APPROACHES TO TEACHING ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION IN ALBANIA: THE CASE OF SUBJECT SCHOOL PROGRAMS

Abstract

This study emerges from the need to address the issues that environment faces in Albania by trying to pinpoint the underlying causes which are primarily human-made. Since humans stand behind the deterioration of environment the main focus of the study will be the evaluation of environmental education in the Albanian setting which is responsible for shaping up the environmental awareness, knowledge, and participation of citizens in getting involved with environmental actions. With the decline of quality of environment in the country it is necessary to re-establish the place that environmental education deserves in the national curriculum, subject programs and textbooks. The intended purpose of the research study is to present as a final product the information derived from poring over the national program and the subject programs developed by the Institute of Education Development. The study shows that Environmental Education (EE) is integrated into other subject fields through the multi-disciplinary and thematic-based approach. There is no separate EE subject in the pre-university curriculum except for the “Nature Knowledge” subject offered in the fifth grade at Lower Secondary Education which encompasses elements of EE in its range of topics. The findings will be necessary since they will be able to guide future environmental policies by the responsible institutions for development and implementation of environmental education in Albania.

Keywords: environmental education, curriculum, school programs approaches.