standards of living that are compatible with environmental, cultural, and societal imperatives in accordance with the particular local conditions and environments in which people live (Keiny & Zoller, 199 1). The environmental problems that Korean cities and U.S. rural locations have to cope with are neces- sarily different. Because different problems call for differ- ent solutions, unique EE programs should be designed and implemented for the Korean community. It is not appropri- ate to import programs from other countries that do not address Korean environmental problems.

Because teachers are the key to effective education efforts, their training should be a priority for EE develop- ment in Korea. However, environmental science education courses or programs for preservice teachers have only recently been initiated. Therefore, there is a need to study whether a specific course about the environment, to be offered at a sophomore level in undergraduate departments of earth science education, would be acceptable to college and university science faculty in Korea. Therefore, the pur- poses of this study were (a) to obtain the opinions of Kore- an professors of earth science education and geology about the importance of environmental earth science concepts to include in a sophomore-level environmental earth science course for preservice teachers and (b) to design curriculum guidelines for such a course, if it were found acceptable.

Method and Procedure The opinions of Korean earth science education and geol-

ogy professors should be respected in deciding the impor- tance of the topics that would be covered in an environ- mental earth science course because they have the most knowledge about environmental earth science/environmen- tal geology. To gather this information, I developed an opin- ionnaire survey that had the following two goals: First, it sought to identify the important topics that should be included in a Korean sophomore-level environmental earth science course. Second, it sought to ascertain whether dif- ferences of opinion about the importance of environmental earth science topics existed between earth science education professors and geology professors.

Prior to the construction of the survey instrument, an examination of six textbooks on environmental earth sci- ence or environmental geology, which are commonly used in undergraduate-level courses in the United States, was

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TABLE 1. The Importance of 14 Topics and 63 Items

Earth Sci. Geology Education Total

Topic M SD M SD M SD t" Rank

1. Fresh Water Resources and Pollution - - 3.53 .46 3.69 .39 3.59 .46 -1.14 Strategies for extending the water supply (e.g., water reuse,

conservation, desalination of sea water, interbasin water transfer, etc.) 3.57 .57 3.76 .44 3.64 .53 -1.24

Status of preserving and improving the fresh water resource 3.53 .63 3.82 .53 3.64 .61 -1.61 Impacts of urbanization on groundwater recharge and pollution

Strategies for increasing the water supply (e.g., groundwater recharge) 3.47 .63 3.47 .62 3.47 .62 -.02 of runoff 3.57 .63 3.71 .47 3.62 .57 -.80

~.~ ~ ~

2. Was& Disposal Solid waste disposal strategies (e.g., open dumps, sanitary landfills,

Radioactive waste disposal strategies (e.g., salt-mine storage,

Hazardous liquid-waste disposal strategies (e.g., deep-well disposal,

Solid waste volume-reduction strategies (e.g., recycling, reuse, etc.) Sewage treatment strategies (e.g., septic systems, municipal sewage

incineration, composting, on-site disposal, etc.)

incorporation into glass spherules, etc.)

secure landfills, etc.)

treatment, etc.) 3. Streams and Flooding

Frequency and extent of flood damage from typhoon to people, buildings, and crops in the floodplain

Strategies for reducing flood hazards (e.g., retention ponds, channelization, levees, flood-control dams, reservoirs, etc.)

Frequency and extent of flood damage from seasonal rainfall to people, buildings, and crops in the floodplain

Status of flood prediction efforts

Pollution of soils resulting from application of pesticides Human impacts on rate of soil erosion in cultivated and

Natural and human causes of desertification Use of soil surveys for land-use planning Status of predicting and preventing loss of soils

Nuclear energy (fission and fusion) and environmental impacts

Atmospheric impacts from hydrocarbon fuel use Status of research on renewable energy sources such as direct solar

4. Soil as a Resource

non-cultivated areas

5. Energy Resources

from its use

energy, hydropower, tidal power, wind power, and energy from biomass

Availability of coal and oil resources Solar energy and environmental impacts from its use Geothermal energy and environmental impacts from its use

