Japanese Preservice Elementary Science Teachers’ Perspectives on Environmental Education: Knowledge, Values, and Social Aspects

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate Japanese preservice elementary science teachers’ perceptions of environmental education through the theme of biodiversity. The investigation interpreted the array of meanings pre-service teachers construct for environmental phenomena as part of a curriculum addressing the environment. Participants’ experiences, perceptual differences, and intellectual representations regarding environmental education were epistemologically disclosed by a phenomenographic approach. Research was implemented as part of a curriculum that combined environmental education and biodiversity themes with storytelling activities. The data from a structured questionnaire with open-ended questions were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. The results suggest that the multilayered nature of environmental education can be better understood through the lens of complex environmental issues, such as biodiversity. Findings indicate that preservice teachers highly valued cognitive and belief aspects of values, while having a less comprehensive understanding of both the social and civic engagement and the cultural dimensions of values.

1. Introduction

The 21st-century environmental crisis calls for a reevaluation of the theorization of science, technology, and society. The environmental crisis, including climate change, resource depletion, and biodiversity loss, requires a more profound reorientation of society’s relationship with nature. That makes it vital, and this somehow seems to emerge through legitimacy: the biodiversity is necessary to maintain ecosystem services, such as agricultural products or pharmaceuticals, as in the use of cultural heritage as an indicator of social value. Education plays a crucial role in such a transition, not only by fostering awareness of environmental issues but also by empowering citizens to act responsibly and collectively address these concerns. The concept of environmental education has evolved to connote an integrated process in which learning and action are intertwined.

Biodiversity is at the heart of this transformation. The full diversity of life is a key indicator of traditional values and social identity and a direct indicator of the sustainability of ecosystem services. The diversity of life, which encompasses not only countless types and modes of nature but also biodiversity, is a building block that dictates the quality of drinking water, food supply, and humanity. Therefore, people’s knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions towards biodiversity are essential so that, at the university level, policymakers can develop high-quality educational programs that will effectively support people in achieving the SDGs [1]. However, there is evidence that humans and their societies are typically not very much aware of the biodiversity around them [2,3]. This shows that environmental education must be reviewed and reformed to reflect knowledge-based values. The consideration is that social infrastructure for a sustainable community and society can be secured in the long run if university students, who represent future leaders of networks of societies and communities, learn about the proper form of a sustainable community environment, how it should be, and its values. The study seeks to capture the shift from knowing about place, individual acts, and collective actions to transformative social and ecological change.

Biodiversity—the variety of life on Earth, with its millions of species including humans—has been declining worldwide due to human activities that disturb natural ecosystems. Although there has been a global focus on this, the Aichi Biodiversity Targets (2011–2020) did not result in 20 ambitious but individual targets being met. Of these, the post-Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Framework has emphasized the role of international action in addressing drivers of biodiversity loss and in creating a world where nature and people live in harmony [4]. Whilst activities such as species and genetic conservation and invasive species control are undoubtedly important, they have been referred to only as examples of underlying problems—societal values that contribute to biodiversity loss [5]. For this reason, changing individual minds and behaviors will be crucial to making biodiversity concepts a reality. First, early and primary school formal and informal education is a fundamental part of raising awareness and developing responsible attitudes towards biodiversity. However, the provision of educational programs that prepare future educators to assume this responsibility remains scarce worldwide [6], underscoring the need for further research.

Rapidly escalating global environmental problems, and particularly biodiversity loss, highlight the importance of environmental education more than ever. International organizations such as UNESCO and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) emphasize the transformative role of education in biodiversity conservation, and many countries are integrating this topic into their curricula [4]. Among these global efforts, Japan stands out with its environmental education policies and practices. In this context, examining Japanese prospective teachers’ understanding of biodiversity offers a significant contribution to understanding not only Japan’s national educational context but also its connections to global biodiversity education goals. This study aims to explore Japanese preservice elementary science teachers’ perceptions of environmental education. This research examines how university students in Japan regard biodiversity and environmental education across several aspects, using a survey. The study situates environmental education within an extended educational and social framework. These perspectives highlight how individuals anchor environmental meanings in their lives, how communities engage in collective negotiations over environmental responsibility, and practices that build sustainable futures. The present study aims to contribute to this by examining the influence of diverse cultural and educational backgrounds on students’ ideas about biodiversity. As such, the study is not so much a report on what students know (what they think) as an investigation into how global and local concerns can productively intersect in environmental education practice. The extent to which the developed curriculum materials achieve their intended outcomes is assessed through attitudes towards environmental education and biodiversity conservation. The long-term goal of this study is to explore Japanese preservice teachers’ multifaceted perceptions of environmental education and to consider the knowledge, skills, and societal factors that underlie these perceptions. The research question is: “How do Japanese preservice elementary science teachers conceptualize knowledge, skills, and society in environmental education?”

2. Theoretical Perspective and Literature Framework

2.1. Environmental Education: Multidimensional Concept

Environmental education is a multidimensional competence that integrates individuals’ knowledge, cognition, values, and attitudes toward nature [7]. The concept of environment includes not only cognitive awareness of the environment but also ethical sensitivity and responsibility to act regarding environmental problems, as well as the skill traits required to find solutions in such contexts [8]. This idea is typically encapsulated in three primary components: cognitive, affective, and behavioral. The cognitive dimension encompasses the realization of and familiarity with data skills related to environmental procedures, the principles underlying ecosystems, human-nature interactions, and the cause-and-effect relationships of ecological challenges [9]. The affective dimension encompasses values, attitudes, sense of ownership, and ethical sensitivity and empathy regarding the environment [10]. The behavioral dimension involves taking actions to resolve environmental problems in the practice of sustainable living and undertaking initiatives that promote this process [11]. Theoretical conceptions of environmental education consist of not only “knowing” but also “feeling and acting”. Literacy in this field encompasses knowledge, attitudes, and values [12,13], which align with Hungerford and Volk’s (1990) [14] model of “Responsible Environmental Behavior.” This model requires knowledge about an issue, awareness about its importance, a sense of responsibility for sustaining it, and the ability to act on it to develop environmentally literate behavior. This model thus suggests that environmental behavior is not solely determined by knowledge, but also by values, beliefs, and environmental self-efficacy.

In addition, Hollweg and colleagues (2011) have developed the K–12 Environmental Literacy Framework, which describes environmental education through “systems knowledge,” “socio-political context knowledge,” and “action competencies” [8]. This concept emphasizes that ecological problems are also closely tied to social, economic, and cultural issues. In this sense, environmental education is reconceptualized not only as an individual learning outcome but also as a citizenship skill associated with social participation and critical awareness. Environmental education has evolved from a purely educational outcome to a multidimensional societal competency. This shift reflects both theoretical advancements and the urgent need for citizens to adopt environmentally responsible lifestyles and to participate in collective and political processes that shape environmental futures.

A significant issue in the environmental education literature is the need to better understand young people’s perceptions of environmental issues, thereby facilitating the development of new forms of awareness and motivating them to act [15,16]. The research has shown that university students are sensitive to environmental issues, but they tend to approach the concept of biodiversity in a limited manner [17,18]. Most definitions of biodiversity emphasize the large number of animal and plant species, underappreciating genetic and ecosystem-level diversity [2]. In Japan, Oikawa’s (2024) study has significant implications for environmental literacy, enhancing awareness of changing climate conditions, and informing the planning of educational programs related to disaster risks and climate change [19]. The study’s findings also demonstrate the need to make climate science, disaster preparedness, and environmental protection more central to Japanese education curricula. Perceptions of biodiversity are closely related to students’ cultural contexts. Rowan (2023) noted that the themes emerging from this study paralleled those of other studies of the same period [20]. An emotion-based connection to nature has been observed among the Japanese, which differs from the more scientific perspective of students in other cultures [19]. This highlights the importance of educational systems, cultural values, and local environmental experiences.

