Teachers' conceptions of Environment in Togo

Résumé En

This communication aims to assess the conceptions of Togolese teachers (in service and in pre-service) about environment. Many studies have highlighted the role of anthropocentric and ecocentric values on teachers and students' conceptions about environment. Anthropocentrism is 'human-centred', conferring intrinsic value mainly to humans. Ecocentrism is 'ecosphere-centred', emphasising the intrinsic value of the interrelated ecological systems. Moreover, a new conceptual axis related to anthropomorphic perspectives has been introduced in this work to analyse teacher's conceptions. To what extent are the Togolese teachers aware of the importance of preserving the environment? Is there some correlation between their ecocentric, anthropocentric and anthropomorphic conceptions? To answer these questions, the Biohead-Citizen questionnaire was administered to 277 primary and secondary teachers, in service or pre-service, in Togo. Multivariate analyses show the presence and autonomy of the three kinds of conceptions, nevertheless with a positive correlation between ecocentric and anthropomorphic conceptions. Primary school teachers are more anthropocentric than their colleagues. These results are discussed in the perspective of improving environmental education in Togo. The discussion also includes a comparison between Togo and four other West and Central African countries (Senegal, Burkina Faso, Gabon, and Cameroon). RÉSUMÉ Cette communication vise à évaluer les conceptions des enseignants togolais (en service et en formation initiale) à propos de l'environnement. De nombreuses études ont mis en évidence le rôle des valeurs anthropocentriques et écocentriques sur les conceptions des enseignants et des élèves au sujet de l'environnement. L'Anthropocentrisme est «centré sur l'humain», conférant une valeur intrinsèque principalement aux humains. L'Écocentrisme est «écosphère centrée», mettant l'accent sur la valeur intrinsèque des systèmes écologiques interdépendants. En outre, un nouvel axe conceptuel lié aux perspectives anthropomorphiques a été introduit dans ce