STUDENTS’ IDEAS ABOUT WORLD 50 YEARS LATER

Visuals such as drawings are used in research and classroom practice to understand students' ideas or knowledge about any topic. In this study, students' ideas about 50 years later world in the method of drawing are examined. The aim of this study is to understand students' environmental awereness and ideas about future environment. The data was gathered from 165 students (85 female and 80 male) from Turkey and collected in the school year 2014-2015. The students' averaged ages are between 6-11. The data was collected in two steps. Firstly, the students were asked to draw how will be the world (environment) 50 years laters. The students could draw any environment picture they thought for the future. Secondly, the students were asked to write a paragraph (minimum 30 words) about their pictures. As a result of this research, it is revealed that children are aware of the problems of their environment. Afforestation, garbage parsing, public transport, installing filters in factory chimneys, to remind the rules, placing warning sings writing to increase the green idea are the subjects which children emphasized about. But in our study we found also that they were desperate and pessimistic aboıut the future. We recommend that the teachers be taught how to encourage the students for being optimistic about the future. For changing children's perception of the environment, it can be created integrated activities that require the active participation of children and teachers.Teachers could recommend environmental- based projects that develop of environmental awareness of children at national and global level.