The primary objective of environmental education is to foster an integrated understanding of knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors related to the environment [8,21]. In other words, Roth (1992) [21] defined environmental literacy as the ability to perceive and interpret environmental phenomena and to respond in ways that maintain, restore, or enhance the quality of natural systems. Roth’s definition encompasses conceptual knowledge and understanding [9], values, attitudes, concern for the environment [10], and responsible actions related to environmental concerns [11]. The cognitive and affective domains of environmental education are especially closely related to biodiversity education [22,23]. When biodiversity is known and valued by communities, it can bring about positive attitudes towards conservation [24]. Such a consensus was established by the Tbilisi Declaration [1] and provided a foundational international framework for realizing key objectives, including awareness, knowledge, attitudes, skills, and participation. This approach has been adopted by many other models worldwide, including Hollweg et al.’s (2011) report for the North American Association for Environmental Education, which comprises four interconnected elements: knowledge, dispositions, competencies, and environmentally responsible behavior [8]. Nonetheless, emphasis on behavioral aspects is likely to be placed less frequently. These represent gaps in our conceptualization and operationalization of environmental education, including collective action, governance, cultural integration, and long-term outcomes.

The shift from individual environmentally responsible practices to collective action is a significant step forward in the literature. Researchers have increasingly emphasized that systemic environmental challenges cannot be solved solely by individual lifestyle approaches [25]. Instead, civic engagement and political participation are necessary for structural transformation. Dobson (2003) introduced the notion of environmental citizenship, emphasizing citizens’ rights and duties to participate in democratic processes for sustainability [26]. Similarly, Chawla (2018) also emphasized the role of early involvement in community-based environmental activities as a predictor of lifelong activism [27]. Empirical studies demonstrate that community-based initiatives—such as clean-up campaigns, tree planting, and citizen science—yield both ecological knowledge and social capital. For example, Krasny and Tidball (2009) found that civic ecology practices (e.g., urban gardening, ecological restoration) can lead to both positive ecosystem effects and community resilience [28]. These initiatives align with sociocultural approaches to learning, which conceptualize learning as participation in a community of practice [29]. Volunteerism also serves as informal environmental education, where participants develop skills and identities aligned with sustainability. Such experiences can have more enduring effects than classroom-based interventions because they link learning to real-life situations and social networks. Beyond community engagement, environmental literacy has also been associated with policy and governance. Scholars argue that environmentally literate citizens should be able to critically evaluate policies, advocate for systemic change, and participate in governance processes. For example, Ardoin et al. (2020) emphasized the importance of citizens’ competencies in training individuals for democratic decision-making regarding environmental issues [30]. Research in this area highlights both successes and areas for improvement. While environmental Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and community groups demonstrate the potential of public action, large-scale research reveals that citizens often feel disempowered or lack the knowledge to influence policy. This gap underscores the need for educational frameworks that explicitly focus on the civic and political dimensions of environmental education.

2.2. Biodiversity Education

At the ecosystem level, biodiversity refers to the variety of all life forms on Earth—plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms—as well as their genetic differences [31]. Ecological richness, along with economic, cultural, and social sustainability, is a key concept. Biodiversity ensures the continued provision of essential biological services, including food security, water quality, climate regulation, and soil fertility [32]. One way to illustrate the importance of biodiversity is by considering the ecosystem services it provides. Ecosystem services have been extrapolated through provisioning services, such as soil building, nutrient recycling, and photosynthesis; support services, such as climate regulation, pest and disease control, and water purification; food, water, firewood, and raw materials for the pharmaceutical industry; and cultural life, including recreation, aesthetics, and spiritual health [33]. As of today, biodiversity conservation is a cornerstone of global environmental policies. Documents such as the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, the Aichi Biodiversity Targets (2011–2020), and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework [4] underscore its importance. Such texts can discuss the conservation of species, genetic diversity, climate change, suppressing alien invasions to support a functioning system, and threats to these systems. Biodiversity is significant for the health and functioning of ecosystems and for the preservation of cultural heritage. They are integral to the identity of societies [34], where traditional agricultural systems, native species, and natural resources are deeply rooted in their culture. Thus, the loss of biodiversity is not merely a loss of nature, but also a loss of humankind.

Biodiversity loss is the result of the current human-induced environmental changes. After habitat destruction, the most significant factors are overfishing and grazing, followed by invasive species, then pollution, with climate change having the most significant overall impact. In contrast, indirect factors include population growth, consumption habits such as meat-heavy diets, economic policies like a lack of regulation in fisheries, and inadequate environmental management. Human activities are responsible for 75% of the changes in terrestrial and marine ecosystems [5]. Releases, on the other hand, agricultural expansion, deforestation, and urban spread are reducing the habitats of species [35]. Climate change is also altering the distribution areas of species due to increased temperatures and changes in precipitation patterns, which increases the risk of extinction for some species [36]. In Japan, natural disasters and the emphasis on sustainability education have strongly shaped environmental literacy. For example, Japanese students’ awareness of issues such as earthquake preparedness, waste separation, and energy efficiency is high due to the integration of environmental themes in the national curriculum and local community-based activities [37]. The causes of ecological degradation in Japan include four factors: changes in land and marine use, reduced human interaction with nature, pollution from invasive species and chemicals, and global environmental changes such as climate change and ocean acidification [38]. Additionally, factors such as urban densification, industrialization, and the decline of rural areas are also transforming Japan’s natural and agricultural landscapes [39].

2.3. The Connection Between Biodiversity and Environmental Education

The concept of biodiversity lies at the intersection of the fundamental components of environmental education: knowledge, values, and behavior. Environmental education is a multidimensional concept, as it involves individuals’ understanding of environmental systems, the development of environmental responsibility, and the engagement in conscious actions [8,21]. This concept is not limited to cognitive knowledge of environmental phenomena; it also concerns how individuals interpret this information in daily life and the values they adopt regarding environmental problems. Knowledge and attitudes related to biodiversity represent the ecological knowledge and responsible behavior dimensions. Topics such as biodiversity, sustainable agriculture, alien species, and ecosystem imbalances reflect the ecological knowledge and individuals’ understanding of the interdependencies in environmental systems and their value orientations. Biodiversity-based learning activities not only facilitate the transfer of ecological knowledge but also foster ethical awareness and behavioral responsibility toward the environment [9,18]. Biodiversity is directly related to both the cognitive and emotional dimensions of environmental education. Biodiversity is not only a field of natural knowledge but also a concept reflecting environmental value systems. The perception of biodiversity is intrinsically connected to both the cognitive and affective domains of environmental education. The literature demonstrates that simple knowledge of the environment alone may not be sufficient to induce or sustain behavior change [23]. Knowledge translates into behavioral change only when combined with systems of values, attitudes, and social meanings. This means that knowledge and values regarding the environment enhance conservation behavior. The Planned Behavior Theory of Environmental Behavior [40] explains this process: individual attitudes towards the environment, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control determine an individual’s likelihood of taking environmental action. Therefore, environmental education requires not only cognitive awareness but also an understanding of the beliefs and norms that guide behavior within a social context.

2.4. Sociocultural Perspective

Sociocultural factors shape environmental education; this has been referred to as “contextual environmental education.” Vygotsky’s sociocultural learning theory holds that knowledge is constructed through social interaction and is mediated by culture [41]. From this perspective, environmental education is developed through participation in communities of practice where environmental knowledge, norms, and skills are co-constructed. People make sense of their world through interaction with others and cultural artifacts that mediate meaning construction. As part of a broader consideration of biodiversity, students’ conceptual understandings are not developed in isolation but rather are shaped by educational curricula, cultural values and attitudes towards the environment, and local ecological circumstances [42]. Governance and policy advocacy are expressions of environmental concerns and learning contexts that facilitate the negotiation of meanings, identities, and strategies for addressing environmental issues. Therefore, discrepancies in biodiversity comprehension among nations represent the diversity of different socio-cultural, political, and ecological terrains. Along the same lines, Moscovici’s Social Representations Theory (1984) [43] further delineates how people construct their understanding of scientific phenomena by incorporating them into a more readily understandable context. Social representations are consensually elaborated systems of meaning designed to make absent or obscure phenomena familiar and tangible. Cultural values, life experiences, education, and media discourse regarding biodiversity influence these representations. They shape how people envision, prioritize, and pursue environmental matters. Applied to environmental literacy, social representations theory helps explain how individuals anchor environmental values in their everyday practices, such as recycling and conserving energy, and how communities objectify environmental issues through cultural traditions, policies, and collective action. From this perspective, biodiversity knowledge is a product of social construction, emerging from the mediation and interaction between humans and the natural world. At the same time, it is also a social representation, meaning this biodiversity knowledge must be framed and simplified in vivid ways to resonate within a cultural context. An efficient way to understand how different groups of people perceive biodiversity is to listen to students’ definitions, metaphors, and examples of how they view biodiversity in their social worlds, particularly in relation to teaching, local ecological encounters, school practices, and curricula.

