Eötvös Loránd University
Faculty of Education and Psychology Doctoral School of Educational Sciences Head of School: Dr. Éva Szabolcs, professor
Ph.D thesis
Attila Miklós
Environmental approach and
anthropocentrism in environmental studies of Hungarian higher education
Supervisor: Dr. István Nahalka, Ph.D.
2013
2 1. Justification for the choice of subject
The environmental thinking is not only an important key element of our daily lives, decisions and actions, but also one of the main development priorities of environmental and education policy that works for the sustainability. Nonetheless, firstly the most of measures (still) serves to improve the daily quality of life and the results mean problems for environmental research the applicability because they content with the relatively superficial information acquisition - do not want to deal with exploring the relationships, the more deeply hidden (and sometimes radical) ideas.
Environmental education also have a mission to educate environmental citizens who have a broad view and responsibility of the current conditions, future care. This object needs to learn principles as a risk minimization, prevention and effort to damage control, self-improvement, system approach and ecological thinking and attitude - which needs right skills and attitudes.
The central theme of this dissertation is the problem of ecological anthropocentrism, which - in my opinion – is one of the most important element of environmental thinking. It is a highly adapted, long-established feature of human thinking, which has biological, historical, and moral origin. It means that we approach human-centered every environmental and natural- ecological issues and affects self-reflection in our consciousness, determine our decisions, conclusions, visions, and - thanks to the highly adaptivity - this generally continued wins confirmation in the environmental action. However, the biggest drawback of anthropocentrism that causes to stiffen of the view. Main reason for the development of socialization (Lányi, 1999).
Why the anthropocentric thinking is the problem? Primarily because of exclusion: even if it is true that it is not clearly linked to a particular view of the world. In fact, this is a very essentialist thinking, because only certain characteristics attributed to men, in addition like a privilege. Wolfgang Schirmacher existentialist philosophers – like Heidegger - argues that the authoritarian attitudes on the nature and claim humans to the center can not be considered a kind of natural attitude, but civilization distortion (Kiss, 1999). Nevertheless, expression of anthropocentric thinking - as essentialism, but that is the expression of an extreme form of personality - means: just the Homo sapiens thinks, speaks and has personality, he is the one who is not only governed by instincts, and he is meaningful. (Many people also assume that he is no part of the animal world.). A significant number of students are carefully distinguishes man from nature and looking for aspects which help in (see below perceptions of the role: "governing", "godhead", "other").
We also need to find an answer to has positive emotional attitude of man to nature? The students must determine whether it is possible for other organisms have personality, intelligence, emotions - and which are (and how these concepts are defined). Important contribution to the search for similarities and differences, and genetic relationships or absence between human and other natural beings. Can we feel responsibility for the fate of the natural world and for ourselves? How we use the concept of loveliness? Could enjoy the benefits who
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are similar to us or adapted our human world? What types of organisms we accept? May be there "evil" and "good" creatures?
2. The considerations of the research planning
During the research based on written questioning I tried to show aspects that examine the ecological and behavioral science literacy, logic skills (within the themes), and other evolutionary conceptual knowledge of students in the environmental education. I try to explore in order to detect the anthropocentric thinking, how they see the role of man in the living world (hierarchies, degrees of relationships), evolution (possible directions, distancing the living beings) power role of the man (as defined in the hierarchical approach), and taxonomic position of man. Do they discover differences between man and man, how settle the interests in connection of environmental matters and the internal conditions of wildlife, and how they relate to the "raison d'etre" and "loveliness" concepts?
The examination of anthropocentrism the "homology effect" has key importance: this phenomenon is named so because it is trying to refer to the man's behavior (in this case, positive or negative attitudes) to an organism or organism group that basically determine what common points can explore between them. I try to prove that students prefer over others the externally or (perceived) taxonomic inclusion closer regarded species, in addition sees more heterogeneous and more "advanced" their population (see Patrick et al, 2013). The research attempts to uncover some stereotype, which determine the environmental and ecological thinking.
