2018 Volume 27 Issue 3 Pages 3_2-11
As proven in a few previous studies, there are some walls to environmental education in schools. One of them is the “attitude barrier.” This refers to the teachers’ underestimation of their powers, their choice of passive duties, and the avoidance of environmental education in schools.
For this study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight elementary school teachers providing environmental education on forests. Data obtained from the interviews were analyzed using the modified grounded theory approach (M-GTA). Twenty concepts and five categories were derived, thereby revealing the process of overcoming the “attitude barrier” of teachers providing environmental education in elementary schools. As a result, teachers and students were connected with each other through a common experience, and they developed by learning from each other. Therefore, such experiences attributed to both “fun” and “pleasure,” which was derived through the mutual relationships created between teachers and students. Furthermore, such results encourage teachers and motivates them to be more enthusiastic and practice the teaching of environmental education.