There is an increasing body of literature that acknowledges environmental education as a culturally unneutral concept. Indigenous environmental ethics offer valuable sustainability considerations rooted in traditional practices and cultures [44]. For example, studies of indigenous farming, fishing, and conservation practices reveal sophisticated ecological understanding that complements scientific approaches. Integrating indigenous and cultural knowledge into environmental frameworks not only enriches understanding but also addresses issues of equity and representation. Scholars argue that failing to acknowledge these perspectives perpetuates a narrow, Western-centric view of literacy [45]. Moreover, tourism is both a source of environmental degradation and a potential driver of conservation. Research on eco-tourism [46,47] highlights the role of cultural identity and regional traditions in shaping sustainable practices. Educating tourists and communities alike contributes to broader environmental literacy by linking economic activity with ecological stewardship. Environmental education also encompasses the ability to identify and apply innovative solutions to address environmental challenges. Studies on green technologies, sustainable design, and eco-innovation suggest that technological literacy is increasingly integral to environmental citizenship [48]. For example, programs teaching students about renewable energy or sustainable architecture not only impart knowledge but also develop problem-solving skills applicable in future careers. However, research cautions that innovation must be contextualized within cultural and social systems. The adoption of new technologies often depends on values, policies, and community engagement, underscoring the multidimensional nature of literacy.

According to Moscovici (1984), the Theory of Social Representations enables people to understand complex notions by using everyday life-oriented concepts [43]. However, all these abstract notions, including biodiversity, result from personal experiences and media presentations [49], through which individuals shape their minds within a given culture. Social representations affect individuals’ knowledge, perceptions, and intentions to act regarding biodiversity. The way biodiversity is presented to people from different cultures can profoundly impact how well its conservation is supported [50]. Therefore, studies in different sociocultural settings, such as Japan, would provide evidence about the cultural specificity and universality of representations. This is crucial to the environmental dimension of the Sustainable Development Goals, while biodiversity rests at the core of each of these [1]. In this sense, sustainability education focuses on developing individuals’ abilities to understand nature, generate solutions to environmental problems, think critically, and become responsible agents [51]. A critical gap in the literature concerns the long-term outcomes of environmental education. While many studies focus on immediate behaviors, fewer examine how environmental education contributes to broader goals such as sustainable development, community wellbeing, or resilience. Sterling (2010) argued that environmental education requires a paradigm shift toward systems thinking and long-term impacts [51]. Studies linking environmental education to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) highlight its role in advancing goals related to quality education (SDG 4), sustainable cities (SDG 11), responsible consumption and production (SDG 12), climate action (SDG 13), and the conservation and sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems (SDG 15). Research indicates that communities with higher levels of environmental awareness tend to exhibit greater adaptive capacity and resilience in the face of ecological challenges [52].

2.5. Contribution of the Study

The literature suggests that the behavioral aspect of environmental education is often the least developed and least emphasized [22]. While people may be informed and care about the environment, getting them to act on those concerns sustainably is a different story. Part of the explanation for this gap lies in the challenges of translating environmental knowledge into practice, as well as an associated lack of understanding of how individual actions contribute to broader environmental outcomes. Additionally, previous studies have frequently addressed the cognitive and attitudinal dimensions of environmental education but have not sufficiently examined how these dimensions interact with cultural, pedagogical, and societal contexts. Moreover, integrating Social Representations Theory, engaging in behaviors is not only a matter of individual ability but also of cultural shared meanings and societal norms. When biodiversity is portrayed within a community as inherently valuable for its own sake, biologically interdependent, and as something human beings manage to maintain the bioenvironment intact over time, people who think this way are more likely to behave in ways that conserve it. Here, we argue that education programs to empower people with educational messages for enhancing ecological literacy should not only draw on key features of critical thinking, problem-solving, and participation in learning [24], but also be closely interwoven into the field. Such programs—by challenging misconceptions, broadening the cultural narrative of biodiversity, and integrating global issues into local realities—can both deepen understanding and stimulate a commitment to behavior that is more sustainable over the long term.

Environmental education should take a step forward to enable solving this problem [53]. If themes such as biodiversity are included in science courses, students may consider biodiversity not only from an ecological perspective but also from social, economic, and ethical perspectives. Previous literature has highlighted university students’ limited knowledge of biodiversity, often assessed based on species diversity. Little is known about ecosystem-level relationships, and the behavioral dimension is underdeveloped [22]. This study aims to explore students’ understanding and value of biodiversity in Japan. This analysis sheds light on the cultural context in social representations, as well as the roles of local environmental conditions, national education policy, and cultural heritage in shaping environmental education. This theory-merging model of sociocultural learning theory and social representations is a rich means of understanding students’ perceptions of biodiversity, generated by both interpersonal exchanges and culturally defining processes. In the context of environmental education, these theories suggest that actual environmental knowledge is not achieved when individuals merely acquire knowledge and adopt practices, but when they critically examine existing structures, envision alternative futures, and act to transform society. Education for sustainability is thus inherently political, ethical, and transformative. The environmental education framework served as the primary theoretical basis for the data analysis. Additionally, Social Representations Theory provided a complementary framework for interpreting how students constructed meaning around biodiversity. Roth (1992) [21] and Hollweg et al. (2011) [8] emphasize the cognitive (knowledge), affective (values and attitudes), and behavioral levels of development in environmental knowledge.

Future interdisciplinary and cultural work can focus on fewer studies of social representations across contexts, rather than attempting to encompass them all. This framework positions environmental education as a holistic construct encompassing individual, cultural, and systemic dimensions, with explicit attention to both processes and outcomes. By grounding the model in theory and aligning it with contemporary challenges, the study offers a comprehensive lens for analyzing and advancing environmental education in diverse contexts. The study demonstrated that environmental education is not limited to the mere transfer of knowledge; it is a transformational process that intertwines with cultural representations, value systems, and local environmental experiences. This research offers a holistic framework spanning from conceptual knowledge to social action and cultural meaning. Phenomenography is a qualitative approach in this study used to reveal the different ways individuals make sense of biodiversity and environmental education [53]. In this context, the nine questions used in the study reflect the sub-dimensions of environmental education: cognitive knowledge, emotional awareness, and value-based decision making. The questions aim to observe how participants attribute meaning to environmental issues and how they address ethical dilemmas related to sustainability. Open-ended questions asked of the students were intended to capture their cognitive facet—i.e., their conceptual knowledge of biodiversity—and their affective facet, in which the values, emotions, and attitudes associated with biodiversity were sought.

3. Materials and Methods

This study employed a phenomenographic research design to evaluate a curriculum that integrates scientific concepts with their societal implications through narrative-based instruction. The curriculum was designed to blend scientific concepts from Ardh and Fujii (2022) [54], Doi et al. (2022) [55], and Levinston (2009) [56] with societal implications. The curriculum was delivered in an interactive lecture format, accompanied by PowerPoint slides. The nine open-ended questions used in the study were designed to reflect the cognitive, affective, and ethical dimensions of environmental education through biodiversity issues. These questions were designed to reveal participants’ knowledge of environmental issues, their understandings of cause-and-effect relationships, and their value judgments regarding environmental decisions. The session content addressed the following questions:

• What is biodiversity?
• Four crises that threaten biodiversity.
• What are alien species?
• Instances of foreign species leading to surprising things (e.g., mongoose).
• Merits and demerits of agriculture.
• Instances of insecticides causing surprises (e.g., Lake Shinji, Japan).
• The effects of deforestation related to rainforest, livestock, and auto crop farming on biodiversity.
• The ecosystem pyramid collapses, blaming the growing human population.
• A debate on whether we can relinquish our current convenient and comfortable lifestyles to protect biodiversity.