The anthropocentric thinking is an extreme manifestation of the (ecological or biological) essentialism - which is usually not investigated the relation between man and nature, but man between man. Based on the philosophical and metaphysical view (in fact, it spoofs) idea which is very popular these days, and a typical example of scientific progress and social inclusion asynchronously with each other. It means that all living beings (including human races) genetically determined in properties and artificially assigns some sort of hierarchy.
Anthropocentric, but relevant knowledge is what we are looking for in the environmental approach and it's practical or intellectual nature only an empirical, constructivist paradigm- driven research can be justified and be granted (see Nahalka, 2001). For now, it appears certain that the anthropocentric personality assessment (to determine whether the man may have only personality) can be a practical and spiritual knowledge - hardly an intellectual. And if that is so, then the anthropocentric behavior can not be explained only instinctual level of personality, but it must be admitted that this is the level of the ego and the superego - including the adaptation and morality. This also means that the anthropocentrism is not biologically determined orientation ("acceptable") problem, but an integral part of the person, which can be traced through the attitudes.
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The analytical procedures are indispensable to gain a complete picture of environmental thinking. Anthropological, and eco-centric worldviews quality is an integral part of the living world to recognize similarities - and should be emphasized role in to this research. Extracting fibers between man and animal are basically two ways to approach it is worth, one way homology, the other issue of the scientific evidence of evolution (see Dawkins, 2009).
3. Research Methodology
The mission of the an empirical research to using a complex practical investigation and comprehensive analysis, we learn how to think in of the higher education environment basic trainings of students of various environmental issues, how consider their relationship to the environment, nature, how they imagine of the environmental problems and conflict management. Educational point of view, the most important questions are: what kind of knowledge with and what ideas came to college from the world of public education? During the university years is the gained knowledge has a (positive) impact on students' environmental approach? What are the gaps that need to be replaced, and what are the issues with attitude changer education would you need?
I managed to pass the test in 7 higher education institute’s 10 faculty, the participation of 510 students (the population can be made 2500-4000 per capita during this period).I examine four specific, explicitly environmental in nature bachelor (environmental engineer, environmental engineer, agricultural, ecological engineering, environmental studies) where students acquire skills specifically related to that profession. I have tried to establish an overall picture based on the reports of the Hungarian Accreditation Committee (HAC) at a relatively early stage, which are partly determined the research hypotheses.
In the preparation of questions in the complex questionnaire not only became quickly apparent that the measurement of environmental attitudes using a Likert scale may be appropriate (especially if additional issues also appear in the questionnaire), but that exploring such as a volume problem and proper into context requires the establishment of a premeditated, logically related groups of questions. So it can be displayed (separately and than holistic) the analysis of the evolution, the relationship, the personality, the loveliness, hierarchical visions and power reflexes. These groups quickly and easily attached to the background variables and other aspects as well: such as gender, age groups, grades, programs, institutions, and the role that affect the ecological literacy. During evaluation I worked a total of 151 variables, so I worked on more than 77 thousand answers. The statistical software was SPSS 13.0 and during the evaluation I applied frequency, scattering investigation, correlation analysis, Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests etc. to prove statistically know and to give more detailed and comparative analysis can be a chance for smaller groups.