6. Extreme Weather Events and Air Pollution Global perspectives on the effect of air pollution (e.g., the

greenhouse effect, health of animals and plants, etc.) Types and sources of outdoor and indoor air pollution Status of efforts to improve air quality Effect of droughts on humans, plants, and animals Effect of heat spells and cold spells on humans, plants, and animals Tornado hazards for people and property

Recycling of metals and nonmetals to promote conservation Impact of mineral extraction processes on the environment Availability of ore minerals Status of new methods for mineral exploration (e.g., remote sensing)

7. Mineral Resources

- - 3.47 .55 3.46 .74 3.47 .61 .os 3.70 .47 3.47 .72 3.62 .57 1.33

3.57 .68 3.47 .72 3.53 .69 .46

3.43 .34 3.41 .87 3.43 .83 .08 3.33 .66 3.47 .80 3.38 .71 -.63

3.57 .68 3.47 .72 3.53 .69 .46 3.15 .71 3.54 .56 3.29 .68 -1.96 - _ .

3.27 .69 3.59 .71 3.38 .71 -1.52

3.17 3 3 3.65 .70 3.34 .81 -2.00

3.12 .79 3.47 .72 3.28 .77 -1.31 3.00 .87 3.47 .62 3.17 .82 -1.96 3 . 1 5 . 4 7 3 . 3 4 . 5 1 3 . 2 2 . 4 9 - 1 . 2 8 3.47 .63 3.71 .59 3.55 .62 -1.28

3.20 .66 3.41 .80 3.28 .71 -.98 3.03 .81 3.53 .72 3.21 .81 -2.10 3.13 .68 3.24 .75 3.17 .70 -.47 2.93 .79 2.82 .81 2.89 .79 .46 - - 3.20 S O 3.27 &2 3,22 .54 -.39

3.53 .63 3.65 .61 3.57 .62 -.60 3.57 .57 3.29 .92 3.47 .72 1.26

3.20 .71 3.29 .85 3.23 .76 -.41 3.13 .68 3.18 .81 3.15 .72 -.19 2.97 .67 3.24 .90 3.06 .76 -1.16 2.80 .71 2.94 .97 2.85 .81 -.57 3.05.543.30.503.14.53-1.60

3.53 .63 3.65 .61 3.57 .62 -.60 3.33 .61 3.53 .62 3.40 .61 -1.05 3.37 .67 3.41 .71 3.38 .68 -.22 2.97 .89 3.35 .70 3.11 .84 -1.54 3.03 .93 3.18 .73 3.09 .86 .55

- - 3.03 .55 3.21 3.09 .57 -1.04 2.07 .79 2.71 .99 2.30 .91 -2.44

3.30 .70 3.53 .72 3.38 .71 -1.07 3.03 .77 3.35 .70 3.15 .75 -1.42 3.00 .70 3.06 .83 3.02 .74 -.26 2.77 .77 2.88 .93 2.81 .82 -.46

1 1

3 9

3

8

11 13

13

13

18

22 28

7

22 27 28 47

5 9

25 30 36 49

5 12 13 33 34 62

13 30 37 50

Table continues

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14 The Journal of Environmental Education

TABLE 1. Continued

Topic

Earth Sci. Geology Education Total M SD M SD M SD ta Rank

8. Mass Movement Hazards to people and structures in areas subject to mass wasting

Status of efforts to identify potential landslide areas and to prevent

Ground subsidence problems caused by mining, groundwater

Status of predicting and preventing mass movement Hazards to people and structures in regions of snow avalanches

Site evaluation for construction of dams, highways, airports, and

Site selection for dwellings and commercial buildings Aesthetic impacts of engineering geology

Effects of trace elements on human health

Hazards to people and property from typhoon waves and storm

Beach change caused by structures (e.g., groin, jetty, breakwater,

Status of predicting coastal hazards and coastal change Coastal erosion and flooding resulting from global rise in sea level

Amount of damage to structures as related to types of foundation

Status of earthquake prediction efforts The relation of earthquake magnitude and intensity to personal

Liquefaction potential of foundation soils and consequences to

Statistical probability of earthquake events of different magnitudes Attempts to prevent earthquakes by releasing strain in rocks of

