REPORT OF UNESCO EXPERT MEETING ON - APCEIU

The willingness and ability of students to practice civic responsibility
A key finding of the study that was common across all countries and, perhaps, was the most disheartening
was the relatively strong sense of ambivalence (Connell 1997) that the young people showed towards
making life style changes and practising civic responsibility in accord with their high levels of expressed
interest in, and concern for, environmental matters. While young people in every country expressed a strong
desire to improve the environment, few students described a past record of active environmental citizenship
or a willingness to work for environmental protection in the future. While recycling and reusing, choosing
household products that are better for the environment, and reducing water consumption were cited as
regular activities, and some young people said that they had taken part in tree planting and clean-up
campaigns, only a very small minority of young people in any of the countries said that they had written
letters, signed petitions, attended meetings or made formal complaints. These are also the actions that most
said that that they would not consider taking in the future also. This record of ambivalence exists despite the
fact that a large majority of respondents (between 70% and 94%) in all countries stated that they felt
“positive” or “really good” when they took pro-environmental actions and that they generally experienced
favourable reactions and support for such actions from others involved, their teachers and their immediate
families.
This paradox cannot be explained easily. Indeed, there are many cultural and political prohibitions on
western styles of active citizenship in several counties in the Asia-Pacific Region. However, there is a strong
indication in the survey findings that the nature of common educational experiences plays an influential role
also. For example, most young people said that they had poor skills and knowledge for bringing about
environmental improvements, even if in only a small way. When they were asked to rate their knowledge
and skills in this area, the highest response in all countries was only a medium ranking. Indeed, students in
all the countries studied said that the two most common reasons for not acting in an environmentallyfriendly
way were a belief that their actions would not make a difference and that they felt that there was no
practical alternative even when they knew that what they did was wrong. This reflects not only a lack of
knowledge of possible alternatives but also a failure of schools to provide students with experiences that
teach such knowledge and skills. It also indicates that students have rarely had the opportunity to work with
others on practical environmental projects and develop confidence in their individual and collective abilities
to successfully bring about change.
Implications for Teacher Education
Reforms to curriculum and pedagogy such as those outlined above can help empower teachers to take
responsibility for planning learning experiences that can enhance the capacities of students to participate
effectively as member of civil society in the interests of sustainable development. However, successfully
inducting teachers into the new roles envisioned for them requires a recognition that educational change is
multidimensional.
36