Phenomenography is a qualitative research approach that aims to map the qualitatively different ways in which Japanese preservice teachers experience, conceptualize, or understand environmental literacy [53,57]. Phenomenography was selected to explore the most common understanding, as well as the variation in conceptions and structural relationships. The phenomenographic approach contributed to an in-depth understanding of environmental education by examining individuals’ ways of thinking and social representations about the environment. Following the phenomenographic approach, the questions aimed to uncover the meanings participants ascribe to environmental phenomena rather than measuring a specific correct answer. Thus, environmental education was examined not only through knowledge but also through ways of making sense of it.

The study was conducted in Japan with university-level participants: preservice elementary science teachers in Japan (n = 127). All participants were students of the Faculty of Education, aspiring to become primary school teachers. The curriculum was implemented in subjects related to science education, including basic natural sciences, teaching methods for comprehensive learning, lectures on science teaching materials, and a course on science content. There were 15-week classes in these subjects, and one week was devoted to the environmental education curriculum.

This research plan has already undergone ethical review and received approval for research involving human subjects at a university in Japan, where the second author was affiliated, prior to the commencement of the research. This study was conducted by a survey to examine the program’s objectives and content, and to evaluate its educational effectiveness. The survey was anonymous and did not involve personal information. As the survey requires the consent and cooperation of participants, a document detailing the research objectives and content, the purpose of the questionnaire, and the intended use of the data was carefully explained and displayed on the university noticeboard prior to its implementation, to request participants’ cooperation in the research. Data from Japan was collected from four different universities. Data collection conducted at institutions other than the researcher’s university involved explaining the above points to the course instructors at those universities to obtain their approval. Data were obtained only from participants who provided consent.

The researchers collected data via a survey questionnaire, available in

Table 1. The questionnaire that was developed for the study.

Items	Responses
In this class, I felt the importance of thinking critically In this class, I felt the importance of predicting the future This class taught me the importance of thinking about connections, expansion, and relationships with other regions, including foreign countries In this class, I felt the importance of not losing “genetic diversity” In this class, I felt the importance of not losing “species diversity” In this class, I felt the importance of not losing “ecosystem diversity” In this class, I realized that agriculture has a big impact on the environment In this class, I felt a significant connection exists between preserving biodiversity, our economic activities, and human society There were connections between living things I didn’t know about until I took the class I felt an aspect of science (e.g., pesticides deprive organisms other than specific species of habitat) that I did not know about until I took the class.	Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree
Please write down what you, as a teacher/expert/engineer, can do to conserve biodiversity. Write down what you can do daily to conserve biodiversity. Please share your impressions, questions, and topics you would like to learn more about after taking this class.

, including descriptive data and brief written reflections. Two primary types of items were included in the questionnaire: closed-ended items rated on a 5-point Likert-type scale and open-ended items that asked participants to reflect on the lesson content, their perceived learning, and their relationship to broader societal issues. Descriptive statistics were computed for the quantitative data from the closed-ended items to identify overall trends in participants’ evaluations of the curriculum. These served to contextualize the participants and inform the open-ended responses, but the primary analysis relied on the open-ended responses themselves. Qualitative data were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis, which involved familiarizing oneself with the data, identifying significant statements, comparing responses, grouping categories, and structuring the outcome through iterative cycles. While this study was conducted within a phenomenographic framework, the findings reflect the participants’ experiences of the phenomenon at a thematic level. During the analysis, themes derived from the data illustrate the meaning differences that emerged in participants’ experiences, but these differences were not structured into a clear hierarchical outcome space. This is because participants’ understandings emerged as overlapping and parallel domains of meaning, rather than discrete levels. Therefore, in keeping with the essence of the phenomenographic approach, the results were presented as clusters of themes that depict the differences in individuals’ experiences. The relationships between themes demonstrate a diversity of meanings, but represent different dimensions of perspective rather than a hierarchical progression. The codebook in

Table 2. Codebook developed from the student data.

Theme	Category	Definition
Knowledge, Awareness & Values	Educational Actions	Teaching how humans impact ecosystems Raising awareness Inquiry projects on environmental issues
	Environmental Threats	Human activities Agricultural chemicals Invasive species
	Attitudes & Values	Care for human & non-human life or empathy for nature
	Cultural Knowledge	Local knowledge to support sustainability
Skills & Practices	Individual Practices	Ecology-related choices and waste management
	Innovative Solutions	Green technology, sustainable design, local practices
	Cultural Conservation	Ecological tourism, limitations on sensitive sites
Civic and Political Engagement	Community Engagement	Volunteerism, ecological traditions
	Regulation	Strict laws, grants
Outcomes & Impacts	Environmental Issues	Clean air/water, reduced waste, health, resilience

emerged from the data as the analytical framework. The first and second authors independently coded responses and determined the categories; these were revised through discussion. Disagreements were resolved through consensus.

To enhance content validity, the questionnaire items were aligned with both curriculum objectives and key constructs extracted from the literature [54,55]. Inter-coder reliability was supported, as multiple researchers coded the qualitative data from the intervention transcripts. Initial coding results were compared to assess coding consistency, and the agreement rate between the two reviewers was calculated before discrepancies were resolved through discussion. The findings were supported by triangulation of quantitative and qualitative data, thereby strengthening the study’s validity.

4. Results

The results of the closed-ended items, rated on a 5-point Likert-type scale, are as follows. The four items that received positive responses (Strongly Agree and Agree) with an exceedance rate of 90% or higher were as follows (

Table 3. Results from closed-ended items.

	Strongly Agree	Agree	Neutral	Disagree	Strongly Disagree
(i) thinking critically	77 (60.63%)	41 (32.28%)	8 (6.30%)	1 (0.79%)	0
(ii) predicting the future	95 (74.80%)	32 (25.20%)	0	0	0
(iii) relationships with other regions	93 (73.23%)	34 (26.77%)	0	0	0
(iv) Not losing “biodiversity	105 (82.68%)	20 (15.75%)	2 (1.57%)	0	0
(v) Agriculture has a significant impact	79 (62.20%)	43 (33.86%)	5 (3.94%)	0	0
(vi) our economic activities and society	95 (74.80%)	29 (22.84%)	3 (2.36%)	0	0
(vii) connections between living things	74 (58.27%)	50 (39.37%)	3 (2.36%)	0	0
(viii) aspect of science	54 (42.52%)	63 (49.61%)	7 (5.51%)	3 (2.36%)	0

). “A big connection exists between preserving biodiversity, our economic activities, and human society (Japan: 97.64%)”, “I felt the importance of thinking critically (Japan: 92.91%)”, “I realized that agriculture has a big impact on the environment (Japan: 96.06%)”, “This class taught me the importance of thinking about connections, expansion, and relationships with other regions, including foreign countries (Japan: 100.00%)”. Furthermore, positive responses to the two items, ‘I felt the importance of predicting the future’ and ‘I felt the importance of not losing biodiversity,’ exceeded 90%. Positive responses to the items “There were connections between living things I did not know about until I took the class” and “I felt an aspect of science that I did not know about until I took the class” also exceeded 90%. These results showed that this curriculum has raised awareness of the significant impact of human society, economic activity, and agriculture, as well as the importance of considering connections and relationships with other regions, such as foreign countries, and the importance of critical thinking.