Tsunami hazards for coastal residents

Hazards to people and from wind dispersion of volcanic ash and

Hazards from high concentrations of toxic and non-toxic gases

Status of eruption prediction efforts Risk to people and property in areas that could be affected by

High risk to people and property from pyroclastic flows Special hazards to people and property from active snow-capped

processes

landslide

pumping or sinkholekavern collapse

9. Engineering Geology

tunnels

10. Geologic Aspects of Environmental Health

11. Shorelines and Coastal Processes

surges

seawall)

12. Earthquakes

material (e.g., loose sediment, bedrock, etc.)

injury from falling objects and structures

structures

tectonically active areas

13. Volcanoes

dust

emitted by volcanoes

lava flows

volcanoes 14. Astronomy

Long-term changes in earth's climate resulting from orbital

Hazards from asteroid impact Milankovitch cycles

3.08

3.37

3.40

3.23 3.10 2.30 rn 3.33 3.00 2.77 2.93 2.93 2.92

2.93

2.93 2.87 2.93 - 2.89

3.30 2.90

2.83

3.10 2.87

2.60 2.63 2.64

2.73

2.77 2.63

2.60 2.57

2.27 - 2.48

2.63 2.33

- .57 .66 3.07

.62 3.24 .83 3.32

.77 3.12 .78 3.30

.77 3.35 .70 3.28

.71 3.06 .90 3.09

.84 2.53 1.00 2.38 - .79 3.00 .76 3.02

.80 3.35 .86 3.34

.91 3.00 3 7 3.00

.94 2.65 .86 2.72 1.023.12 a3.00 1.02 3.12 .78 3.00 s3.07.72m

.74 3.53 .62 3.15

.74 2.94 .90 2.94

.73 3.00 .87 2.91

.79 2.82 .95 2.89 3 2 . 9 6 a2.92

.70 3.12 .93 3.23

.80 3.12 .70 298

.75 3.18 .88 2.96

.76 2.65 1.00 2.94

.68 3.00 .79 2.91

.81 2.88 3 6 2.70

.81 2.77 .97 2.68 - .56 2.65 ,zP 2.64

.74 2.82 .88 2.77

.73 2.76 1.15 2.77

.85 2.94 .83 2.74

.77 2.41 .87 2.53

.73 2.35 1.06 2.49

.87 2.29 .99 2.28 - .84 2.47 .72 2.48

.93 2.41 .80 2.55

.92 2.52 .80 2.40

- - .60 .12

.69 .62

.78 1.20

.74 -.53

.78 .17

.90 -.84 - - .77 .14

.81 -.08

.88 0

.90 .43 - .93 4 .93 -.65 - -79 -.84

.75 -2.80

.79 -.03

.78 -.56

.84 .43 3 8 4 9

.79 .76

.77 -.93

.81 -1.42

.87 1.75

.72 -.61

.83 -1.12

.86 -.50

.64 -45

.79 -.37

3 9 .01 .85 -1.20

.80 .77

.86 .82

.90 -.lo - - .79 .05

.88 .83

.88

20

21

22 34 61

18 38 54

38

30

42 44 47

25 40

41

42 44

55 56

51

51 53

58 59

63

57

"Critical value of t distribution at a (.01 level) = 2.704.

conducted to select topics for a sophomore-level environ- mental earth science course. Sixty-three items relating to 14 topics were identified from the textbooks and used in the survey (Table 1). Each respondent was asked to rate the

importance of each item on a 4-point Likert-type scale (1 = strongly unimportant, 2 = unimportant, 3 = important, and 4 = strongly important).

Because the course guidelines of this study were to be

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designed for preservice earth science teachers who already had an understanding of introductory earth science and geology, none of the 63 items on the 14 topics contained basic knowledge concepts of earth science or geology. Thus, concepts not directly related to “environmental” earth science (e.g., plate tectonics and earthquakes, types of vol- canoes, formation of soil, and so on) were excluded from the items.

