Bringing environmental education into practice in South African secondary schools: Examination of the norm activation model
Simanga Phillip Lukhele, DM Lebeloane & Rose Mmusi-Phetoe
Abstract
The purpose of the study was to explore perceptions, identify challenges, and determine the potential impact of introducing Environmental Education (EE) as a subject in secondary schools. Schwartz’s (1997) Norm Activation Model guided the study. The qualitative method of research was deemed relevant for the study. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather data from the participants. Document analysis was also used to supplement primary data. Twenty participants were purposely selected through the non-probability sampling, to participate in the study. Data was analysed and interpreted using the six steps of Braun and Clarke’s (2006) thematic analysis. The findings of the study posit that there is a need to bring a new subject related to environmental education. The persistent irresponsible human behaviour and its consequences on the environment necessitates EE by bringing a new subject. Furthermore, despite some participants suggesting that some subjects need to be scratched out, the findings reveal that scarce careers related to the protection of the environment need to be revisited. It is therefore recommended that the Department of Basic Education should revisit its curriculum to assess whether the integration of environmental education on the existing subjects is having a significant impact in reducing the global challenges and their consequences. This could be achieved through the adoption of practical implementation steps such as educator training needs, resource development and curriculum design reforms. Drawing from the existing gap in literature on how a standalone subject could be brought into the South African school curriculum, this implies the need for further research.
Keywords
environmental education, Norm Activation Model, subject, secondary school
Author information & Contribution
Simanga Phillip Lukhele. Corresponding author. Department of Educational Leadership and Management, University of South Africa, South Africa. Email: 17269741@mylife.unisa.ac.za
DM Lebeloane. Department of Science and Technology Education, University of South Africa, South Africa. Email: lebelldm@unisa.ac.za
Rose Mmusi-Phetoe. Department of Health Studies, University of South Africa, South Africa. Email: rosemmusiphetoe@gmail.com
"All authors equally contributed to the conception, design, preparation, data gathering and analysis, and writing of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript."
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Funding
This work was not supported by any funding.
Institutional Review Board Statement
This study was conducted in accordance with the ethical guidelines set by University of South Africa (Ref: 2023/11/08/17269741/20/AM). The conduct of this study has been approved and given relative clearance(s) by the University of South Africa.
Data and Materials Availability
The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
AI Declaration
AI tools were not used in writing this paper.
Notes
Acknowledgement
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Cite this article:
Lukhele, S.P., Lebeloane, L.D.M. & Mmusi-Phetoe, R. (2025). Bringing environmental education into practice in South African secondary schools: Examination of the norm activation model. International Journal of Educational Management and Development Studies, 6(4), 137-162. https://doi.org/10.53378/ijemds.353285
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