4.1. Knowledge, Awareness, and Values

Participants demonstrated a strong educational intent to emphasize the need to raise awareness, teach, and conduct research in science education. These students focused on teaching about biodiversity, raising students’ awareness, taking students outside the classroom for experiential learning, and modeling responsible interactions with living organisms. Students aimed to develop pedagogical practices, including lesson planning, classroom management of living organisms, demonstrations, field trips, and explicit instruction on invasive species and pet ownership. Some students showed interest in individual practices such as using trains or buying pesticide-free products. These individual practices aimed to use non-pesticide, locally sourced products while managing waste effectively. They also mentioned environmental threats posed by invasive organisms. A few students discussed the fundraising and volunteering opportunities related to environmental sustainability, as student teachers rarely addressed governance and regulations.

In general, participants discussed biodiversity through educational actions, lifestyle practices, and community engagement. Students’ responses focused on the question, “What does a good teacher do?”, not “What does an environmental activist or policymaker do? This result showed that students’ responses primarily focused on instructional routines, learning objectives, and individual experiences. These responses emphasized concrete classroom actions to transform a broad environmental sustainability into specific tasks that teachers can carry out. They argued that a teacher’s role in biodiversity conservation is primarily educational, as teachers have an instructional responsibility to teach environmental conservation rather than engage in political, technological, or community-based efforts—only a few instances of community volunteering or fundraising supported teacher activities.

The respondents focused on activities designed to increase environmental knowledge and awareness, addressing ecological issues through tangible concepts in both formal and informal education. While participants prepare to become teachers, their responses were about teaching biodiversity, raising awareness, and interacting with nature. In the “teaching and research” category, student teachers indicated, “teach children the importance of biodiversity,” “run classes where students think together,” “explain invasive species,” “provide knowledge and opportunities to encounter nature,” “connect science topics to local species and habitats,” or “ask students to prepare a poster.” These responses indicated that respondents had a high interest in integrating biodiversity concepts through inquiry or project-based activities. In the “raising awareness” category, student teachers stated, “teach the interaction among humans, environment, and living things,” or “Children should learn the importance of protecting Japanese animals.” In these response patterns, student teachers presented their explicit teaching values of living things and conceptual knowledge of invasive species and organisms to cultivate care, responsibility, and long-term habits in children. These teaching activities involved both direct instruction, such as explaining concepts or providing information, and inquiry-based learning through observation of nature, poster creation, and water quality testing. In these activities, student teachers aimed to prompt student thinking, dialogue, and projects to enhance student voice and agency. This finding suggests that the most significant learning and increased awareness within the course are related to understanding environmental threats and educational experiences. These responses focused on conducting research, gathering information, and raising awareness about biodiversity issues. Invasive species, pesticide use, and misguided human interventions particularly captured students’ attention, and the course content and methods had a substantial impact on fostering knowledge and awareness. Student teachers reported gaining new insights from the course content, which altered their perspectives. For example, they stated,

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I had no interest in biodiversity until this course, but I learned about its relevance to our lives.

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I had heard of the concept of biodiversity but did not clearly understand its meaning; now I understand it better.

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Because there were so many pictures and real stories, it was easy to think of it as a personal matter.

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My learning deepened after the group activities.

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I felt that it was important to try to think independently, such as watching programs about invasive species on TV or reading about them in books.

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Learn more about biodiversity, call for people not to destroy nature.

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Investigate endangered species.

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Observe the surrounding plants and flowers closely. Investigate invasive and native species.

These responses aimed to gather information through both formal and informal methods. Formal methods involved conducting research and analysis, while informal methods included television, news, and books. This result indicated that environmental education was not only school-based but also a lifelong learning process. These results showed that participants developed environmental knowledge through a combination of individual actions and social activities. Some statements indicated that environmental education provided not only knowledge but also critical thinking skills. During the teaching and research processes, participants demonstrated an active skill of inquiry by building knowledge through engagement and conducting research. Therefore, individuals should be interested in learning and research, as educational awareness is an element that strengthens the sustainability of individual practices. This demonstrates that environmental education should be structured not only to transfer knowledge but also to foster behavioral change. These statements also demonstrated that the course went beyond simply imparting knowledge to foster critical thinking, social learning processes, and emotional awareness. The course provided them with new information and changed their ways of thinking. Students clearly demonstrated the course’s awareness-raising and knowledge-building functions. Students also highlighted the methodological aspects of the course, supporting teacher explanations through visual materials and group work. Students highlighted the value of learning through pictures and real stories to make personal connections during the learning process.

Student teachers provided examples of environmental harm. Participants primarily focused on biodiversity loss, emphasizing the impact of invasive species and human-induced damage. For example, participants stated, “explain how releasing the American crayfish threatens ecosystems”, “do not release invasive species when you catch them at school”, or “teach children about the effects of invasive species”. Some responses focused on anthropogenic pollution. For example, participants stated, “use pesticide-free products” or “industrial pollution is a danger of environmental destruction.” Participants also referred to waste pollution as encompassing plastics, hazardous materials, air pollution, and water pollution. Many students also mentioned the threats posed by invasive species and pesticides to nature. They addressed the negative impacts of invasive species, pesticides, and agricultural practices on the environment. One student stated, “I was very surprised to learn that potatoes are invasive”. Another student noted the impact of agricultural chemicals and stated, “I learned for the first time that insecticides destroy biodiversity.” Students also referred to the consequences of human interventions. One student stated, “The story of the habu (venomous snake) and mongoose was very interesting; human actions harm other living things.” Another student stated, “People harm them by introducing unauthorized species, which is why I was very upset.” Some participants directly or indirectly referred to the common environmental threats in terms of waste pollution, biodiversity loss, and chemicals. Some participants stated,

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Do not shed oil or do not litter.

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Do not release invasive species.

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Eliminate invasive species as soon as they are found.

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Do not use too much detergent.

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Do not use insecticides unnecessarily.

These threats became visible in society through increased individual awareness. Participants made environmental damage concrete through social representations, describing environmental threats as abstract concepts and linking them to concrete manifestations in their everyday lives. However, most participants proposed solutions at the individual level rather than at the institutional or systemic level. These statements demonstrated that humans’ irresponsible actions harm living things in nature. This theme showed that participants approached environmental threats in quite a concrete and relatable way, making them relevant to daily life. These results showed that students reacted not only cognitively but also emotionally. Emotions such as surprise, sadness, and anger revealed the affective dimension of learning. For example, student teachers stated,

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I thought invasive species were bad, but I was really surprised to learn that things I eat regularly are also invasive species.

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I felt it was bad that because of humans, creatures that should not have died are dying, and the environments where creatures live are changing.

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Learning that all living things depend on different species to survive made me realize how frightening it is to disrupt that balance.

4.2. Skills and Practices

The individual practices encompass individual environmental responsibilities. The results suggest that students value environmentally responsible behaviors in their daily lives. The results showed that participants heavily discussed the behavioral and individualistic components of environmental literacy to explain how to apply it in their personal lives. For example, the results showed a strong foundation of individual responsibility for understanding biodiversity through daily-life experiences, rather than abstract concepts. Participants typically reflected on their tangible and daily-life practices related to biodiversity. These practices focused on conserving energy, managing waste, avoiding overconsumption, and respecting living beings. They stated,

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I do not use air conditioning, and I do not use my car much.

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Separate your trash.

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Do not leave leftovers.

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Try not to kill insects.

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Do not shed oil.

In these explanations, participants reflected on “what to do” questions about how to preserve the environment, demonstrating how they integrated environmental values into their daily practices. These responses indicate a clear link between individuals’ attitudes and their daily habits. These practical skills focus on concrete, tangible behaviors that can be implemented immediately, as participants emphasized their awareness of the environmental impact of small, continuous actions. Moreover, participants stressed the importance of waste management through proper garbage separation, recycling, and reducing food waste as concrete and repetitive actions. These responses suggested that participants valued environmental health and felt a sense of responsibility for engaging directly with living beings. These results demonstrated that biodiversity awareness was not merely an abstract concept but was linked to concrete practices. While individual awareness was high at this level, these practices were not supported for social transformation. Most participants mainly addressed lifestyle practices rather than institutionalization at the community level. Their reflections demonstrated their individual contributions. They stated,

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I thought that small daily actions contribute to the conservation of biodiversity.

