Jou nal o Educa ion and Human De elopmen
Ma ch 2017, Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 103-119
ISSN: 2334-296X (P in ), 2334-2978 (Online)
Copy igh © The Au ho (s). All Righ s Rese ed.
Published by Ame ican Resea ch Ins i u e o Policy De elopmen
DOI: 10.15640/jehd. 6n1a11
URL: h ps://doi.o g/10.15640/jehd. 6n1a11
103
Wha do Spanish 5-7 yea -olds say abou some En i onmen al issues? An
Explo a o y S udy o De ec and Analyse hei Ideas
C uz-Guzmán, Ma a1; C iado, Ana Ma ía1
Depa men o Expe imen al and Social Sciences Teaching
Facul y o Educa ion Sciences
Uni e si y o Se ille, Spain.
Mon illa, Sa a2.
Pío XII P ima y School and Kinde ga en
Se ille, Spain
Abs ac
Basic quali a i e esea ch is p esen ed in o de o alue and compa e p eschool (5-6yea old) and i s -yea
p ima y le el(6-7yea old) child en's ideas in a Spanish school abou se e al opics: was e, biodeg adabili y,
ecycling, wa e pollu ion and wa e sa ing. To ob ain his in o ma ion, complemen a y ins umen s we e used,
al hough he e he ob ained esul s o he i s ins umen a e epo ed. The esul s led o iden i ying he child en's
main esponses on he opic as well as es ablishing some di e ences be ween he wo educa ional s ages. I was
possible o es ablish p og essi e le els o ca ego ies o some o he ideas s udied. Some eaching sugges ions a e
made: i is ine ec i e o ocus on wha ypes o ma e ials a e deposi ed in each ype o ubbish con aine when
hey canno ye di e en ia e be ween he ypes o ma e ials and hei p ope ies. Ins ead, a simpli ied app oach
should be de eloped pe haps by way o s o ies. A p oposal could be de eloped on he biodeg adabili y o
ma e ials as a isually dis inguishable p ope y, wi h some hands-on ac i i ies. We would also sugges p o iding
speci ic examples as speci ic ypes o con amina ion, such as wa e pollu ion, on he li ing condi ions o speci ic
o ms o li e.
Keywo ds: en i onmen al educa ion, educa ion o sus ainabili y, child en´s ideas, p eschool, p ima y school.
1. In oduc ion and Backg ound
1.1. Educa ion o Sus ainabili y (E S) and En i onmen al Educa ion (EE)
The p o ec ion o na u e is becoming one o he mos impo an issues o he con empo a y wo ld. As many o he
undamen al alues o omo ow’s socie y a e o med in ea ly childhood, educa ion a his le el has a majo ole
o play in achie ing sus ainable de elopmen (Si aj-Bla ch o d, 2009).
Educa ion o sus ainabili y (E S) appea s o o e come he limi ed app oach o En i onmen al Educa ion (EE)
owa ds one wi h a sense o social ans o ma ion (Colom, 2000), e en in p eschool educa ion (Chan, Choy &
Lee, 2009; Kah iman-Öz ü k, Olgan, & Güle , 2012).Many au ho s ag ee wi h his new EE pe spec i e, which
os e s ac ion o social change (Sau é, 2010). In his espec Some ille and Williams (2015) ca ied ou a e iew
o esea ch in E S in ea ly childhood. Di e en au ho s e e o E S as pa o he solu ion o p ese ing na u al
esou ces and aking ca e o he plane (Kuma , 2004;Saylan & Blums ein, 2011; Willem, 2006). As an example,
Dame ell, Howe, and Milne -Gulland (2013)jus i y he need o E S by no ing child en's high le els o
consump ion (gadge s wi h pollu ing ba e ies, hei ea ing habi s, ene gy use, u ban noise, was e gene a ion,
u ban decay, e c.) and he in luence hey ha e on hei pa en s' beha iou .
Jou nal o Educa ion and Human De elopmen , Vol. 6(1), Ma ch 2017
104
Indeed, EE (as pa o E S) should be a p io i y in i sel , a he han schools simply aking ad an age o i s c oss-
cu ing na u e o make syllabuses appea mo e in e es ing and cu ing edge by p o iding hem wi h a mode n and
p og essi e gloss. A posi i e example is Peacock (2006) who ocuses on ecological li e acy and he c oss-cu ing
na u e o he disciplines in ol ed o allow o he eaching o p ac ical alues and a i udes. The au ho no only
shows us wha is he necessa y con en in he p ima y educa ion cu iculum ela ed o ecology, bu also gi es
di e en examples o how o achie e e hical, social, scien i ic, and en i onmen al concep ions and implica ions.
