THE EFFECTS OF USING ANIMATED FILMS IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION COURSE ON PROSPECTIVE TEACHERS’ BEHAVIOR TOWARDS ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS AND THEIR ATTITUDE TOWARDS SOLID WASTE AND RECYCLING

Abstract

This research aimed to investigate the effect of Wall-E films on prospective teachers’ behavior towards environmental problems and attitude towards solid waste and recycling. In the research, one-group pre-test and post-test experimental design was used. The study group consisted of 130 prospective teachers at the Classroom Teacher Department, and the Department of Social Sciences Teaching in a Faculty of Education of a state university in Turkey. where they took Environmental Education course in 2018-2019 academic year. The data collection tools of the study were “Environmental Problems Behavior Scale” and “Solid Waste and Recycling Attitude Scale”. After the scales were administered as a pre-test, the participants were invited to watch the movie Wall-E for a period of three weeks. Then the scales were re-administered as the post-test. It was found out that, watching the film, the participants’ behavior towards environmental problems and their attitude towards solid waste and recycling increased in a positive way. The findings also revealed that attitude towards solid waste and recycling was a significant predictor of the prospective teachers’ behavior towards environmental problems.