Environmental Perceptions of Primary School Fourth Grade Students

Abstract

This study aims to identify environmental perceptions of primary school fourth grade students. The population of this study, which is designed as a descriptive survey model, consists of 97 male and 142 female 239 fourth grade students who are attending public primary schools in Kocaeli Province in the second term of 2018-2019 academic year. Data of research were evaluated by content analysis and descriptive analysis methods. Inter-rater reliability was evaluated by inter-rater reliability formula and Cohen’s Kappa Coefficient. According to the findings of the research, inter-rater reliability was high and acceptable in both statistics. Fourth grade students created 45 different and acceptable metaphors about the environment. These metaphors were analyzed in terms of their common features and were collected under 5 different conceptual categories. It was revealed that fourth grade students mostly referred to the environment with the metaphors of ‘Life’, ‘Home’, ‘Paradise’, and that students’ perceptions of the environment are related to a good world. The majority of students perceived the concept of ‘Environment’ as ‘Environment as Expression of Vitality’. As a result of research, in the process of teaching environmental issues, it can be said that emphasizing that ‘Environment as a Liveliness Expression’, factor of environment supporting the vitality can increase the rate of educational access on environmental issues.