In acco dance wi h his, and speci ically in Spain, we ha e o e lec upon how necessa y i is o imp o e EE in
schools. Edwa ds, Gil, Vilches, and P aia (2004),Spanish au ho s who s udied pa o he educa ional communi y
(327 ac i e eache s, 521 p ospec i e eache s, and 138 ex books), ound ha educa ion makes e y ew
e e ences o nume ous hemes ela ed o global en i onmen al issues – sus ainable de elopmen ; hey he e o e
ecommend speci ic eache educa ion ac ions o o e come a educ ionis ision o he global p oblem.
1.2. En i onmen al Educa ion in he ea ly educa ional s ages
E S as a ocus a he p eschool le el ha e been a gued pe suasi ely in he li e a u e o a leas a decade (Da is,
2009, 2015; Ellio & Da is, 2009; Ellio , 2014; Hägglund & P amling, 2009). Va ious esea ch g oups
h oughou he wo ld ha e been s udying in his ield. Ma ínez, Ulland Azna (2014)p o ide a b ie
ecompila ion.
Educa ion o sus ainabili y should begin in a child's ea ly yea s(Da is, 2009; Taylo , Quinn, & Eames, 2015). In
his ega d, a he end o he wen ie h cen u y, Espine (1995) insis ed ha EE in he i s s ages o educa ion
‘goes beyond science educa ion, as i no only aims o an unde s anding o he en i onmen , bu also in ol es an
emo ional and beha iou al commi men o i ’ (p. 59). This au ho e en wa ns o he dange s o acqui ing
en i onmen ally iendly habi s wi hou e lec ing on and unde s anding he need o hose ac ions. F ei e (2013)
ag ees wi h his iew, highligh ing he causal ela ionship be ween people's ‘ecological sensi i i y’ and hei
con ac wi h na u e in ea ly childhood. Mackey (2012) shows how impo an i is o espec he igh o he child
o gain knowledge abou social and en i onmen al issues, in o de o be in ol ed in con e sa ions and possible
solu ions, wi h hei ideas and con ibu ions holding pa icula alue.
The e is an impo an body o li e a u e on expe iences and p ojec s a he i s le els o educa ion. In his sense,
in Spain, he as majo i y o schools le hei pupils in e ac wi h na u al ma e ials om hei en i onmen – logs,
ocks, s icks, pine cones, and e en sc ap o ecycled ma e ials – wi h he i m in en ion o p omo ing alues such
as espec o he en i onmen (Flecha, 2013).Li e a u e (e.g., Ál a ez e al., 2004) shows expe iences a
p eschool and p ima y educa ion le els (e.g., school en i onmen al p oposals o pa icipa e in he collec ion and
so ing o was e). He e, no only scien i ic knowledge o he su ounding wo ld is p omo ed, bu also
unde s anding how o ac o p ese e i . The aim is also o encou age in e naliza ion o conse a ionis a i udes,
and an awa eness and app ecia ion o he easons behind conse a ion. In sum, his p ojec s esses he acquisi ion
o alues as he basis o EE.
F ei e (2013) shows how Denma k, Ge many, and Sco land a e ans o ming hei educa ional sys ems wi h he
objec i e o eaching he en i e cu iculum a he di e en educa ional s ages (p eschool, p ima y, and seconda y)
in ‘g een spaces’. Da is (2005) showed us he posi i e esul s o educa ing o sus ainabili y o e yea s spen in
an Aus alian kinde ga en. Da is (2015) and Ellio (2014) gi e a amewo k o ea ly lea ning o sus ainabili y.
Sneddon and Pe i (2016) p o ide ma e ials o help embed sus ainabili y as images o he ecological oo p in and
he social handp in , sus ainabili y ac ions o educing ou ecological oo p in wo kshee , sus ainabili y ac ions
o inc easing ou social handp in wo kshee and calenda o da es ela ed o sus ainabili y.
Ä lemalm-Hagsé (2013) illus a es how E S can be ea ed in one Swedish p eschool by dialogues as places o
communica ion, pa icipa ion and sha ed meaning-making. In he Uni ed S a es, Williams (2010) p oposes
educa ion based on local en i onmen al p ojec s, in which pupils conduc eam-based inqui y – collec ing,
syn hesizing, and analysing in o ma ion o hen pu he knowledge hey ha e acqui ed in o p ac ice. Speci ically,
in p eschool, by way o explo ing hei communi y, pupils can be in oduced o such concep s as he di e en
ypes o plan s and animals ha inhabi he Ea h, he componen s o ou plane (ea h, ai , and wa e ), he
iden i ica ion o he Ea h's esou ces ha we use in e e yday li e, and he idea o conse ing hese esou ces in
o de o li e.
