Environmental Education and the Public Understanding of Science

Abstract

Research into the public understanding of science has revealed a widespread lack of understanding of basic scientific concepts and procedures. However, it also shows that the relationship of lay citizens and other non-experts to science is much more complex than is captured by a simple “cognitive deficit” model of knowledge that focuses on “what people don’t know”. Overall, research findings point towards a need for diversity and local sensitivity in programs of environmental education. They also suggest that the goal should be to enable students to engage in an informed conversation with expertise about the environment and help them develop the confidence and skill to add to it and, when appropriate, to challenge it. Achieving such a goal will require changes in both teaching and assessment approaches.

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