Perceptions, Attitudes, and Readiness toward Environment-Based Education: An Exploration of Indonesian In-Service Elementary School Teachers

Abstract

This study explores elementary school teachers’ perceptions, attitudes, and readiness toward implementing environment-based education, a pedagogical approach that integrates environmental awareness and sustainability into classroom practices. It also compares these variables based on teachers’ participation in relevant training or prior experience and examines the relationships between them. A quantitative survey approach was employed involving 161 public elementary school teachers from North Sumatra, Indonesia. Data were gathered using structured self-report questionnaires and analyzed through descriptive statistics, the Mann-Whitney U test, and Spearman’s Rho correlation analysis to identify differences and associations between key factors. The findings reveal that teachers generally hold high to very high levels of perception, positive attitudes, and readiness for environment-based education. Teachers who had participated in training or had prior experience showed significantly higher scores in aspects such as self-efficacy, availability of teaching documents, and willingness to implement environment-based learning. Strong correlations were found among key variables, particularly between teaching resources, institutional policy, and teacher confidence. These results emphasize the importance of professional development and institutional support in fostering effective environmental education practices among teachers. The study offers valuable insights for policymakers, curriculum developers, and school administrators aiming to strengthen environmental education initiatives in primary schools.