Wha do Spanish 5-7 yea -olds say abou some En i onmen al issues? .................
105
Conce ning he pedagogical app oach, i may be inapp op ia e o deal wi h na u e h ough solely echnological
media and ala mis discou ses (F ei e, 2013). Espine (1995) p oposes ‘ he en i onmen al s o y’ as an impo an
esou ce, especially in he i s s ages, as i ‘allows child en o imagine mo e dis an o abs ac si ua ions ela ed
o he p oblems o mode n socie y, wi hou he need o a basis on di ec expe ience’ (p. 60).Fo mos child en,
in e es in and lo e o na u e is ins inc i e (Villa oel, 2013). Sabo (2010) belie es ha ea ly childhood educa ion
should s a wi h hei na u al in e es in plan s and animals. To qua i and Ne ns (2013) claim ha na u e
en i onmen s a e sui able places o engage child en o high quali y lea ning expe iences. Ga ido (2007) s esses
he impo ance o he pupil o app ecia e he ac ha li ing hings espond o and eel he changes in hei
en i onmen , since his will de elop a i udes o conse a ion and espec .
As a means o s imula ing child en's conce n o hei close en i onmen , a ious au ho s p opose he s udy o
li ing beings, in pa icula , o pe s and li es ock (Tiana, 2009). Howe e , as hese animals a e housed o held in
cap i i y by human, i is di icul o show how hey ela e o o he li ing beings wi hin an ecosys em, and he
dis u bance o ha sys em caused by human (Espine , 1995). To unde s and hese in e ac ions, we belie e i is
necessa y o go beyond p esen ing child en wi h na u al esou ces in isola ion, ou side o hei na u al sys ems,
bu o ins ead iew hese sys ems om wi hin allowing child en o see he mul iple ela ionships among he
membe s whe e hey make sense.
1.3. S udies o Child en’s Ideas in En i onmen al Educa ion
In o de o s a planning any in e en ion, eache s need o esea ch child en’s p e ious concep ions o
en i onmen al issues, because hey b ing hei own ideas which hey ha e been o ming since an ea ly age
(D i e , 1985, Osbo ne & F eybe g, 1985). In ac , o lea ning, s uden s should know, discuss and e lec on hei
own ideas. Knowledge is buil on he ounda ion o he s uden 's mind as new expe iences and in o ma ion
in e ac wi h hei misconcep ions. Acco ding o Cube o, Cube o, San ama ía, Saa ed a, and Yosse (2007), we
need o know ou s uden s’ p econcep ions and wo ld iews be o e s a ing a lea ning- eaching p ocess wi h hem.
Then i is possible o cons uc a sha ed meaning and educa o s a e able o adjus hei in e en ion in g ea e
dep h.
As men ioned abo e, he li e a u e includes se e al examples o EE- ela ed ac i i ies in p eschool class ooms.
P ojec s a e shown, ela ed o en i onmen al p o ec ion (EscuelaI n an ilOs Campos, 2001), looking a e a
ma ke -ga den and a m animals (Heike, 2013), ecycling (Ca asco, 2011), games ela ed o na u e (Hueso,
Camina, & Monzón, 2013), and so on.
In e e y case, EE should be connec ed wi h he child en´s en i onmen al concep ions, in o de o imp o e his
ype o educa ion (Rod íguez, Kohen, &Del al, 2015). Reid and Sco (2013) show ha i cons i u es a whole
ield o esea ch wi hin EE.
Di e en au ho s ha e s udied wha p eschool s uden s hink abou he en i onmen and en i onmen al p oblems
(Palme & Sugga e, 2004; Palme , Sugga e & Bajd, 1999; Saçkes, Fle a es, & T undle, 2010). In Table 1 we
show a ious wo ldwide s udies ela ed o ea ly-s age pupils' ideas abou en i onmen al issues. We ha e selec ed
hem as a wide sample o cu en li e a u e on he opic. To he bes o ou knowledge, he e has been no
in es iga ion compa ing p eschool child en and child en in he i s yea o p ima y school.
Jou nal o Educa ion and Human De elopmen , Vol. 6(1), Ma ch 2017
106
Table 1 Selec ion o S udies o Pupils' P econcep ions abou Issues Rela ed o En i onmen al Educa ion
Educa ion
le el Au ho s Yea s olda Place P econcep ions abou
P
ima y
educa ion Li ledyke (2004) 6-12 UK
En i onmen al cogni i e and mo al
de elopmen .