The mail survey was conducted in June 1996. A set of opinionnaires was airmailed to each earth science education and geology professor at 14 Korean colleges and universi- ties. Self-addressed, stamped envelopes were enclosed for the respondents to return the completed opinionnaires to the author’s home address in Korea. No opinionnaire was returned after August 1996.

A total of 92 opinionnaires were distributed, and 47 pro- fessors responded (total response rate = 5 1.1 %). Forty-two opinionnaires were sent to earth science education profes- sors at 12 colleges and universities nationwide. Seventeen of them returned their opinionnaires (response rate = 40.5%). For the survey of geology professors, 50 opinionnaires were sent to 9 universities nationwide. Thirty surveys from the 9 universities were returned (response rate = 60.0%).

Means and standard deviations of all 63 items were cal- culated to rank the importance of each item. The grand mean of all 14 topics was calculated to rank the importance of each topic. In addition to the descriptive statistics, a nondirectional t test, with an alpha level of .01, was used to compare results between professors of earth science educa- tion and professors of geology.

Results

Importance of Topics

The results for the first goal, showing the importance of 14 topics for an environmental earth science course, are reported in Table 1, which contains the means, standard deviations (SD), t value, and ranking among the 63 items. The first column in Table 1 lists the 14 topics (boldface) in descending rank order. Within each topic, several items are presented in descending order of perceived importance. The second and third columns present the means and standard deviations of respondents in departments of geology and earth science education, respectively. The total means and standard deviations of respondents in the two departments are in the fourth column and t tests are presented in the fifth. The last column shows the ranking of each item.

Comparison of Opinions

The second goal of the survey was to compare the opin- ions of the two groups of respondents. Accordingly, the null hypothesis was stated as follows: There is no significant dif- ference in opinions on the importance of environmental earth science concepts between professors of earth science education and professors of geology.

The results of the t tests (Table 1) indicated that for 62 of

the 63 items, the null hypothesis should be accepted. In other words, the analysis showed that the overall opinion of professors from earth science education departments was not significantly different from that of professors from geol- ogy departments. Only one item on hazards to people and property from typhoon waves and storm surge (Table 1) showed a significant difference between the two groups. These results add further evidence that an opinionnaire- based survey of topics for the preservice course in environ- mental earth science meets the mutual expectations among academicians in both earth science education and geology departments.

Discussion Environmental issues, as a whole, can be considered

from two different viewpointduman impact on the envi- ronment and impact of natural disasters on human beings. From both broad and general perspectives, these two view- points should be covered in EE and environmental sciences. The trend in EE, however, has increasingly emphasized the former aspect of environmental science because of the accelerated devastation of the biological and physical envi- ronment. Researchers and educators in the field of earth sci- ence have already learned a great deal about disastrous nat- ural phenomena and have regularly transferred this knowledge to their students in various earth science cours- es such as geology and meteorology. Therefore, such topics can be excluded from the more strictly defined EE course.

As expected, professors surveyed in the study thought that human impact on the environment (e.g., water pollu- tion, waste disposal, air pollution, etc.) is more important than impact of natural disaster on the human being (e.g., earthquakes, volcanoes, etc.). On the other hand, it is impor- tant to note in the opinions about each item that environ- mental phenomena that commonly cause the greatest disas- ters in Korea, such as flooding, typhoons, and landslides, were considered important when compared to other items of natural environmental phenomena that do not commonly occur in Korea.

All items considered as most important among the 63 items were directly related to current Korean environmental problems. For example, water pollution causes the most serious impact on all creatures including human beings in Korea, especially in metropolitan and industrial areas. Sim- ilarly, strategies for waste disposal, ranging from household sewage to nuclear waste, have recently been among the most controversial issues in the Korean society. As such, most items under the topics Waste Disposal and Fresh Water Resources and Pollution were considered as the most important to be included for prospective teachers.

Other urgent environmental problems to be solved in Korea, for example, soil pollution by pesticides, air pollution by hydrocarbon use, and natural and human causes of deser- tification, were also considered important. The results of the opinionnaire also indicate that as a result of the govern- ment’s efforts, as well as people’s self-awakening about the

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environment, the recycling issue has become very important in everyday Korean life. Topics related to natural phenome- na that commonly cause enormous loss in Korea such as landslides, flooding, typhoons, and droughts are considered important, whereas less common topics (e.g., tornadoes, coastal erosion, volcanoes, and earthquakes) are not.