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I learned that Japan uses more pesticides than other countries; it could be a good idea to buy pesticide-free vegetables.

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I started to think more consciously about what we can do for the environment in our daily lives.

Their responses focused on ethical care, explaining why releasing non-native organisms or pets into the wild is unethical, ensuring that any class pet is kept responsibly, and modeling respect when handling insects. These activities fell under the ecology-related choices category, focusing on protecting ecosystems and conserving energy resources. For example, students chose pesticide-free or locally produced products, used the train whenever possible, and kept pets until the end without abandoning them. In this category, student teachers focused on energy conservation and local product choices. Some students addressed the waste management category to reduce waste and conserve resources. For example, participants stated, “save money and protect resources,” and “please minimize food waste.” These responses demonstrated that people can learn to contribute to biodiversity through simple yet effective behaviors in their daily lives. These personal behaviors were pragmatic and related to everyday use, such as transport choices, buying decisions, and pet care. These results showed that participants considered environmentally responsible choices, such as recycling, reducing pesticide use, and local production, at the individual level. Students emphasized that even small-scale individual actions could contribute to biodiversity conservation through personal responsibility, rather than through state or institutional policies. Students specifically addressed pesticide use, food consumption habits, and the relationship between local production and consumption. These findings highlighted the significance of promoting behavioral changes at the micro level in environmental education.

In terms of cultural conservation, some students referenced regional ecosystems such as Lake Shinji and Okinawa, demonstrating awareness of cultural and environmental connections. Students’ association with their home region’s ecological identity suggested an increased awareness of sustainable tourism and cultural preservation. The inclusion of local examples, such as Lake Shinji, in the course allowed students to connect regional ecosystems to their cultural identities. Students viewed their environment not only as a natural area but also as a cultural heritage. This presents an educational opportunity for sustainable tourism and cultural preservation. For example, student teachers suggested, “Take your children to zoos and aquariums so that they can engage with nature,” and “organize nature walks, park, and mountain trips”. These quotations suggested sustainable tourism practices. This situation demonstrated that experiencing nature has both educational and cultural preservation aspects. Some participants were aware of local production and consumption in terms of economic benefits and the preservation of cultural and ecological diversity. They stated,

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Buy groceries made in Japan as much as possible.

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Pay attention to the production area and raw materials.

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Be aware of local production for local consumption in your daily diet.

Some participants indirectly referred to cultural presentations as a means of contributing to sustainable tourism in their daily lives. There was a lack of awareness of tourism issues, which requires greater prominence at the educational and policy levels.

Responses to the innovative solutions reveal a tendency among students to develop creative solutions. Practical solutions, such as local production and consumption, and the use of regional context in educational materials, are prominent among these suggestions. Some students developed solutions to environmental problems. For example, one student stated, “It would be nice if there were a miraculous creature that would balance the ecosystem”. The student’s solution was creative but required a more scientific perspective. Another student suggested a more realistic perspective, stating, “More local production and consumption should be done.” A second student developed an educational solution: “Using regional materials in teaching increases children’s interest.” These results showed that students identified problems and sought solutions. Participants presented innovative ideas to use technology and pedagogical and cultural methodologies. For example, they stated,

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Make the chocolate as a reward for a fair trade product.

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Choose eco-friendly products with the Eco Mark.

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Use locally sourced materials and indigenous farming techniques.

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Buy ingredients that do not use many pesticides.

These statements showed that new solutions to environmental problems were explored through individual practices as well as economic and cultural approaches. Individual practices referred to consumption choices that made connections to market orientations and environmental responsibility. Participants also interpreted historical practices in environmental protection by referring to traditional cultural practices, such as local production methods. These results demonstrated that environmental sustainability was a process integrated with modern technologies and cultural heritage.

4.3. Civic and Political Engagement

Students’ understandings and actions were less developed in terms of active learning, social, political, and civic engagement. This result suggests that students focused more on individual awareness and knowledge acquisition, while community-based initiatives, legal regulations, and connections to cultural sustainability remained secondary. In terms of community and collective engagement, students appeared to have established environmental connections through their families or local regions. For example, students stated,

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My family owns a mountain, but it has become a bamboo forest. I wonder if it will ever return to its former state.

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Because it is Shimane University, seeing the example of Lake Shinji was very helpful.

These results demonstrate that addressing environmental issues through regional and cultural connections is crucial for fostering collective awareness. The potential for students to transition from individual curiosity to community-level responsibility emerged. Collective awareness played a critical role, particularly in protecting local ecosystems and implementing sustainability projects. Students’ connection to the local context demonstrated that environmental education could be made more effective with locally focused materials.

Student teachers also emphasized the importance of socially organized actions in addressing environmental challenges. These participants aimed to teach environmental sustainability as a community responsibility. For example, a student teacher thought that children should learn to conduct water-quality tests. They suggested, “Participate in volunteer activities to remove invasive species.” Another participant discussed the role of volunteerism and stated,

“I am aiming to become an elementary school teacher, so I want to plant many plants, such as flowers and houseplants, in the school. I would also like to volunteer in biodiversity conservation activities actively. In addition, as a teacher, I would like to increase the number of people who want to take action to take care of nature by sharing correct knowledge, such as the importance of biodiversity, with children.”

These responses were categorized as volunteerism, which involves participating in organizational activities to protect living beings or volunteering to reduce the impact of invasive species. Additionally, some participants also addressed the significance of local cultural integration. Participants stated, “grow plants in the community” or “passing on environmental sensitivity to children through cultural tradition.” One student said, “Choose environmentally friendly or considerate products, and choose local ingredients and seasonal products such as Hiroshima.” This theme demonstrated that individual awareness could have a greater impact when combined with social responsibility. Some participants addressed participation beyond individual practices to the community level. These participants stated,

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Participate in cleanup activities.

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Volunteer to plant trees.

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Announce to everyone to stop using drugs that kill insects.

Although many participants focused on individual-level ethics to take responsibility for their actions, a few responses demonstrated that individuals viewed environmental problems as a social responsibility. Although the collection dimension of environmental literacy has not yet developed, a few participants view community participation as serving to build environmental awareness as a shared value. These statements revealed that the environment was considered not only as an individual value but also as a shared living space. Activities such as tree planting and garbage collection were notable for their symbolic and visible role in protecting the environment.

In terms of governance and regulation, some students explored the role of laws and policies in environmental protection. One student highlighted the tension between individual effort and environmental sustainability with the statement, “I understand that what people do to make their lives easier affects biodiversity, but I did not want to change this comfortable environment.” Another student pointed to the relationship between consumer behavior and politics by saying, “Human pesticide use and agricultural activities affect biodiversity. I want to investigate what I can do as a consumer.” Only a few student teachers explained the role of funding and incentives in supporting changes related to environmental issues. For example, student teachers stated, “Donate to an organization that protects living things” or “New productions should consider not only humans but also local species.” These quotations reflected the political aspects of individual consumer preferences in the context of environmental policy advocacy. This theme indicated that most participants focused on biodiversity at both the educational and personal levels, and the policy dimension was raised less frequently. These statements demonstrated that students were considering the direct relationship between environmental policies and human life and discussing the normative limits in solving ecological problems. These statements showed that environmental impacts could be managed more effectively to support individual awareness through strict regulations or institutional policies. Individuals recognized that some environmental problems could not be addressed through personal actions. Participants were less aware of the systemic regulations, suggesting that the policy dimension of environmental literacy should be emphasized more in educational programs to facilitate systemic change, political advocacy, or policy-level solutions.

4.4. Outcomes and Impacts

Environmental education emphasizes the benefits of acquiring environmental knowledge for both personal and professional development. Students emphasized both individual and societal benefits of environmental awareness. Environmental awareness had a distinct advantage in students’ statements. One student emphasized the personal value of knowledge and stated, “I had no knowledge of biodiversity, but now knowing it is an advantage.” Another student emphasized the personal development aspect of environmental education and stated, “I gained knowledge and ways of thinking that I would not have acquired in daily life.” Preservice teachers linked this achievement to their professional identities. One student stated, “I am happy to have learned what I need to know as a teacher”. This statement showed that environmental awareness was perceived as a necessary competency in the teaching profession. This finding demonstrated the importance of environmental education not only for individuals but also for professional responsibility.

