Environmental perception in higher education: Case study in Biological Sciences (2013-2016)

The aim of this book was to assess the environmental perception of students on the Biological Sciences course at the Faculdade de Caldas Novas - UNICALDAS, located in the municipality of Caldas Novas, state of Goiás, Brazil. To this end, a qualitative-quantitative study was used to compute numerical data and the opinion of the subjects. The field research on students took place at two different times: in 2013 (entry) and later in 2016 (completion), when the same questionnaire was applied. In addition to the 23 students on the course, all the teachers (12) were interviewed to find out about their teaching practices and their knowledge of environmental education. It was concluded that the environmental perception of Biology undergraduates has increased considerably, however these undergraduates believe that the pedagogical practices used by teachers are insufficient for meaningful Environmental Education. Higher education professionals recognise that they need to train themselves and change their attitude towards society, as they understand that their actions can have a significant influence on their students and even on the environment in which they live.