Arab Educational Information Network

As Environmental Education (EE) is one of the most important subjects in the field of education that need further investigation, the current study explores one issue related to EE. Teachers’ beliefs about EE are the subject addressed in this research, with a focus on two different variables related to their beliefs about their understanding of EE as well as their experiences with EE. Many studies have confirmed the role EE plays in developing students’ cognitive skills, critical thinking, awareness, and motivation towards maintaining the environment (Hamrokulova, 2022; Al-Otaibi, 2014; Powers, 2004; Eames & Birdsall, 2019). Therefore, it seems to be important to explore what teachers think about EE as an academic content in many subjects taught in Saudi elementary schools. A questionnaire was used to collect data from male teachers of boys’ elementary schools in Qurtuba district, Riyadh, KSA. In the analysis of the data descriptive statistics were used, and the data are analyzed numerically using SPSS through the calculation of percentages, means, and standard deviations as well as through thematic analysis for the open-ended questions. The analysis reveals that teachers agreed that they believed they understand EE, with a general meaning of (M= 1.75). They also mostly agreed about their beliefs about their experience with EE, the mean here decreased to (M= 2.14). The open-ended questions reveal that teachers have more than one answer for any of the two questions. This shows the different options they suggest about their understanding and experiences about EE in KSA. (Published abstract)