5 4. Hypotheses
A questionnaire on specific topics intended to encompass that explore how students judge the man himself, the system condition in context of human and other organisms, of plant and of animal or animal-animal relationship. The ecological literacy highlights the relationship, that the prior (acquired) knowledge how influence the decisions. The evolutionary approach and the level of knowledge is the basis of ecological thinking, the relationship needed to extract details of ecological sharpen the image depicted. The utility and pertinence help the ecological system of value-based management thinking, open to love and dignity in emotional empathic attitudes, personality projection and expansion and testing of complex relationships, and human nature and closeness of description is required. The usefulness importance and pertinence help the ecological system of value-based thinking, the love dignity opens space to emotional empathic attitudes, and the projection of personality and testing of complex relationships describes the human and nature closeness. The hierarchical thinking, clarifying the roles of power, operation and management task assignment helps us ensure that the students what the world suspected, and in that role they and what kind of man to nature. The main task of logical connections to try to model this thinking, and designed to help you invent the structure and the description of the system what is stable and reliable: the answers that will help analytical research, and then the whole thing put together, fully and in good working order we'll see. The issues are grouped not by the outcome of the answers, but based on predefined criteria system, which determined the general hypotheses of the research:
1st hypothesis
The students' environmental ideas uses specific interpretations as are necessary to determine the environmental attitudes.
2nd hypothesis
The majority of students in the environmental and natural phenomena and problems considers to favor anthropocentric solutions to the thesis are scientifically valid.
3rd hypothesis
The majority of students refusing similarities at least one taxonomic group of wildlife.
4th hypothesis
The increase in level of education positively affects students' ecological environmental attitudes.
5th hypothesis
The students' attitudes to the environment in terms of ecological sustainability are not sufficient.
6th hypothesis
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The students' environmental attitudes in a specific problem or question is more negative than the same but generally conceptual theme is approached.
7th hypothesis
During the years of higher education (levels progresses) students' environmental attitudes become more positive.
8th hypothesis
The students environmental approach is not affected by sex or chosen field of study.
5. The results of the research, conclusions
After verification of the hypotheses made on the basis of the results of the overall impact of a theoretical model that attempts to describe the main aspects of the operation of the anthropocentric environmental thinking. It was found that students' environmental ideas uses specific interpretations as are necessary to determine the environmental attitudes: an indicator of this ecological literacy levels in our research, in particular the evolution of kinship and hierarchical thinking results. Students in environmental education formed a very distinct opinion groups, and ideas are relatively clear lines marked out, so the ecological anthropocentrism model could be set up. These include the evolution of the system and settle of nutritional conditions (describe like a model of development). It was felt a strong impact on the ecological functionalism deciding issues, as well as the generalization and ranking disposition. The positivity or negativity of environmental attitudes significantly affect the interpretation of environmental systems and processes: in general, eco-centrism positions caused by positive, the anthropocentric towards positions caused negative attitude in the various circles question. During the research is not only a highly emotional-filled attitudes were detected (for example, the influence of disgust to the kinship with the flatworm assessment - as opposed generally to wildlife in kinship to, for fear of the influence of
"wickedness" prioritization of animals etc.), but the principles and the mismatch between concrete intentions (for example, the environmental investments in the generally - specific action alternatives, or the preference of pets against all other living things etc.).
Two thirds of the students in the environmental and natural phenomena and problems have been found that preferred anthropocentric solutions to the thesis are scientifically valid, so only a very small minority groups represented in the study of nature conservation center position. It was one of the main manifestation of the students' ecological literacy in society is reflected in ecologically unsustainable modes of operation. In relation to the general environmental issues, a larger proportion of students produced better results and the lowest environmental awareness levels were measured in connection with issues related to the specific Environmental Studies and Sustainability (out among an engineering student American empirical research reported very similar results - see Dyehouse and et al, 2011).
Relation to the refusal of the kinship was generally characterized by the taxonomic aspects of
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human living beings (non-human primates and mammals) in closely related it is much less so on and towards the invertebrate groups with an increased undertaken aversion (this is probably the flatworm was the most noticeable example). The higher the level of education and professional organic produce students of environmental issues generally considered less anthropocentric and individual organisms is much "closer let themselves" (for example kinship, personality, amiability) than average results showcasing their mates. However, the anthropocentric viewpoint is a major obstacle describing or modelling ecological phenomena, systems, processes (see Nevanpää - Law, 2006).
