Abstract:

The importance of environmental education has increased day by day. Elementary students’ opinions about environmental issues are important to supply an effective environmental education. Main aim of this study is to determine the 8th grades elementary students’ opinions about the environmental issues. This study is a descriptive study which is done by using qualitative method. Semi-structured interview form was used as a data collection tool which is developed by the researcher himself. Study group consist of 23 elementary students who are educated in a public school. In this study, 8th grades elementary students’ opinions and their drawings were determined by using qualitative analysis. According to the students who participate in this study, the most important environmental issues are water pollution, air pollution, noise pollution, detractions of the forests, waste problem, natural disasters, traffic accidents, squatter house problem and visual pollution. To these students, source of the environmental issues is human. Students explained the main causes of the environmental issues as insensitiveness, unconsciousness and inconsiderateness. Students brought very different suggestions to solve this issue. Also, it is shown that their slogans were more related about protecting the environment.

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