A STUDY OF ALTRUISTIC BEHAVIOR OF PUPIL-TEACHERS AND THEIR ATTITUDE TOWARDS ENVIRONMENT

In the present paper an attempt has been made to explore if altruistic behavior influences the attitude towards environment of pupil-teachers. Also it was studied as to what extent the educational background of pupil-teachers affects their altruistic behavior and the attitude towards environment. Altruism is feeling or acting on behalf of the welfare of others in cases where self-interest could not be involved. Altruistic behaviors are associated with greater well-being, health, and longevity. It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself (Ralph Waldo Emerson). It is a combination of benevolence, charity, compassion, and friendship, and includes pro-social behaviors. Teacher having a key role of shaping the future generation is expected to have a balanced attitude about developing compassion and benevolence with the environment as a whole i.e. the external and internal. In this regard a conscious effort has been made through the verdict of Supreme Court that teacher education curriculum must encompass the essential elements related to education for sustainable development. In the present study it was attempted to reveal that how far the teacher education programme has been effective in developing this aspect of environmental education. To have the empirical evidence 72 students studying in two year B.Ed. course in RIE Bhopal have been identified and administered a test for altruism developed by Penny Jain and an attitude scale towards environmental education developed by R.R. Singh. The data gathered was subjected to statistical analysis and it was found that there was a positive correlation between environmental attitude and altruistic behavior.