P e-school
and
p ima y
educa ion
Ba man, S ein, McNai
& Ba man (2006) ~ 5–13 USA Plan g ow h (sun)
Flee (2007)
5
–
8
Aus alia
Clouds and he wa e cycle
Ga id
o (2007)
4
-
7
Spain
Li ing beings
Villa oel (2013) 4–7 Spain
En i onmen al alues and hei
ela ionship o concep ions o li ing
beings
Bu ns, Chi
&
He zog
(2008) 3–7 USA
S udy o a meadow: plan s, animals,
i e, and wa e
Palme , Sugga e & Bajd
(1999) 4-10 UK
Reasons o and he e ec s o
en i onmen al change in wo dis an
en i onmen s ( ain o es s and pola
lands)
Ande son, Ellis
&
Jones
(2014) 3-7 USA Plan s uc u e and unc ion
P e-school
educa ion
S ommen (1995)
5
–
6
USA
Fo es ecosys em
Ch is idou
&
Ha ziniki a
(2006) 4-6 G eece Plan g ow h and ain o ma ion
Tunnicli e, Ga , Agius,
&Pizzu o (2008) 4-6 Mal a Animals
E gazaki
&
And io ou
(2010) 4–5 G eece Consequences o human in e en ion
Palme & Sugga e, 2004
4-6
England,
Slo enia
and G eece
opical o es s and de o es a ion, and
pola lands and he impac o global
wa ming
Allen (2015)
3
-
5
UK
Animals classi ica ion
No e. aPupils´ yea s old
1.4. Goals o his S udy
This pape aims o p o ide some con ibu ion owa ds ea ly childhood educa ion o sus ainabili y being gi en
s a us as a legi ima e ield o esea ch endea ou (Da is, 2009). Acco ding o Maland akis and Cha zakis (2014),
we ha e placed mo e emphasis on explo ing child en´s p e-ins uc ional ideas abou en i onmen al issues. This
pape is ocused on some o he en i onmen al issues ha we ha e in es iga ed in a mo e ex ensi e enqui y. The
main objec i e o his wo k is o asce ain he ideas o p eschool and p ima y school pupils abou speci ic
en i onmen al issues: was e, biodeg adabili y, ecycling, wa e pollu ion and wa e sa ing. As can be obse ed in
Table 1, he e ha e been ew s udies o his o e all ype, and hose ha exis a e only o olde pupils. The line we
ollowed was ha se ou by Edwa ds e al. (2004), adap ing i o he ea lies educa ional s ages. In o de o
in es iga e he esponses o child en abou speci ic en i onmen al issues ci ed abo e, we had o design an inqui y
s a egy ha in ol ed he ollowing speci ic objec i es.
(a) To design and alida e ins umen s o de ec child en´s ideas on en i onmen al issues;
(b) To asce ain wha ideas he child en ha e on he opics;
(c) To compa e p eschool pupils' concep ions wi h hose o p ima y-educa ion pupils.
Wha do Spanish 5-7 yea -olds say abou some En i onmen al issues? .................
107
2. Me hods
2.1. Pa icipan s
The pa icipan s we e 43 child en o a con enience sample, o med in o wo g oups: wen y-one 5- and 6-yea -
olds in hei inal yea o p eschool educa ion; and wen y- wo 6- and 7- yea -olds in hei i s yea o p ima y
educa ion. S uden s had had no p io lessons a hei school abou hese en i onmen al issues (was e,
biodeg adabili y, ecycling, wa e pollu ion and wa e sa ing) when we in e iewed hem. Bo h g oups belonged
o he same school (in Se ille, Spain), in a middle-class socio-economic se ing, whe e mos o he pa en s ha e a
uni e si y educa ion.
2.2. Phases o he Resea ch
We employed basic quali a i e esea ch me hods o ob ain a de ailed unde s anding o p eschool and i s -yea
child en´s ideas abou he en i onmen (Me iam, 2009). Kah iman-Öz ü k e al. (2012) also employed hese so s
o me hods o bo h da a collec ion and he da a analysis p ocedu es. The me hodology is s uc u ed and can be
summa ized in he below plan (Table 2).
Table 2. Ou line o he Phases o he Resea ch
Phase I. In he ex ensi e s udy, he s a ing poin was he design o he i s e sion o he ins umen s used o he
da a collec ion. Fo pu poses o iangula ion, wo ins umen s we e de eloped o de ec p econcep ions: one was
a ques ion o ma in e iew (QFI); and he o he a ‘comple e he s o y’ o ma in e iew (CSFI). The
me hodological app oach used was aken om he ecommenda ions made by Cube o (1997) and C eswell
(2007). Only he esul s o he CSFI a e epo ed in his pape .