Some student teachers discussed the positive impacts of environmental knowledge and practices to emphasize the importance of environmental awareness for the quality of life. Most participants emphasized the long-term benefits of knowledge about biodiversity. Participants stated, “raising children’s awareness of environmental protection,” “addressing how biodiversity loss will affect us”, and “instilling environmental awareness in children who will live as members of society”. Participants suggested that sustainable development would provide long-term benefits and promote community well-being, thereby enhancing community resilience. This theme is often paired with educational awareness to emphasize that education is not only a means of acquiring knowledge but also a vital tool for improving the quality of life and social resilience. Many participants expressed their environmental awareness in terms of responsibility, long-term benefits, and quality of life. For example, the participants stated,

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Think not only about the immediate future, but also about the long term.

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Take responsibility for every action you take.

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Living while thinking about coexisting with living things.

These statements demonstrated that participants emphasized social well-being and environmental protection. These suggest that environmental education helped individuals develop knowledge, critical thinking, empathy, and a sense of social responsibility, which are related to ethical, emotional, and cognitive benefits.

Student responses focused primarily on environmental threats and educational outcomes, while other categories played a more supportive role. This distribution suggests that the course had the most substantial impact on students in the dimensions of knowledge acquisition, awareness-raising, and recognition of environmental problems. The findings indicated that students’ perceptions of biodiversity and invasive species changed significantly over the course of the study. The distribution of student responses was particularly concentrated in the categories of educational activities and environmental threats. This suggested that students gained awareness primarily through exposure to new information during the learning process, while also focusing on environmental risks they directly observe or learn through examples. Invasive species, pesticide use, and misguided human interventions were the primary topics that captured students’ attention and raised their concerns. The findings pointed to a point frequently emphasized in the literature: making human-induced environmental threats visible fosters both curiosity and a sense of responsibility in students. Furthermore, the use of terms like “shock” and “surprise” in some of their responses demonstrated that the course not only conveyed information but also had a substantial affective impact.

Furthermore, a significant portion of the student responses fell into the individual practice category. This demonstrates that students desire to develop environmentally responsible habits in their daily lives and that they believe environmental awareness contributes to their personal development. Examples such as local production and consumption, pesticide-free product choices, and energy conservation, in particular, highlight the importance of individual transformation as a starting point. In contrast, fewer responses were found in the community engagement, regulation, and cultural conservation categories. This suggests that while students demonstrated strong development in individual awareness and knowledge acquisition, they limited their consideration of more macro-scale themes such as community-based responsibility, policy-level regulations, and sustainability within a cultural context. This finding suggested that environmental education should aim not only to foster individual awareness but also social and political responsibility. Some students also developed innovative ideas. Using local ecosystems as course material, supporting ecological farming methods, and employing creative educational approaches were among the prominent suggestions. This result demonstrated that students not only responded to existing problems but also had the potential to create solutions. This study revealed that environmental education yielded both cognitive and affective benefits for students.

These results showed that student teachers focused on the educational aspect of biodiversity. They emphasized the role of teachers in protecting biodiversity and enhancing environmental awareness. This demonstrates a strong societal awareness about environmental education in Japan. The results also showed that environmental values were internalized not only in the classroom but also in daily life. Participants addressed individual lifestyle practices through waste reduction, pesticide-free product choices, and public transportation use. In the context of environmental threats, participants emphasized the role of invasive species. Participants aimed to use this threat as an example in lessons to instill a sense of responsibility in children. This situation highlights the need to connect environmental education to concrete and local contexts. Innovative solutions are shaped by pedagogical approaches to integrate learning, contact with nature, and inquiry-based activities. This demonstrated the focus on cultural and educational innovations rather than technological innovations. Participants referred to the community and collective engagement theme less frequently, including donations and volunteerism activities.

Sustainable tourism and cultural conservation were underrepresented in responses. This result suggested that student teachers focused on educational and individual levels and were less aware of macro-level policy and tourism management issues. They emphasized small measures taken in daily life, such as separating waste or conserving energy. Participants also tended to bring environmental awareness to the societal level by stressing the need to acquire and develop knowledge. Community-based participation was limited but meaningful, particularly through initiatives such as garbage collection and tree planting, which serve as powerful means of integrating individual practices into the community. Participants also referred to environmental threats, including plastic waste, detergents, pesticides, and invasive species. Suggestions such as eco-labeled products, fair trade, and local food consumption were innovative and culturally oriented alternatives. These results indicated that individuals have largely integrated environmental protection awareness into their daily lives; however, greater awareness and action were needed in the community, policy, and sustainable tourism dimensions. The study identified strategies that could encourage a shift from individual practices to community-level approaches in environmental education and policy development.

5. Discussion

The survey results indicated that most participants generally agreed highly with the statements. Notably, there was complete agreement (100%) on the statements related to “predicting the future”, “establishing relationships with other regions,” and “preserving biodiversity.” This result demonstrated a strong awareness of environmental awareness, sustainability, and global connections. Similarly, the high agreement on the statements “agriculture has a significant impact” (96.06%) and “the relationship between economic activities and society” (97.64%) suggests that participants recognize the impact of human activities on the environment. There was also high agreement on the statements “connections between living things” (97.64%) and “as an aspect of science” (92.13%), but relatively lower, yet still strong, agreement on “critical thinking” (92.91%). These results generally indicated that participants had positive attitudes and a holistic perspective on the relationship between the environment, science, and society. The categories that emerged from open-ended questions in this study’s examination of Japanese pre-service teachers’ understandings of environmental education were situated within the proposed four-domain model: Knowledge, awareness, values, skills, practice, civic-political participation, and outcomes-impacts. They yielded findings consistent with the quantitative data and previous literature. Overall, participants’ accounts revealed a close interweaving of the knowledge-awareness and attitude-ethics dimensions, with knowledge and values translating into practices and community/organizational action. These trajectories align with broader studies arguing that environmental education should not only impact cognitive content but also foster civic competencies [58].

In the data, “educational actions” and “perception of environmental threats” frequently appeared together. Participants offered both scientific knowledge-based explanations and linked this information to value-oriented statements, such as responsibility and protection. Learners were surprised by the alien invasiveness and by the development of a consciousness of ecological balance, which resulted directly from the diversity-subject components in the curriculum. Specifically, class conversations and exploration of local native and non-native species helped students identify humans’ intentions in introducing species and the impacts that can result. This suggests that the curriculum content successfully increased participants’ conceptual understanding from a vague idea of general environmental awareness to more science-based concepts of ecological interdependence. The sections on conservation methods and ecosystem management aligned with the curriculum unit on local biodiversity and sustainable practices. These links suggested that the intervention did more than add knowledge; it changed how students thought about environmental issues—it shifted them from passive reflection to informed advocacy. This pattern demonstrates the integration of the cognitive dimension with emotional and ethical ties in environmental education. This aligns with the views of Kaya and Elster (2019) [59] and O’Sullivan (2025) [60], who argue that cognitive knowledge and value-attitude dimensions are inseparable in environmental education. Furthermore, fragments of local cultural knowledge, such as traditional practices and regional identity, demonstrated the potential to translate into protective practices, reinforcing the importance of integrating local knowledge into environmental education. Similarly, the literature emphasizes the centrality of local and cultural knowledge sources in shaping environmental values [61]. Saitoh et al. (2020) showed that Local Government Institutes for the Environment in Japan emphasized the value of cultural context and local experience in promoting environmental awareness [37]. This result suggests that the curriculum should not limit the presentation of information to scientific facts; instead, it should be designed to include intercultural contexts, ethical discussions, and emotional engagement. Teacher training should provide candidates with opportunities to discuss and model both the content and the values associated with it.