The hypothesis that the student environmental attitudes during the university years (level progresses) show a positive change in research seen strongly refuted - as found in the international literature, the results of testing on environmental literacy research suggests that these assumptions are also supposed to stands up. One of the most important examples are worth mentioning ideas about a Slovenian waters and water pollution research finding that the level of student knowledge and skills in creative concept was developed due to time spent in school (Rebolj - Devetak, 2013). Similar findings were reported in connection with the development of biological thought an Australian study, which therefore suggests more efficient integration of evolution knowledges (in ecological, genetic and cell biological) in to existing knowledge (Werth, 2013). These research results show that while the first-grade students in terms of their attitude or the environment, or their ecological literacy did not produce significantly worse results than graduate counterparts - in some cases are even more positive appearances is seen from them. These included general human excellence, relevance of the evolution and judgment of some organisms usefulness. However, the senior grade sites we learned about more negative attitudes of kinship issues, and the human dignity, loveliness and the gained dominant position.
The anthropocentrism shows a logically relevant and viable worldview and this has enabled the creation of a model that resembles a three-part pyramid. The space of pyramid symbolizes the bio-mass and orientation symbolizes of the hierarchical system in which the majority of students thought about, and its top of the pyramid the human was. The layers of the pyramid were based on the perceived taxonomic categories created and displayed, including the kinship gaps symbolizes empty layers, which suggests that a significant proportion of respondents did not recognize the connection of all living creatures genetic relations - the differences particularly have been pronounced between vertebrates, invertebrates and plants (or fungi). The model expresses that the vast majority of students gave direction of evolution and nutritional relations (even one definite direction) where - all the while ignoring the present day-long parallel changes over time and changes in the process was taking place. So while maintaining a constantly emphasized their superiority-inferiority relations, students visioned a clear development path (where the human is the pinnacle of evolution).
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According to participated students' approaches , I have set up the following categories in this study:
„governing” perception
Ez magában foglalja a legtöbb a válasz, hogy a férfi felemelte a tetején egy hierarchikus rendszer és más élőlények sorolni. The majority of students believe that the human is on the top of evolution, so if you believe in evolution as well, then by all means give it direction, and this "higher end" are the human. Also misinterpret the taxonomy (in particular the levels of organization, or what taxonomic aspects means), food pyramids, natural selection (which is usually confused with the concept of evolution). They believe these are referring to concepts hierarchy. Because every day should meet hierarchy in society and that they will be projected on the flora and fauna also thinks that it works in the natural system. This is a result of the training and education of poor development of aspects.
„godhead” perception
If the students denies the kinship with the flora and fauna, it increases the anthropocentric vision and break the scientific approach and they elevate the man a sense of goodness (or demigods), or they imagine humans divine selected or non-terrestrial origin - and other living creatures become biomass, servants or resources.
„other” perception
This includes the concepts and ideas of regular users who are badly sense of some everyday concepts or poorly they are used in relation to the natural environmental issues. They think human is distanced the other living creatures by the personality, love and intelligence: the human has only personality, cognitive ability, language and a high level of emotion, human does not lives by instincts like the other organisms, and able to think about the future.
„ecological” perception
According to this view, man is part of nature, which is not hierarchical system, the regularity is non-anthropocentric and this opinion emphasizes the harmony between human and nature.
6. Solution suggestions
Transforming of anthropocentric thinking is a long-term goal, of course, but it is extremely complex and difficult to change the existing adaptive system. So we need some way to adapt to the current situation, so it is necessary to exploit the opportunities of the present age (in addition to the preparation of long-term actions, such as education, awareness raising), which may be an important milestone the world's religions call for help. Its main advantage is that they incorporate a spiritual level of social thought, and this remedy a part of missing laws (and social activities) like fills a gaping void. Environmental ethics preference for public education can perform a similar task (in fact, higher education, too!): promoting that the next
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generation of diverse social conditions can develop the environmental standards and maintains them. The nature-centered and anthropocentric environmental thinking will always be opposed. Despite - thanks to their conceptual parallels - because of their differences in interests never really going to merge into the mental space - we can approach them to each other and sometimes bridges can be formed between them (see Hovardas, 2012).
