Examination of current education programs in primary and secondary school in terms of environmental education

The rapidly increasing world population, the pressure of our industrialization and consumption habits on the environment brings with it natural and human disasters. Environmental problems are now one of the priority problems of today's world. The environment; is the general name of the environment in which living beings live and interact with each other. There is a delicate balance between physical, chemical, and biotic factors in the environment. In intergovernmental negotiations, agreements on environmental protection are signed, several regulations are made against global warming in line with the recommendations of scientists, and laws and regulations are issued. In addition, educating people is just as important. It has become imperative to improve the attitudes and behaviors of individuals in the protection of the earth we live in and the natural and human environment we are in. Environmental awareness must now be included at all levels of education. It is a proven reality that each living creature in nature is a link in the chain that makes up the ecosystem, and that these creatures can survive only by preserving the natural structure of the physical environment on which they live. With education, individuals should be made aware from a young age and given the right behavior. Individuals who understand the importance of living and inanimate elements of the ecosystem will also have a sensitivity to environmental protection. Societies cannot be expected to develop healthily without educating individuals. Today, increasing environmental problems have made the necessity of environmental education mandatory. This research aims to examine the curriculums of Life Knowledge Social Studies, Environmental Education, and Our City courses in terms of environmental education, which are included as courses in primary schools and secondary schools. To support this analysis, it has been tried to determine what are the in-class and out-of-class activities in the textbooks of the aforementioned courses. The data set of this study consists of life information, Sciences, Social Studies 2018, Sciences, , Environmental Education 2015, and City courses 2017 curriculums prepared by the Ministry of National Education and related courses. Document analysis technique from qualitative research methods was used in the study. To reach the findings, compulsory Life Knowledge, Sciences, Social Studies courses, elective Environmental Education, and City courses were analyzed in the latest curriculum prepared by MEB. The findings were tabled by evaluating the final education programs in terms of the objectives/ achievements and contents of the related courses. The activities in the textbooks that are already being taught for the courses are also identified and given in tables. As a result of the research, it was determined that the gains related to environmental and environmental education were sufficient in the specified courses, but these gains were transferred mostly by the traditional method and were inadequate during the implementation phase. Environmental education, which remains in the dimension of comprehension and is given as theoretical knowledge, therefore cannot be fully transformed into behavior in students. Instead of being given in other courses, environmental education can be given as a compulsory and practical course at all class levels as a course in itself.