Environmental attitudes of teachers in basic education institutions in Quevedo, Ecuador
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62305/alcon.v4i1.73Keywords:
sustainability; environmental psychology; environmental education; 2-MEVAbstract
This study investigates the attitudes and behaviors of teachers towards environmental and political issues, uncovering complexity in their ethical stance. The research was conducted in three basic education centers in Quevedo, Ecuador. Data were collected through the administration of 115 surveys to teachers, featuring Likert-scale multiple-choice questions. Responses were analyzed using a Principal Component Analysis (PCA). Prior to this analysis, Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) tests and Bartlett's test of sphericity were performed. The findings of this study suggest that teachers have confidence in human capacity to resolve environmental problems and show a preference for representative government systems, with an ethic influenced by religious values. There was a correlation found between teachers' political values, favoring pro-growth economic policies, and restrictive attitudes towards immigration. In terms of environmental management and behavior, a positive attitude was observed towards sustainable energy practices and the commemoration of environmental days. These findings highlight the importance of considering teachers' environmental attitudes and behaviors in the development of comprehensive environmental education plans that integrate both anthropocentric and ecocentric approaches to foster a society balanced in environmental values.
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