Pennsylvania Center For Environmental Education

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Formal Education Sector Survey

The following results are from the combination of the survey of the teachers who were EE practitioners and non-practitioners. The combined total number of survey instruments sent out was 1,328. A combined total of 178 individuals responded, for a response rate of 13%.

Section A - PCEE General Priorities
Section A of the formal education sector survey asked respondents to choose two priority areas for the work of the PCEE from a list of five possibilities (plus "other"). Figure 1 illustrates the frequency of response among all respondents for each of these priority areas. Professional development, chosen by 156 respondents, was clearly the highest identified priority area, while research, chosen by 9 respondents, was the lowest priority.


Section B - Specific Priority Subsets
Section B of the survey asked respondents to identify two specific subsets of priorities within each of the two original priority areas they had chosen in Section A.

Preservice Education

Appendix B, Figure 2 illustrates the frequency of response for those who identified the subset area of preservice education. The most frequently chosen responses were:

  • Instructional methodology (53 responses)
  • Program models (36 responses)
  • Ecology (35 responses)
  • Critical thinking (23 responses)

Professional Development Priorities

Figure 3 illustrates the frequency of response for various professional development content areas among respondents who identified professional development as a priority. The highest rated content areas were:

  • Instructional methodology (86 responses)
  • Environmental Issues (85 responses)
  • Program Models (80 responses)

Professional Development Delivery Format

Figure 4 illustrates preferences for professional development delivery format among all respondents who chose professional development as a priority area in Section A. The most preferred formats were:

  • Workshops (132 responses)
  • Courses (78 responses)
  • Conferences (34 responses)

Computer Network Priorities

Figure 5 illustrates EE computer network priorities among all respondents identifying an EE computer network as a PCEE priority in Section A. Among possible EE computer network areas, the top responses were:

  • Online learning (48 responses)
  • EE resource directory (32 responses)
  • List of activities (15 responses)

Technical Assistance

Figure 6 illustrates the frequency of response for a variety of technical assistance areas among all respondents choosing technical assistance as a priority area in Section A. The highest identified areas were:

  • Program development (46 responses)
  • Facility development (35 responses)
  • Grant writing (25 responses)

Research Priorities

Overall, research was the lowest identified priority among all respondents in Section A of the survey. However, among those choosing research as a priority area, (Figure 7), the highest identified research areas were:

  • Current Research (14 responses)
  • Opportunities (8 responses)
  • Funding (6 responses)

Open Ended Formal Sector Comments
The formal education sector survey provided opportunity for open-ended comments in both Section A and Section B. For Section A, 24 respondents provided open-ended comments, while 14 respondents provided them for Section B. Each individual item of the survey also provided space for open-ended responses in an "other" category. Because the majority of comments provided in Section A, Section B, and "other" categories were generally not specific to either section, all of the open-ended comments were content analyzed together.

The content analysis revealed that the vast majority of comments suggested specific needs that the PCEE should address (44 comments).

  • Issues of professional development delivery or logistics.
    Among these comments were: the PCEE should offer courses for credit, time to attend and travel time and distance are barriers for teachers, and teachers need grant money to attend workshops and money to incorporate new ideas into the classroom. Suggestions for where professional development should be delivered were: through existing environmental groups, through on-site or local training, through instructional materials, through summer institutes, through teacher in-service days, and at multiple locations throughout the Commonwealth.

  • The need for professional development.
    Eight comments reiterated the need for professional development, and one the need for preservice education in EE, although one comment asserted that professional development and preservice education are adequately performed by the Intermediate Units.

  • The need for creative ideas and resources to be provided to educators. (Total of 5 comments.)

  • The need for a hands-on approach to professional development. (Total of 5 comments.)

  • Aspects of technology:
    Keep teachers informed via the internet, combine the EE resource directory with online learning, teachers need computer centers to connect with material, teachers need training for a computer network, and use the internet as a direct link to students. (Total of 5 comments.)

  • The need for research to inform professional development. (2 comments.)

  • Teachers need to know who they can call for assistance. (2 comments.)

  • Assistance with program development or curriculum development and delivery. (2 comments.)

  • Assistance with grant writing, and access to current environmental information. (2 comments.)

  • Others mentioned the need to integrate EE into the curriculum, the need for a K-12 sequence in EE, the need for a complete curriculum based on Gardner's intelligences, the need for a network between schools to facilitate partnerships.
  • Additional comments mentioned the need for help with outdoor facility development, the need to help rural teachers develop a global viewpoint, the need to move Pennsylvania's educational system into the future, a need for regional sites for nature study, and the need for information on EE for the disabled.
  • Another mentioned that teachers learn from each other, one suggested training teachers in pairs, and one that professional development should model environmental studies.