Environmental education: is it really a priority in teacher education?

This paper presents the findings of a small-scale research project about novice teachers’ perceptions and experiences of environmental education. The context of this study is a pre-service teacher education faculty in rural New South Wales Australia. A combined methods approach was applied, with a survey designed from rich data elicited through focus group interviews. The focus of this paper is on the findings of the survey, revealing that prospective teachers’ preparedness in environmental education is diluted by their teacher education experience and that such experiences are not providing a stimulus for novice teachers to practise environmental education.