Phase II. The nex phase o he p ocess was he alida ion o he designed ins umen s. Once he i s e sions o
he ins umen s had been p epa ed, hey we e es ed in pilo ials. To his end, 6 child en in he inal yea o
p eschool educa ion (5- and 6-yea -olds) we e in e iewed indi idually. They we e pupils om he same school
and educa ional le el, bu om a di e en class o ha om which he inal de ini i e da a was o be acqui ed. We
ied ou bo h pilo ials in he lowe educa ional le el, assuming language comp ehension and exp ession we e
simila o be e in he highe educa ional le el (child en a e one yea olde ). These in e iews we e held by wo
o he esea che s. The esul s o hese es s we e analysed by wo independen esea che s. They hen compa ed
hei e alua ions (in e - a e analysis) and his led o se e al changes being made o he con en o he ques ions
and he o m in which hey we e pu o he child en.
Wi h espec o changes in he o m o using he ins umen s, i was ound ha he child en el sel -conscious and
ha hey we e imid i hey we e in e iewed indi idually, so i was decided ha he de ini i e da a would be
ob ained by in e iewing hem in g oups o h ee. A i s , we belie ed ha beginning he con e sa ion wi h he
s o y (CSFI) would elax he a mosphe e and acili a e dialogue. Howe e , in p ac ice, hey ound QFI easie , wi h
he child en elaxing and ha ing un as hey el mo e con iden . I was no necessa y o use isual clues in cases
such as hose o he ‘seed’ and he ‘an s’. These could be e oked wi h he con idence ha hey unde s ood he
meaning o hese wo ds pe ec ly.
Phase
Sub
-
phase Fac s
I
Design o he i s e sion o he da a collec ion ins umen s
A
In e iew wi h he usual o ma o ques ions (QFI)
B
In e iew wi h o ma adap ed o young child en: "comple e
he s o y" (CSFI)
II
Valida ion
o bo h ins umen s
Fi s
Apply pilo ials o (A) and (B) o indi idual child en
Second
Analysis o esul s
Thi d
Amendmen o (A) and (B) o gi e hei inal e sions
III
Applica ion o he inal e sions o (A) and (B) o child en in g oups o
h ee
IV
Recompila ion o he new da a, and analysis o he inal esul s
V
Conclusions

Jou nal o Educa ion and Human De elopmen , Vol. 6(1), Ma ch 2017
108
On he o he hand, and wi h espec o changes in he con en o he ins umen s, we should dis inguish be ween
he wo ypes o ins umen s. Conce ning he QFI, i was no ed ha some imes i was necessa y o ask o a
cla i ying explana ion. Fo example: ‘I we cu down all he ees on he plane we’d be sad’. ‘Why?’ ‘We would
eel ha way because i wouldn’ be as p e y’. The pilo es s showed he impo ance o adap ing some e ms o
he pupils' le el o unde s anding, eplacing hem wi h mo e e e yday exp essions (like ‘cu ing down ees’
ins ead o ‘de o es a ion’). In a simila ein, we ound ha he ph ase ‘sa ing wa e ’ mean no hing o hem,
because hey only connec he e m ‘sa e’ wi h money.
Wi h espec o he CSFI, we ound i was ad isable o p esen his ins umen in an app op ia e manne . One o
he esea che s old he child en ha she had ound a s o y, bu ha i was incomple e – some pages we e missing.
She asked hem o help us inish i , so ha i could be old o o he child en. In pa icula , hey we e asked: ‘Can
you all help us o inish i and make i nice?’ We dele ed edundan ques ions ha only leng hened he in e iew,
and which only duplica ed he in o ma ion ob ained (e.g., ‘Who dumps he ubbish he e?’ and ‘Whe e does he
ubbish come om?’), selec ing a mo e comp ehensible ques ion o he pupils (e.g., ‘Who dumped i he e?’). In
ce ain cases, i was ob ious ha we would ha e o ask mo e di ec ques ions in o de o ob ain he equi ed
in o ma ion because he ange o answe s we we e ecei ing was so b oad ha no eal in o ma ion was ob ained.
Fo ins ance, we changed ‘F om wha he e was, wha did ou iends like he leas and why?’ o ‘Among he
ubbish he e, wha las ed longes in he wa e and wha las ed he leas ?’ o ‘Is i be e o ha e some ubbish o
none a all?’ o ‘Why we e ou iends sad abou so much ubbish?’ and ‘Why didn' hey like i ?’ As wi h he case
o QFI, o be able o unde s and he answe s we had o insis on hei gi ing an explana ion. Fo example, when
hey we e selec ing he colou o he ecycling bin o pu he di e en household was e in o ( he was e shown o
hem by he esea che s), mos o he ime he child en showed a lack o knowledge abou i : ‘The colou o he
was e mus be he same as he con aine ’, o ‘I I' e al eady used wo bi s o was e and wo bins, he hi d one has
o go in o he con aine ha has no was e.’ I was he e o e essen ial o ask hem why hey selec ed one con aine
and no ano he o each bi o was e. Wi h he ques ion: ‘Whe e does he wa e in he clouds come om?’, we
no iced ha hey did no always know ha he e is wa e o ‘s eam’ in clouds. Also, ce ain ques ions we e
emo ed as hey i ed he child en unnecessa ily since hey we e oo demanding o he child en’s educa ional
le els (e.g., ‘Is he wa e ha alls always clean?’).