Requirements, standards, systems in the social aspect should be reflected in the natural aspect as well, but also will be needed the corrections in the anthropocentric ecological visions as well. However, this alternative should be acceptable for society - and, as with the constructivist teaching methods - should not only be new, but better, more useful as compared to the existing views and should improve living conditions must seems to be better. From a content perspective we can say that the environmental training can be an effective solution if the professional and specialized courses teaching are focused on the following areas:
Taxonomy: the taxonomic clarification of definitions, explanations (for example: placement of taxons, representation of taxons, ambiguous terms manage like "higher level" or "superior animals", "inferior organisms").
Evolutionary biology: clarifying the exact theory of evolution, emphasizing the proper use of the associated concepts (for example: natural selection), highlighting parallel changes in time etc..
Ethology: greater emphasis for parallels and human-animal kinships.
Ecology: more specific context on the ecological processes, operations, proper placement of emphasis in the curriculum.
Hunting: for more explanation to clarify the concepts, the terminology used in hunting ("brute", "mature stag", etc.) ambiguity eliminate , and the nature-oriented emphasis.
Nature and landscape: nature-oriented description of the conservation objectives, explanation, internalization of environmental ethics, multi-faceted approach to certain problems (for example: environmental impact assessment examples).
To positive direction changes proposed to take into account the following:
• Catching-up purpose of public education curriculum is essentially needed to review the integration of knowledge.
• The structure of the curriculum and teaching methodology take into account students' prior knowledge (such as clarify basic concepts to more complex concepts easier to progress the development of a conceptual shift in promoting etc.).
• The curriculum content is adapted to the students' interest is expected to use the motivational potential.
• The curriculum and the performer's credibility must be in line.
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• The requirements must be included concepts, especially with regard to environmental and ecological issues
• The compilation of teaching materials must be based on the previous knowledges to later able to make effectively merits of professional differentiated curriculum content.
The curriculum's reform does not necessarily require a listing of specific topics, user actions, but at least partial integration of key importances from the public education to the higher education with a common approach and methodology. One of the flagship application published by Joy Palmer and Philip Neal (1994) - they constructed a triple environmental education model. Because of complexity of environmental science it is proposed to investigate carefully the education of adults and consider state of the art methods in environmental education that used in public education and always based on them chosen themes and characteristics, examples (see Schroth, 2004).
11 7. Used literature for the thesis
Dyehouse, Melissa – Weber, Nicole R. –Fang, Jun – Harris, Constance A. –Tomory, Annette –Strobel, Johannes (2011): First-Year Engineering Students’ Environmental Awareness and Conceptual Understanding through a Pilot Sustainable Development Module. American Society for Engineering Education, 1. 897-904.
Hovardas, Tasos (2012): A Critical Reading of Ecocentrism and Its Meta-Scientific Use of Ecology: Instrumental Versus Emancipatory Approaches in Environmental Education and Ecology Education. Science & Education, 34. 21. sz. 1-17.
Lányi, András (1999): Együttéléstan. Liget Műhely Alapítvány, Budapest, 122.
Nahalka, István (2001): Tudásgyártók vagyunk. Konstruktivizmus és pedagógia. Nemzeti Tankönyvkiadó, Budapest, 14., 80., 84-85.
Nevanpää, Tiina – Law, Nancy (2006): Pupil´s ecological reasoning with help of modeling tool. Proceeding Of The 2006 Conference On Interaction Design And Children, Tampere, Finnország, 6. 41-44.
Palmer, Joy - Neal, Philip (1994): The Handbook of Environmental Education. Routledge, London - New York
Patrick, Patricia – Byrne, Jenny – Tunnicliffe, Sue Dale – Asunta, Tuula – Carvalho, Graca S.
