THE CONCEPT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION: ITS PLACE IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS, ORIGINAL MIND MAPS OF STUDENTS AND TEACHERS

Environmental protection is the totality of actions and studies carried out to improve and develop the environment and to protect environmental values. The aim of this study is to determine the place of the concept of environmental protection in the curriculum, to obtain original mind maps of students and teachers related to the concept, and to discuss the conformity of the obtained data with the 5R environmental approach. The study was conducted as a qualitative research. The study group consists of a total of 849 students and 147 teachers studying in 10 primary schools, 10 secondary schools and 10 high schools in Manisa province. The developed qualitative data collection tools were applied to this study group. Of these tools, the "Environmental Protection Word Association Test", "Visual Inference Questionnaire" and the "Semi-Structured Interview Form" were applied. In this study, environmental protection-related curriculums were examined at all levels up to higher education. In light of the findings, it was determined that there were environmental content outcomes in the curriculum that were in line with the 5R approach, that the outcomes served the cognitive area especially in Bloom's taxonomy, that 16 key concepts emerged in the original mind maps of students and teachers, and that they associated environmental protection with nature-friendly living, and that they primarily remembered the concepts of cleaning, recycling, and garbage. The outcomes in the curriculum and the original mind maps of students and teachers show that there are overlaps with the environmental approach, 5R. It is recommended to associate the outcomes that are in line with the steps of 5R, rich in activities, and include every area of Bloom's taxonomy with the subject of environmental protection at every grade level. It is recommended that teachers carry out activities that will complete their deficiencies and increase their awareness in this regard.