Environmental interpretation occurs as part of the educational continuum that ranges from simple awareness-raising sought by promotional activities to the major attitudinal shifts often pursued in environmental lifestyle education. Interpretation has long been seen by natural resource managers and others not only as “an educational activity…to reveal meaning and relationships” (Tilden 1977) but also as a means of creating “a desire to contribute to environmental conservation” (Aldridge 1974). In 1996 how are we using interpretive theory, techniques and programs to contribute towards developing the cutting edge of environmental education?

An exciting and successful environmental education program has been implemented at Kosciusko National Park in south-eastern NSW. It is based on programs developed by the Institute of Earth Education, a non-profit volunteer organisation made up of an international network of individuals and member organisations. The major work of the Institute is to design and develop educational programs.

The two most popular programs offered at Kosciusko National Park are EarthkeepersTM and Earth CaretakersTM which are focused, sequential and cumulative nature education programs intended for upper primary children, that is, ten to twelve year olds. The aim of these programs is to help students enjoy, understand and live in harmony with the Earth. The activities integrate three components-understanding, feelings and processing—mirroring the interpretation philosophy of understanding, appreciation and protection. Evaluation has shown that the programs successfully enhance school curricula subjects and motivate students to change the way they and their families live.

Environmental interpretation can be defined as a kind of non-formal environmental education carried out in predominantly recreational settings within which visitors are provided with opportunities to become more aware of particular concepts and phenomena through first hand experiences. The fundamental objective of environmental interpretation programs is commonly given as increasing visitors' empathy for environmental conservation: the visit becomes a transformatory experience as a result of which it is intended that visitors become more committed to ensuring the continued integrity and sustainability of the environment. This paper argues that, as presently practised, environmental interpretation is informed largely by a somewhat conservative, traditional pedagogy, and as such tends to be didactic, knowledge-driven, and shaped more by technique than by philosophy. An attempt is made to outline, at least conceptually, an interpretive process influenced more by the principles of an alternative educational framework called andragogy, one which acknowledges the (earning characteristics of adults, accentuates the affective domain of learning, and which might ultimately lead to greater levels of visitor involvement in learning processes.

Interpreters have concentrated much of their attention on protected sites. A challenge exists for them to use their skills in relation to issues such as pollution and waste management. Examples of such a use of interpretive methods are presented.

In 1993 a secondary school in Queensland was surveyed in order to measure the environmental attitudes and knowledge of its community. A questionnaire was developed using published items wherever possible. This report describes the responses provided by the year 11 population of the school. Demographic data on gender, region of birth, neighbourhood type and subject orientation were collected. Attitudinal data was collected in three parts: an affective component using the New Environmental Paradigm scale, a verbal commitment component and an actual commitment component. Data on factual and conceptual knowledge were also collected. Respondents registered highly positive attitudes and commitments to the environment but generally low scores on the knowledge scales. Demographic, attitudinal and knowledge data were analysed for possible interrleationships; correlations obtained were similar to those reported in the literature. However, the respondents' gender and academic orientation were not statistically related to their pro-environmental attitudes or knowledge.

The diversity of environmental courses at tertiary level continues to increase. Following from a survey of these courses in the early 1990s the current study revisited the courses to investigate their characteristics. In 1993 tertiary courses with ‘environment’ in their title were surveyed through a postal questionnaire to gain an understanding of their philosophy and approach to teaching in the environmental field, of the capabilities the courses sought to assist the graduates to develop and of the extent to which graduates were being employed. The paper presents and discusses the results of this survey and offers suggestions about enhancing the role of environmental education in tertiary institutions.

A genre of computer software with which users simulate designing and managing natural resources and ecosystems deserves critical attention from environmental educators. Such software encourages users to develop their understanding of theoretical and applied ecology by manipulating virtual environmental forces in imaginative ways. This paper refers readers to a directory of software titles in thie genre. It argues that there is significant social and educational momentum toward increased use of such resources for teaching and learning about the environment. It presents some reservations about the nature and purpose of this genre of software, and outlines ethical, economic and experiential questions about it which have implications for the future direction of environmental education.