– Havu-Nuutinen, Sari – Sigurjónsdóttir, Hrefna – Óskarsdóttir, Gunnhildur – Tracana, Rosa Branca (2013): Students (ages 6, 10, and 15 years) in six countries knowledge of animals.
NorDiNa, 9. 1. sz. 18-32.
Rebolj, Neva – Devetak, Iztok (2013): 15 and 16 Years-Old Students’ Understanding of Factors That Influence Water Pollution. Energy and Environment Research, 3. 1. sz. 106-114.
Schirmacher, Wofgang (1992): La technique de la vie ou: la pratique de la responsabilité. In.
Penser apres Heidegger. L' Harmattan; Paris, 226.
Schróth, Ágnes (2004): Környezeti nevelés a középiskolában. Trefort Kiadó, Budapest, 18.
Werth, Alexander J. (2013): An Evolutionary Focus Improves Students’ Understanding of All Biology. Reports of the National Center for Science Education, 33. 3. sz. 1-18.
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8. Publications of the author in the research topic of
Miklós, Attila (2012): A természettudományos műveltség környezeti attitűdöket befolyásoló szerepe, különös tekintettel a környezeti felsőoktatásban tanulók körére. In: Takács Márton (szerk.): SzaKKKör Konferencia – Szakkollégiumok konferenciája a környezet- és természetvédelemért, Szent István Egyetem Környezetvédelmi (Zöld) Szakkollégium, Gödöllő, 3. 21.
Miklós, Attila (2012): A környezeti gondolkodás tendenciáinak vizsgálata az egyetemi hallgatók körében, különös tekintettel a nők és férfiak emberkép kialakítását meghatározó sajátosságaira. In: Tóth Péter, Duchon Jenő (szerk.): Trefort Ágoston Szakmai Tanárképzési Konferencia: Empirikus kutatások a szakképzésben és a szakmai tanárképzésben, Trefort Kiadó, Budapest, 2. 305-317.
Miklós, Attila (2012): Természetközpontú vagy emberközpontú természetvédelmet? A természetvédelem jövőjének dilemmája. In: Takács Márton (szerk.): SzaKKKör Konferencia – Szakkollégiumok konferenciája a környezet- és természetvédelemért, Szent István Egyetem Környezetvédelmi (Zöld) Szakkollégium, Gödöllő, 2. 10.
Miklós, Attila (2011): Gondolkodási tendenciák egyetemi hallgatók környezeti szemléletében.
In: Tóth Péter, Duchon Jenő (szerk.): Trefort Ágoston Szakmai Tanárképzési Konferencia:
Empirikus kutatások a szakképzésben és a szakmai tanárképzésben, Trefort Kiadó, Budapest, 1. 238-247.
Miklós, Attila (2011): Az antropocentrikus gondolkodás lehetséges hatásai hazai természetvédelmi törekvésekre. In: Takács Márton - Kenéz Árpád - Kotrik László (szerk.):
SzaKKKör Konferencia – Szakkollégiumok konferenciája a környezet- és természetvédelemért, Szent István Egyetem Környezetvédelmi (Zöld) Szakkollégium, Gödöllő, 1. 23.
Miklós, Attila (2011): Homo, sapiens? Élet és Tudomány, 66. 7. sz. 202.
Miklós, Attila (2010): A környezeti szemlélet hiánya a jövő szakembereinek képzésében. Ma
& Holnap – Környezetvédelmi és területfejlesztési folyóirat, 10. 5. sz. 56-59.
Miklós, Attila (2008): Environmental approach and anthropocentrism in environmental studies of Hungarian higher education with special respect to the natural hazards. In:
European Geosciences Union Conference, EGU2008-A-06642, Wien, Austria: European Geophysical Society, 10. 06642.
Miklós, Attila (2006): Környezeti szemlélet (lesújtó) helyzete a hazai felsőoktatásban. Ma &
Holnap – Környezetvédelmi és területfejlesztési folyóirat, 6. 5. sz. 50-53.
