Abstract
M.Ed.
This study focuses on the impact of the pilot project called Learning for
Sustainability (LfS) on teacher participation and Curriculum 2005. The
aims of the study were firstly, to show that environmental education
does not form part of the current interim syllabi at schools. Secondly, to
show that if environmental education were introduced in schools, it
would create an awareness of local environmental issues. Thirdly, to
show that when projects are initiated at schools, both teachers and
learners benefit.
An extensive literature review was undertaken to examine core areas of
environmental education and the current interim syllabus to establish
where the emphasis of environmental education lay. The literature study
also focused on outcomes based education and the implementation of
Curriculum 2005. The theoretical framework constructed from the review
concluded with the premise that the issue of environmental education is
of major concern, and that the teachers had benefited immensely from
the pilot project of Learning for Sustainability.
The investigation included data collection from teachers who were
participants in a cluster of the pilot project. The data was consolidated,
reduced and clustered, culminating in empirical findings, which were
confirmed by using different methods and sources. The main emergent
patterns indicated that the pilot project had a significant impact on the
knowledge acquisition of teachers, who experienced fewer problems as a
result of implementing new methods in their classrooms; learners
enjoyed being involved in environmental issues; and teachers realized
that learners could do their own research. The study recommends
changes for teacher education and the curriculum and concludes with
recommendations for the implementation of Outcomes-based Education
(OBE) and Curriculum 2005.