This article begins by comparing public awareness and interest in sustainability with the views of experts in this field. Attention is then drawn to the need for people to be able to imagine their preferable futures before they can begin to work towards them. Futures workshops are cited as a means to this end and a pilot study is described which used this procedure to enable participants to identify the key elements of their desired futures. A preliminary assessment is made of the effectiveness of such a process and the saliency of sustainability in these images of preferred futures.

This paper reports on research carried out to investigate the extent of environmental education in Western Australian secondary schools. The research found: a high level of support for environmental education amongst teachers, that environmental education was being pursued to some extent in all responding schools, that there existed areas of neglect which were often politically controversial and divisive contemporary issues, and that city schools were generally more involved in environmental education than country schools and public schools more than private schools.

Barriers to the further implementation of environmental education in schools are identified and recommandations made to improve the availability and standard of environmental education in Western Australian secondary schools.

This paper sets out to establish a tentative implementation theory which can inform the work of teacher educators working with novice (student) teachers in their initial professional development related to environmental education. The paper begins with an exploration of the problem of how to encapsulate environmental education within pre-service programs by looking at attempts over the years to encourage and stimulate the professional development of the environmentally educated teacher through pre-service programs. The paper then reports on research carried out by the method of deliberative inquiry which examined the work of two environmental education initiatives: the OECD-funded ENSI project, a co-operative curriculum development program based in primary and secondary schools; and the European Union-funded EEITE program, a development initiative based in universities offering pre-service courses in eleven European Union member states. The paper discusses how ENSI'S aims and guiding principles and EEITE'S organizing principles, key elements and program characteristics were considered and a tentative implementation theory established. This theory, it is argued, constitutes a criterial framework of process skills and values which can inform and guide the inclusion of environmental education within pre-service teacher education programs. The paper ends with a call for a critique of the theory presented.

Survey results are described for the perceived, implementation of the NSW Environmental Education Curriculum Statement in one School Region. Data provide a picture of the extent to which schools have documented Environmental Education policies and the amount and kind of implementation at school level. Reference is made to the use of field study centres, community involvement, and the extent and possible impact of professional development opportunities on these measures. Comparisons are made between the primary and secondary sectors. Professional development does appear to have had some impact, and the ‘across curricula’ approach seems to have had partial success. Reasons for the limited involvement of secondary schools are suggested. The extent of primary project work which was occurring appeared encouraging but there were unanswered questions about whole school programs. NSW Government initiatives such as Field Study Centres and the Greening of Schools program appeared to be playing important roles.

This study examined the effects of Sydney Water's work based environmental education program, the CARE Update, on the knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and reported behaviour of Sydney Water Customer Service Officers. A paired sample of eighty Customer Service Officers were surveyed by a combination of questionnaire and interview techniques. A comparison was made with a matched sample from the general community. Customer Service Officers who had attended the CARE Update course were more likely to support the attitudes and beliefs embodied in the New Environmental Paradigm when compared with of officers who had not attended the course and with the matched sample from the general community. However, staff who attended the course were no more knowledgeable on a number of key aspects of their job related responsibilities for environmental protection and were no more likely to report changes in their behaviours for environmental protection, either at work or at home, than were other officere who had not attended the course.

This paper presents a gender inclusive curriculum model for environmental studies at the senior secondary level. The curriculum model is based on three sources of information about gender and environmental studies: ecofeminist theory concerning Western constructions of the humanity–nature relation, socialist feminist critique of academic and professional practice in the environmental disciplines, and an analysis of syllabus documents produced for senior secondary environmental studies courses in South Australia and Victoria. The model induces recommendations concerning the representation of the concept ‘environment’ in the syllabus, the portrayal of women in the syllabus, and the pedagogic and assessment strategies promoted in the syllabus.