Phase III. The nex and c ucial s ep was he applica ion o he inal ins umen s. The sequence ollowed was o
i s ly apply he QFI and hen he CSFI, conduc ed by he same wo esea che s ha pe o med he pilo
ins umen s. The du a ion o bo h sessions o he 3-childg oups was abou 15 minu es (5 o QFI and
app oxima ely 10 o CSFI). We selec ed g oup in e iews acco ding o Li ledyke (2004), whose ou child g oup
in e iews p o ided a g ea e sense o secu i y han indi idual in e iews. When he e we e some disc epancies
be ween he child en in a g oup in e iewed a he same ime, he in e iewe no ed down each indi idual
esponse. We made ha decision e en hough we we e awa e o he obs acles p esen ed by conduc ing in e iews
wi h such young child en. Du ing he CSFI in e iews, he cha ac e s in he s o y we e p esen ed o he pupils
pe soni ied as so oys, since hey ha e been used success ully by o he au ho s (Radle , 2009; Sa quis & Sa quis,
2005).
Concu ing wi h Li ledyke (2004) in UK, we ac ed as non-judgmen al ac i e lis ene s, since ou ques ions we e
designed o simply d aw ou and cla i y iews. We encoun e ed he same limi a ions (lack o con idence in
speaking ou , shyness, lack o a en ion, language limi a ions, e c.). The in e iews we e all digi ally eco ded and
ansc ibed. Phase IV. Finally, we ca ied ou he da a analysis. A quali a i e analysis o he da a was pe o med by
open esponse ca ego iza ion, sui able school science esponses1.To ensu e he eliabili y o he design o he
ca ego y sys em and he subsequen alloca ion o esponses o each ca ego y, we ollowed an in e - a e s a egy
o analysis (Padilla, 2002). In pa icula , a e hei independen analysis (C eswell, 2007), he esea che s eached
an almos unanimous ag eemen on all he codes (99% in e -code eliabili y) and hey me o o m a consensus on
bo h es ablishing he de ini i e ca ego ies and how o alloca e he unce ain esponses.
1Sui able school science means ‘ igh ’ science sui ed o his child en le el o knowledge.
Wha do Spanish 5-7 yea -olds say abou some En i onmen al issues? .................
109
3. Resul s
3.1. De ini i e Ve sions o he Ins umen o he Diagnosis o S uden Ideas
We p esen one o he de ini i e ins umen s, CSFI (Table 3), since we conside i has mo e in o ma ion wi hou
being oo ex ensi e. Fo each ques ion we show no only he o mula ion o he ques ion, bu also wha we wan
o ind ou wi h i and he specialised li e a u e we ha e used o each i s o mula ion. CSFI has 10 ques ions. As
men ioned abo e, hey a e ela ed o was e, biodeg adabili y, ecycling, wa e pollu ion and wa e sa ing.
Table 3. The Design o he “Comple e he S o y” Fo ma In e iew (CSFI)
Ques ion
numbe Fo mula ion o he ques ion Wha we wan o de e mine Based on
1 Abou he ga bage, who
dumped i he e?
(a) Whe he hey a e awa e ha humans a e
esponsible o mos was e, and ha he was e
comes om human ac i i y. Roman (2008)
2
Wha was in he ga bage? And
o he ga bage ha was he e,
wha las ed longes in he wa e
and wha leas ? Why?
(a)
Wh
e he hey know ha he e is some
was e ha changes and deg ades, and o he
was e ha does no . Chamo o (2009)
3 Why we e ou iends sad wi h
so much ga bage? Why didn'
hey like i ?
(a)
Whe he hey know he eason why was e
poses a p oblem (i.e., i hey ha e some no ion
conce ning wa e and soil pollu ion, he
c ea ion o oci o in ec ion, bad smells, e c.)
Ga ido (2007);
Gu ié ez, Agui e, &
A ambu u (1998)
4 Do you know wha ecycling
is?
(a) Whe he hey ha e any no ion abou
" ecycling", abou he ideas o eco e ing used
ma e ials which hen unde go a p ocess so ha
hey can be eused.
