Investigation of teacher candidates' environmental literacy awareness level

This study aims to examine teacher candidates' environmental literacy awareness levels according to department and grade. To this end, "Personal Information Form" and "Environmental Literacy Scale" consisting of four subscales 'environmental knowledge', 'attitudes towards the environment', 'usages related to environment' and 'environmental problems' is applied to the pre-service teachers studying different universities. In this study, survey model and clustering sampling method was used. The target population of the study consists of Celal Bayar University and Mehmet Akif Ersoy University, and the sample consists of 1605 1st and 4th grade teacher candidates studying at Social Studies, Turkish Language, Science Education and Primary School Education Department. In data analysis, independent sample t-test, single direction variance analysis (ANOVA) and multiple comparison test (Tukey) are executed. According to obtained data, there is no statistically significant difference between the mean scores regarding the environmental knowledge, usage, attitudes and problems of the freshmen teacher candidates studying at Social Studies Department, Turkish Language Teaching Department, Science Department and Primary School Education Department. On the other hand, a statistically significant difference is found among the mean scores of the senior students regarding environmental knowledge, usage, attitudes and problems based on their department. When examined the effect of grade level on environmental knowledge, usage, attitudes and problems, statistically significant difference is found between the 1st and 4th grade Science Education Department and Primary School Education Department teacher candidates while this case is vice versa in Social Studies Department, Turkish Language Teaching Department teacher candidates. In terms of environmental literacy, statistically significant difference is found between the 1st and 4th grade Science Education Department and Primary School Education Department teacher candidates whereas this case is vice versa in Social Studies Department, Turkish Language Teaching Department teacher candidates. Key words: environment and education, environmental literacy, attitudes towards the environment and problems