While daily practices, such as energy conservation, waste management, and public transportation preferences, were frequently mentioned by preservice teachers, most responses differed between desired and actual practices within the context. This finding aligns with Avinc and Dogan (2025) [62], indicating that the relationship between knowledge and behavior is not linear. Infrastructural and social barriers, such as time, cost, and social norms, limit the implementation of behavior. Ors (2022) reported that even when knowledge and values are high, the adoption of environmental behaviors can be limited by obstacles [63]. Existing literature recommends applied, experiential, and community-engaged approaches to support behavioral change in environmental education [64]. Applied learning, including fieldwork, school-based projects, and citizen science, as well as problem-solving-focused activities, should be increased in preservice teacher programs. Micro-policies, such as school recycling infrastructure, should be designed to support learning at a practical level.

In this study, the theme of “civic and political participation” emerged less prominently than other themes. Several cultural, structural, and program-based reasons within the Japanese teacher education context can explain this. The Japanese education system has long emphasized a culture of political neutrality and conformity, limiting prospective teachers’ ability to engage critically with political issues. In this context, environmental issues were generally addressed through the lens of individual ethics, love of nature, or social harmony. In contrast, public and political dimensions, such as environmental policies, civic action, and environmental justice, received less attention. Moreover, teacher education programs generally structure environmental education content around knowledge transfer and nature observation, offering limited opportunities for linking it to civic participation, citizenship, and policymaking. These findings suggested that environmental education was developed at the cognitive, affective, action, and citizenship levels. Several strategies could be implemented in teacher education to holistically integrate environmental policy, citizenship education, and themes of sustainable development. Preservice teachers should be involved in field-based collaborations with local governments, non-governmental organizations, or environmental organizations. They should use action-based learning and community-based projects to develop solutions to environmental problems and to emphasize collective environmental responsibility. Such practices can help prospective teachers understand environmental issues not only as an individual responsibility but also as an act of social change and citizenship. Thus, environmental education can move beyond simply imparting knowledge and awareness to become a participatory and transformative learning experience. Shaikh et al. (2024) emphasized that environmental conditions and education significantly influence students’ psychological and social well-being [65]. Exposure to nature-based learning environments and sustainability-oriented curricula has been associated with reduced stress, increased motivation, and stronger prosocial behaviors. However, previous work conceptualized the environment as an external factor influencing well-being, rather than as an object of students’ own meaning-making. The present study extended this perspective by exploring how teacher education students perceived and conceptualized environmental education—linking cognitive understanding with the emotional and civic dimensions of well-being. In doing so, it connected environmental issues not only to psychological benefits but also to the development of environmental identity and agency.

Moreover, the study’s themes of collective participation and governance/policy indicated that participants sometimes identified a need for social responsibility and policy-level change. However, these participants were often unclear or hesitant about ways to participate in policy processes or their ability to influence them. This is similarly emphasized in a study among Japanese high school teachers by Glackin and Greer (2021) [66], which parallels findings that teachers’ interpretations of environmental education policies are knowledge-centric, and the civic-political dimension of environmental literacy is often neglected in education. In the systematic review, Georgiou et al. (2021) also suggested that teachers often limited the concept of environmental citizenship to individual-level behavior, while institutional or political action and community-based participation were rarely implemented [67]. There is evidence that when environmental education programs focus on developing citizenship skills, policy literacy, and community organizing capacities, participants’ capacity for effective civic action increases. Therefore, policy literacy, participatory democratic practices, ethical decision-making, and school-community partnerships should be integrated into teacher education curricula. Otherwise, even if student teachers encourage individual behavior, the collective capacity necessary for systemic transformation remains lacking.

The themes of innovative solutions demonstrated that candidates were open to both technology-based and culturally or practically oriented alternatives. This demonstrated that environmental literacy was not limited to individual consumption choices but could also be linked to economic and cultural practices. This aligns with the approaches suggested in Saitoh et al. (2020) [37] for creatively applying learning with local knowledge. The results demonstrated the potential for innovative practices in risk communication, public communication, and education on topics such as the atmosphere and water. Sanchez-Garcia et al. (2025) also suggested that teacher education should equip students with sustainability-focused innovation and project-based learning skills [61]. Therefore, the curriculum should include interdisciplinary projects that integrate local knowledge and cultural practices with STEM-based technical and sociocultural solutions.

Regarding benefits, participants had expectations for the social and ecological outcomes of environmental education. Contemporary environmental education literature [68] emphasized the need to link environmental education to the Sustainable Development Goals and measure long-term impacts, such as community resilience, health, and well-being. Yıldırım et al. (2025) demonstrated that environmental literacy and awareness of ecological footprint positively impact environmental behavior [69]. However, in practice, longitudinal studies to verify these effects are limited. Most studies focus on knowledge, attitudes, and behavior; the effects of social/political transformational or institutional change are less common. These findings supported the idea that the ultimate goals of teacher education were not simply to impart knowledge but also to produce measurable social/ecological impacts. Therefore, the effectiveness of educational interventions should be evaluated alongside medium- and long-term community and environmental indicators, as well as short-term behavioral changes.

5.1. Limitations

These results showed that Japanese student teachers’ understanding of environmental education was firmly grounded in the knowledge/awareness/values dimension, which informed their attitudes and ideal expectations. However, various obstacles were encountered in translating knowledge and values into skills and daily practice, as the practical application levels were more limited than ideal. While the dimensions of social participation and policy were embedded in participants’ understanding, there was uncertainty about how to implement them in practice; student teachers felt the need for guidance and support in these areas. Innovative solutions can be linked to cultural and economic practices to expand environmental education. There were expectations for the social and ecological benefits of environmental knowledge depending on educational practices, policy support, and the role of institutions. Participants had high expectations for the social and ecological outcomes of environmental education. However, several obstacles existed to the practical application of knowledge and values, including the need for guidance on social engagement and policy. These findings suggest that the ultimate goal of teacher education is not simply to transfer knowledge but also to produce measurable social and ecological impacts. Long-term monitoring and evaluation practices are necessary to increase the effectiveness of educational interventions.

5.2. Recommendations and Conclusions

These results also made suggestions for teaching and research. First, this study emphasized the need to restructure curricula in teacher education programs. Curricula should move beyond knowledge transfer to increase value, skill, and practice-based activities. Curricula should include values related to local traditions, natural disasters, and regional ecosystems. This approach supports students’ understanding of environmental issues and their ability to translate them into responsible action and conservation-oriented practices. Second, the study suggests promoting applied and experiential learning. Preservice teachers should be provided opportunities to experience environmental practices, such as energy conservation, waste management, and public transportation, in daily life. Applied learning methods such as school-based projects, fieldwork, and citizen science facilitate the transformation of knowledge and values into behavior. Third, this study suggested the need to provide policy literacy and civic engagement skills. In addition to individual action, preservice teachers should be taught to create impact at the societal and institutional levels through activities such as policy analysis, community events, and engagement with local governments. This contributes to long-term and systemic environmental transformations. Fourth, traditional environmental practices and values related to regional ecosystems in Japan should be integrated into the curriculum to strengthen students’ connection to the environment. Evaluation and monitoring practices should be enhanced; short-term behavioral changes, as well as medium- and long-term impacts of educational practices, should be monitored through measurements of teachers’ practices. Local governments, civil society organizations, and government policies should provide the resources to facilitate preservice teachers’ contributions. Fifth, local knowledge, cultural values, and technological innovations should be integrated in supporting environmental education. Interdisciplinary projects combine Science-Technology-Engineering-Mathematics (STEM)-based learning with sociocultural practices to develop teacher candidates’ creative problem-solving skills.

This study focuses only on Japanese student teacher data. The generalizability of the results to other contexts may be limited due to cultural and institutional differences. Japanese pre-service teachers’ understanding of environmental education is shaped by the dimensions of knowledge, values, and awareness. However, guidance and support are needed in the dimensions of practice and societal impact. By addressing these dimensions with a holistic approach, teacher training programs can make sustainable contributions to environmental education at both the individual and societal levels.