The overall opinion of professors from earth science edu- cation departments was not significantly different (a = .01) from that of professors from geology departments. Although the professors’ academic backgrounds varied, especially in the case of earth science teacher educators, almost all agreed on what was a more important item and what was a less important one. Therefore, the results can be applied, without conflict, to the topic guidelines for a preservice, introducto- ry, environmental earth science course in Korea.

Course Guidelines According to Shin’s (1997) study of EE in Korea, a few

courses in environmental concepts are offered as advanced courses as well as introductory ones in earth science educa- tion programs in universities and colleges. Regarding the course title, however, few “environment” titled courses are offered in earth science education programs. It is likely that the emphasis given to environmental concepts is rather dif- fuse and superficial as there are no specific “environment” courses in earth science education programs. In short, EE in earth science education programs is restricted to whatever importance individual earth science teacher educators find within the context of environmental issue concepts.

Environmental teacher education is a new and evolving educational endeavor in Korea. Ideally, establishing a sepa- rate department of EE in teacher education programs might be the best approach to train the most qualified EE teachers. However, there are obvious difficulties in supporting a sep- arate department: Who would establish, design, and teach it (Ballantyne, 1995)? Although a separate EE department may eventually be established in every teacher education program in the future, for now, each science education department (e.g., biology education, chemistry education, earth science education, etc.) is including EE in its offer- ings. Therefore, it seems desirable that a more concerted effort should be made to develop special environment-relat- ed courses in each science education program. Of course, more environment-oriented concepts should be covered in every new course.

Clearly, programs for prospective environmental scien- tists and environmental science teachers should be differ- ent; environmental scientists may be specialists in a single discipline such as hydrology and environmental climatol- ogy, whereas environmental science teachers need to be sci- ence generalists to function as environmental educators in the present education system.

As a response to such needs, the topic guidelines of this study (Table 2) are designed for an introductory course in an earth science education program that can be titled Envi- ronmental Earth Science. The topic guidelines can be con-

TABLE 2. Topic Guidelines for a Preservice, Intro- ductory, Environmental Earth Science Course in the Republic of Korea

~~

Area Topic*

Resources and resource (4) management

Mineral resources and the environment

A review of mineral resources: nonre- newable and renewable mineral resources, global energy resources, nuclear energy, etc.

A sustainable earth energy strategy Mineral exploitation and environmen-

tal impact Nonrenewable mineral resources:

mineral supplies and environmen- tal impacts, increasing mineral resources supplies, wasting resources

Soil resources (3) A review of soil: soil as a resource,

Predicting and controlling soil ero-

Use of soil survey for land-use plan-

soil erosion, etc.

sion

ning

Water resources ( 2 ) A review of water: supply, renewal,

and use of water resources, etc. Water resource problems: ways to

supply water (e.g., dams), using water more efficiently, etc.

Human impact Waste disposal (6) on the environ- ment

Solid waste: pollution and waste pre- vention and reuse, composting and recycling, incineration, and burial

Hazardous waste: types and produc- tion

Solutions: dealing with hazardous waste

Case studies: The Love Canal, Cher- nobyl, etc.

Air pollution (6) Outdoor and indoor air pollution Smog and acid precipitation Greenhouse effects Effects of air pollution on living

Solutions: preventing and controlling organisms and on materials

air pollution

Water pollution (6) Types and sources of water pollution Pollution of streams, lakes, ocean,

and groundwater Solutions: preventing and controlling

groundwater and surface water pollution

Table continues

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TABLE 2. Continued

Area Topic*

Human impact on the environment

Natural disaster in the environment

Others

Soil pollution (3) Soil contamination by salinization,

Desertification by human impact Solutions: preventing and controlling

pesticides, etc.

soil pollution

Earthquakes ( 2 ) Case histories Evaluation of earthquake hazards Approaches to the comprehensive

prediction of earthquakes

Volcanoes ( I ) Case histories Evaluation of volcanic hazards Approaches to the comprehensive

Shorelines and coastal processes (1) Typhoon and coastal hazards Case histories Approaches to the comprehensive

prediction of volcanic eruptions

prediction of coastal hazards and coastal change

Streams and flooding (3)

and typhoon Flood damage from seasonal rainfall

Case histories Approaches to the comprehensive

prediction of flood hazards

Ground subsidence by human Mass movement (3)

impact: groundwater pumping, mining, sinkhole collapse, etc.