Ca asco (2011);
Li ledyke (2004)
5
Can you also each Flop he
colou s o he con aine s in
you ci y? Le 's ell him wha
each one is o ! (We use eal
examples).
(a) Whe he hey know he di e en ypes o
con aine s: blue, g een, yellow, and g ey (o
da k g een).
(b) Whe he hey know he hings which you
deposi in each o hem – blue o pape ;
yellow o plas ic, ins, and e a-b ik ype
ca ons; g een o glass; da k g een o g ey o
o ganic was e.
Cas ellano (2013)
6
Could you explain o he bunny
and he li le og wha we
mean by he wa e being
pollu ed?
(a)
Whe he hey ha e any no ion abou "wa e
pollu ion" ( aking as e e en he idea o he
"ac ion and e ec o in oducing ma e ials o
o ms o ene gy o condi ions in o wa e ha ,
di ec ly o indi ec ly, in ol e a ha m ul
al e a ion o i s quali y in ela ion o i s
subsequen uses o i s ecological unc ion").
A oza ena e al. (2012);
Pé ez, Galache, &
Camacho (1996)
7 Wha could hey do o make
hei iend Flop happy?
(a)
Whe he hey a e awa e o he possibili y
o cleaning up pollu ed i e s, ma ine spills,
e c., and o some way o doing i – mechanical
cleansing, emo ing ga bage, emo ing oil
spills, wa e ea men (physical, chemical, and
mic obiological), sedimen a ion, il a ion,
chlo ina ion, ozone, UV ays,
bio emedia ion….
Walke , K eme , and
Schlu e (2007)
8 Ideas on how o use less wa e
– can you hink o any?
(a
)
Whe he hey know abou di e en ways
o sa ing wa e , like b ushing hei ee h wi h
he ap u ned o , ha ing a showe ins ead o a
ba h, u ning o he ap, use a was e-pape
baske ins ead o he oile o h ow pape
away, making he maximum use o he
capaci y o he washing-machine o
dishwashe , e c.
A oza ena e al. (2012)
Jou nal o Educa ion and Human De elopmen , Vol. 6(1), Ma ch 2017
110
3.2. The Pupils' Concep ions abou En i onmen al Issues, and he Ca ego iza ion o he Responses
In his sec ion, we shall p esen he child en's ideas on speci ic opics: was e, biodeg adabili y, ecycling, wa e
pollu ion and wa e sa ing. We ha e o cla i y ha s uden s had had no p io lessons a hei school abou his
en i onmen al ma e when we in e iewed hem. The esponses we e g ouped in o ca ego ies ha p og essi ely
app oach school science ha is app op ia e o hese ages, which a e mean by le els in lea ning p og essions
(Ro h, 2014). In a simila way, Wilson and Be en hal (2005) de ine lea ning p og essions (LPs) as ‘desc ip ions
o he successi ely mo e sophis ica ed ways o hinking abou an idea ha ollow one a e he o he as s uden s
lea n’ (p.48). Hess (2010) has iden i ied con en -speci ic lea ning p og essions in he i s educa ional s ages, as
ha e Engelha d and Sulli an (2011). Acco ding o Suzuki, Yamaguchi, and Hokayem (2015), hese models begin
wi h he p io knowledge lea ne s al eady ha e.
The pe cen ages o he esponses gi en o each ques ion by pa icipan s om he las yea o p eschool educa ion
(21 child en) and he i s yea o p ima y educa ion (22 child en) will be gi en as en ies in Figu es 1-4.The
pe cen ages a e ounded o o he nea es uni . Thus, he e may be cases in which hey add up o 99% o 101%.
In hese igu es we only show he ca ego ies wi h he majo i y o he s uden esponses.
We will now p esen he di e en sec ions ha analyse he esponses, and compa e he p eschool child en´s ideas
wi h hose o he p ima y educa ion child en. In hese compa isons, i should be aken in o accoun ha , in
gene al, a highe pe cen age o p ima y educa ion pupils did no p o ide answe s o some ques ions and he e o e
he e was a highe o e all esponse a e om he p eschool pupils. We can only hink o wo aspec s ha can
explain his ac . Fi s ly, i may simply be due o oscilla ions o he small samples used in ou inqui y. Secondly, i
has been epo ed ha p eschool child en a e mo e uncons ained han p ima y child en, who eel inhibi ed o
answe on opics hey ha e no mas e ed (Del al, 2002).
Gene a o s o was e (Ques ion 1).The child en a e awa e o he ole o humans as he main gene a o s o was e
(62% PSE, 41% PE). In he same way, Li ledyke (2004) ound ha i s -yea s uden s we e eally in e es ed in
was e, such as li e . They app ecia ed he need o ‘pu ubbish in he bin’ (p. 224). Anecdo ally, in his la e
educa ional s age, 9% see animals as gene a ing was e o hink ha was e is gene a ed spon aneously.
