Context based learning approach candidates teachers' environmental attitudes, interest and the environmental effects of conscious consumer behaviours

The purpose of this research is to examine the effect of the context based learning approach on the attitudes of the third grade teacher candidates of the Department of Biology Education towards biodiversity, nature conservation, their interests in the environment, and environmentally-conscious consumer behaviours as well as the relationship between them.Research was carried out during the spring semester of the 2009-2010 academic year. This study was collaborated with Gazi University, Gazi Education Faculty Department of Biology Education third grade students and Nature and Environment Society. In this study, research model of single group pre-test?post-test and mixed research design were used.Implementation of the research process in context based learning approach was carried out during 13 weeks (nearly 45 hours). The activities carried out regarding the concepts of biodiversity and nature conservation were prepared by the researcher; the documentaries used were selected from the TRT and TEMA publications, and the presentations were provided by researchers and experts.As a means of data collection, ?Biodiversity and Conservation of Nature Attitude Scale?, ?Environment of Interest Scale? and ?Environmentally Conscious Consumer Behaviour Scale?, Open -Ended Questions and interviewing were used. The data that occurred as a result of the interview content analysis was examined in a systematic way. SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences Program, Version 13.0) package program was used to analyse the quantitative data collected from the research. Furthermore, Independent Samples t-Test, the Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient and Multiple Regression Analysis were used to analyse the statistical data."The Context Based Learning Approach Prepared for Biodiversity and Nature Conservation? positively affected the environmental interests, biodiversity and nature conservation attitudes and environmentally-conscious consumer behaviours of the biology teacher candidates. It was also concluded that the post-test scores for behaviours, post-test scores for interests and post-test scores for attitudes had been significant predictors in the change of attitudes. While the opinions of the teacher candidates on biodiversity and nature conservation were limited before the application, this situation changed in a positive manner after the application.Key words: Biodiversity protection, nature conservation, context based learning, life-based learning, biology education, environmental education, candidates of biology teacher.