Tracing The Footprints of Environmental Education in Teacher Education: A Review of Pre-Service Teachers’ Training in Universities

Abstract

ABSTRACT Environmental education is an important aspect of pre-service teacher education as it helps to equip future teachers with the necessary knowledge, skills, and attitudes to effectively integrate environmental education into their teaching practice. It is essential to provide pre-service teacherswith the professional skills necessary to become environmentally literate individuals and educators. This study aimedto critically assess thefootprints of Environmental Education within the pre-service teachers' curriculum in universities and collegesof education.A thorough search of references and databases turned up 8550 academic articles and records, of which 19 satisfied the requirements for inclusion in a comprehensive analysis of Environmental Education in pre-service professional education. PRISMA technique was employed to demonstrate how data was collected sequentially and logically for the systematic review. The findings of the study among others include a lack of qualifiedlecturers in the field of environmental education at the facultiesof education and a lack offramework for the teaching and learning of environmental education in most of the universities used for the analysis.Italso emerged thatthere is a lack of clarity of EE curriculum structure in the teacher trainee universities. The study recommendedthatall teacher trainee universities and colleges shouldmake environmental educationcompulsory modules for all preservice teachers and Universities should organize workshops and capacity-buildingprograms to equip teacher educators.