Exploring the Experiences of Elementary School Teachers that Influence the Formation of Practical Knowledge in Ecological Education

Studies that explored teachers' practical knowledge in environmental and ecological education studies have focused mainly on the practical aspect of class rather than the teachers' personal experiences. This study aimed to explore the experiences of elementary school teachers that influence the formation of practical knowledge in ecological education. Through in-depth interviews with six elementary school teachers who are passionate about ecological education, experiences that influence elementary school teachers' formation of practical knowledge in ecological education were explored. Interviews showed that elementary school teachers formed their practical knowledge from experience from nature, experience as a subject of ecological education, experience through practice of ecological class, and experience through others and media. Based on the orientation presented by Elbaz, experiences from nature were deeply related to experimental orientation, and experiences through practice of ecological class were deeply related to experimental and situational orientation. In addition, experiences as a subject of ecological education were deeply related to theoretical orientation, and experiences through others and media were deeply related to personal and social orientation.N