Case histories Approaches to the comprehensive

prediction of mass movement

Site evaluation for buildings, dams,

Engineering design

Engineering geology ( I )

highways, tunnels, etc.

Geologic aspects of environmental health ( I )

Trace elements and health Medical geochemistry

*The number in parentheses equals the number of classes out of a total of 42 classes in a semester.

ceptualized and developed based on information gathered from the survey reported in this study, on concepts obtained from environmental earth science textbooks, and on the teacher’s own conception of the topics that preservice envi- ronmental earth science should cover.

The main principle of the proposed environmental earth science course is that all topics in the opinionnaire ranging

from natural environmental hazards to human impact on the environment are worthy of inclusion. However, each topic can be treated with different emphasis according to its importance in Korea or wherever else it may be implement- ed. At present, the basic principle of the topic guidelines is to include every topic in the opinionnaire regardless of its relative importance, but each will be accorded different cov- erage based on its regional implications in Korea. This prin- ciple solves both the problems of which topics should be taught and how much coverage each topic should receive.

It is assumed that the proposed environmental earth sci- ence course is composed of two content-oriented classes and one activity-oriented class per week running over the 14 weeks of one semester (a total of 28 content-oriented class- es and 14 activity-oriented classes per semester). The num- ber in parentheses after each topic in Table 2 indicates the number of classes suggested for a topic’s coverage in Korea (the number of total classes assumed per semester is 42). For each topic, there should be an emphasis on (a) global per- spectives to environmental problems and issues, (b) region- al implications of environmental problems and issues, and (c) alternative solutions available for solving these issues and the regional implications of these alternative solutions.

Implications for Further Study This study was designed to assess the relevance of a

range of environmental earth science topics that might form the curriculum for an introductory environmental earth sci- ence course for preservice science teachers in Korea. Only professors from two types of higher education departments in Korea were included: Professors in earth science educa- tion and geology gave their opinions about the relevance of topics listed in a mail opinionnaire. The reasons for this lim- itation were as follows: (a) the opinionnaire was designed to suggest the environmental earth science and geology con- tent of the proposed course, and, therefore, environmental science content related to biology or chemistry was not con- sidered; and (b) the results of the survey were intended to be used to develop the environmental earth science and geolo- gy courses. It is expected that similar studies will be con- ducted in other science education programs in the future.

The topic guidelines were mainly developed based on descriptions, opinions, and comments of professors includ- ed in the opinionnaire survey. Because a survey of the importance of topics for inclusion in a prospective environ- mental earth science course was the primary goal, informa- tion about the curriculum trends in the department of earth science or environmental education was not included. If fur- ther research were to include opinions of curriculum devel- opers as well as teacher educators and surveys of depart- mental curricula, then more comprehensive topic guidelines can be obtained.

REFERENCES

Ballantyne, R. R. (1995). Environmental teacher education: Constraints, approaches, and course design. International Journal of Environmental

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Korean Ministry of Environment. (1995). An environmental whirebook in the Republic of Korea (pp. 400-410). Seoul, Korea: Korean Ministry of Environment Publications Service.

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(1995). Environmental learning for the 21st century. Washington, DC: OECD Publications Service.

Shin, D. S. (1997). Environmental earth science course development for preservice secondary school science teachers in the Republic of Korea (pp. 136-137). Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York City.

Smith, D. R., & Krockover, G. H. (1988). Atmospheric science: It's more than meteorology. The Science Teacher, 55( 1). 3639.

Ward, H. (1991/1992). Reversing the traditional problem-solving order. The Journal of College Science Teaching, 21(3), 140-141.

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