Analysis of Environmental Awareness, Emotions and Level of Self-Efficacy of Teachers in Training within the Framework of Waste for the Achievement of Sustainable Development

Abstract

The United Nations General Assembly has pointed out that education is an essential tool for properly instructing society to achieve sustainable development, in terms of values, skills, knowledge or abilities. Within this framework, this research focuses on environmental attitude and awareness as an influential element in the teaching and learning processes. The main objective of the study was to diagnose and evaluate emotional, teaching self-efficacy and environmental awareness variables of teachers in primary and secondary education training within the framework of waste. The sample was made up of 160 teachers in training. As a measurement instrument, a questionnaire was designed, developed and validated consisting of three different parts to measure the variables under investigation. The descriptive and inferential statistical analysis of the data shows attitudinal, emotional and self-efficacy differences according to the categories examined, revealing the need to promote an improvement in the attitude towards certain environmental actions in future teachers. The results suggest that education has a relevant role in sustainability, and its importance and inclusion in the curricula of the different educational stages should be recognized.