Publisher's Synopsis
Never before have the stakes been so high for the role of science education in shaping how people interact with the environment. Human activities responsible for the production of greenhouse gases, the accumulation of waste, the fragmentation or destruction of ecosystems and the depletion of resources are having a substantial impact on the environment. As a result, threats to the environment are prominently discussed in the media, and citizens world wide are increasingly faced with the need to understand complex environmental issues. Environmental science and geoscience continue to generate comprehensive and complex knowledge. Therefore, the challenge for education is not only to produce more and better trained environmental scientists, but also to support informed and motivated citizens who are capable of understanding, interpreting and acting upon sophisticated scientific theory and evidence. The OECD's PISA 2006 assessment of the science competencies of 15-year-olds offers the first comprehensive and internationally comparative knowledge base of students' knowledge about the environment and environment-related issues. Green at Fifteen? presents an analysis of this knowledge base, including information on the sources of students' awareness of environmental science, their attitudes towards the environment and how these attitudes interrelate with their performance in environmental science. FURTHER READING: PISA 2006: Science Competencies for Tomorrow's World; Costs of Inaction on Key Environmental Challenges; OECD Environmental Outlook to 2030 THE OECD PROGRAMME FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ASSESSMENT (PISA) PISA is a collaborative process among the 30 member countries of the OECD and nearly 30 partner countries and economies. It brings together expertise from the participating countries and economies and is steered by their governments on the basis of shared, policy-driven interests. Its unique features include: The literacy approach: PISA defines each assessment area (science, reading and mathematics) not mainly in terms of mastery of the school curriculum, but in terms of the knowledge and skills needed for full participation in society; A long-term commitment: It enables countries to monitor regularly and predictably their progress in meeting key learning objectives; The age-group covered: By assessing 15-year-olds, i.e. young people near the end of their compulsory education, PISA provides a significant indication of the overall performance of school systems; The relevance to lifelong learning: PISA does not limit itself to assessing students' knowledge and skills but also asks them to report on their own motivation to learn, their beliefs about themselves and their learning strategies, as well as on their goals for future study and careers