Biodeg adable was e (Ques ion 2).The as majo i y do no know any hing abou he di e en pe iods needed
o was e deg ada ion. They can he e o e no di e en ia e be ween whe he was e is o is no dange ous o he
en i onmen . Gene ally, hey do know ha he e a e di e en ypes o was e, al hough 23% o he PE pupils did
no answe . This is consis en wi h he indings o Chamo o (2009), who s a es ha none o he pupils in ha
s udy knew abou ‘compos ing’ o abou he di e en ypes o plas ics.
Figu e 1. Majo i y ca ego ies o ques ions 1, 2 and 3 abou Was e and Biodeg adabili y
Wha do Spanish 5-7 yea -olds say abou some En i onmen al issues? .................
111
Consequences o was e accumula ion (Ques ion 3). In gene al, PSE s uden s ela e he p oblems a ising om
he exis ence o excess was e on he plane wi h senso y issues (57%) o wi h people's quali y o li e (9%). Bu i
is wo h no ing ha no pupil ealizes ha was e can b ing abou a change in animals' en i onmen al condi ions
and, as a esul , limi hei de elopmen . I is s iking ha mos PE child en ei he do no know o do no answe
(59%). Among he esponden s, 32% only no e senso y p oblems, as was also he case in PSE – his issimila o
he esul ob ained by Li ledyke (2004) o i s -yea s uden s, ‘Was e, as li e , was usually seen as a p oblem
because i is unsigh ly’ (p. 224). Howe e , in PE he e is now a small pe cen age (9%) who akes in o accoun he
limi a ion in he g ow h and de elopmen o di e en species ha may be caused by he accumula ion o was e.
This is consis en wi h he opinion o Ga ido (2007) ha he acquisi ion o his concep occu s du ing p ima y
educa ion.
The concep o ecycling (Ques ion 4). Mos PSE pupils (62%) do no know wha ecycling is. Only 5% a e
awa e o he p ocess and i s pu pose, al hough hey s a o ha e somewha uzzy concep s such as i somehow
being associa ed wi h was e (9%), o wi h selec i e was e collec ion wi hou asking hemsel es wha i is o
(24%). The same as wi h PSE, mos PE pupils do no know wha ecycling is, al hough he pe cen age is lowe
(54%). The e is a sligh e olu ion o he concep s wi h espec o PSE, wi h he p opo ion o pupils who a e
awa e o he p ocess and i s pu pose ising o 23%. The emaining 23% hold uzzy, unclea concep s.
Ou esul s ag ee wi h Li ledyke (2004), who no ed ha i s -yea s uden s knew abou ecycling ac i i ies a
home, bu mos o hem did no connec he need o ecycling wi h concep s such as pollu ion and was e, ene gy
use, consump ion. Kah iman-Öz ü ke al. (2012) obse ed ha only a ew (n= 9) i e- and six-yea -old child en
ou o 36 conside ed ecycling o sa e na u e, while a la ge amoun o hem (n= 23) hough abou educing
wa e , pape and elec ici y consump ion o he same pu pose.
Figu e 2. Majo i y ca ego ies o ques ions 4 and 5 abou Recycling
Was e ma e ials and hei associa ion wi h he colou o he con aine (Ques ion 5).While 76% o he PSE
pupils a e awa e o he di e en colou s o he con aine s; none o hem a e su e wha ype o was e is pu in o
each. Thus, 62% ge he was e ma e ials ha go in o each con aine w ong, and 14% sepa a e hem acco ding o
o he cha ac e is ics, such as he label colou , size, e c. In PE he e is again a sligh concep ual b eak h ough. 14%
o pupils know wha ype o was e is pu in o each con aine , al hough 41% s ill con use he ma e ial ha should
go in o each con aine , and 32% con inue o sepa a e was e acco ding o a ious cha ac e is ics o he han he ype
o ma e ial.
Wa e pollu ion (Ques ion 6).The as majo i y o he pupils (62% PSE, 68% PE) do no know abou wa e
pollu ion, and 38% PSE, 27% PE ela e i o mac oscopic di and ubbish ha migh be ound in i e s o seas. In
he same sense, Li ledyke (2004) concluded ha many p ima y child en iden i ied pollu ion as li e , isible
i ems, and ew had a clea concep o chemical pollu ion: ‘When my dad is ou ishing and hey h ow li e in he
wa e , we could poison he ish and kill hem‘ (p.228). Also he showed ha pollu ion issues became mo e
signi ican among olde child en.
Jou nal o Educa ion and Human De elopmen , Vol. 6(1), Ma ch 2017
118
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