Determination of environmental risk perceptions of teacher candidates

The purpose of this study is to determine the candidate teachers' who are going to serve for environmental education sensitivity towards environment and environmental knowledge level. This study is conducted with 267 canditates attending science and primary school departments in 2014-2015 academic year, University of Amasya faculty of education. In this study, scanning model which is one of the descriptive research methods has been used. In order to obtain data, used in the research, ''Scale of Sensitiveness on Environmental Problems'', ''Scale of Environmental Risk Perception'' and ''Test of Environmental Knowledge'' have been used. The analysis of the obtained data has shown that teacher candidates have knowledge of environmental problems that are reaching global scales; and they perceive them as a risk. It is seen that the factors caused the differences of environmental sensitivity between canditates in teaching are gender, the place they lived before they started studying in college, and their willingness to get education in environment. Environmental threat perception differences are caused by gender, candidates' department and their willingnes to get environmental education. Also differences between Environmental level of knowledge are caused by their education of environment and their status as a member of an environmental institution. A positive correlation between Environmental sensitivity, environmental risk perception and environmental knowledge levels of Candidates in teaching have been identified.