Development, implementation and evaluation of the Environmental Education Program for Secondary Education Students entitled ?The effects of fire on soil?

Kioupi Vasiliki1 and Arianoutsou Margarita2
1 Lidoriki Fokidas Secondary School, vkioupi@sch.gr
2 Department of Ecology and Taxonomy, Faculty of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, marianou@biol.uoa.gr

The present study is focused on the development, implementation and evaluation of an Environmental Education Program for Secondary Education Students. The program was entitled “Τhe effects of fire on soil” and it was implemented during the school period of 2008. Twenty four (24) students coming from Lidoriki Secondary School participated in the program, which followed the Project Method. The program consisted of one theoretical part (achievement of cognitive and sentimental goals) and an experimental part (achievement of cognitive and psychokinetic goals). The evaluation of the program followed the scheme: initial (questionnaire), formative (observation of students’ team work, examination of work sheets) and final (questionnaire). The questionnaire analysis highlighted students’ misconceptions regarding the subject, revealed positive changes in students’ attitudes as a result of their participation in the program as well as satisfactory results concerning the acquired knowledge and skills. The experimental results were indeed interesting and of significant scientific and educational value.