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Attitudes of Elementary School Teachers towards Environmental Education: A Comparative Survey from Slovak and Hungarian Schools

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Title: Attitudes of Elementary School Teachers towards Environmental Education: A Comparative Survey from Slovak and Hungarian Schools
Language: English
Authors: Ivan Il’ko (ORCID 0000-0002-2262-5285), Viera Peterková (ORCID 0000-0002-4817-9965), Mandy Seböková
Source: Hungarian Educational Research Journal. 2026 16(1):59-79.
Availability: AK Journals. 1117 Budapest, Budafoki str. 187-189, A Building, 3rd floor, Budapest, Hungary. Tel: +36-1-464-8282; Fax: +36-1-464-8251; e-mail: info@akjournals.com; Web site: https://akjournals.com
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 21
Publication Date: 2026
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Elementary Education
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Teacher Attitudes, Elementary School Teachers, Environmental Education, Language of Instruction, Cultural Differences, Slavic Languages, Hungarian, Teacher Characteristics, Context Effect
Geographic Terms: Slovakia, Hungary
ISSN: 2064-2199
Abstract: This study aimed to examine primary school teachers' attitudes toward environmental education (EE) in schools with Slovak and Hungarian as the language of instruction in Slovakia. Understanding how language of instruction and contextual factors influence EE practices is vital in multilingual education systems. Previous research highlights the role of teacher engagement, thematic diversity, and access to resources in shaping EE attitudes. However, limited attention has been given to linguistic inequalities within the Slovak educational context. Using a cross-sectional quantitative design (N = 83), we applied Kruskal-Wallis tests and Spearman's correlation analysis to explore the effects of demographic and contextual variables. Demographic factors such as age and gender showed no significant influence, while teaching experience, frequency of EE implementation, and topic diversity significantly predicted attitudes. Slovak-speaking teachers reported greater access to EE resources (p = 0.00001), broader topic coverage (p = 0.0279), and more positive overall attitudes (p = 0.0310). A strong correlation emerged between the perceived teacher role and EE outcomes (r = 0.7564), whereas awareness of environmental problems was negatively associated with topic source use (r = -0.3497). These findings highlight the need for targeted support for Hungarian-speaking teachers and emphasize the importance of ensuring equitable access to EE materials and opportunities for professional development in multilingual school environments.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: EJ1505423
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
  Availability: 0
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  Data: Attitudes of Elementary School Teachers towards Environmental Education: A Comparative Survey from Slovak and Hungarian Schools
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  Data: English
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Ivan+Il%27ko%22">Ivan Il’ko</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2262-5285">0000-0002-2262-5285</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Viera+Peterková%22">Viera Peterková</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4817-9965">0000-0002-4817-9965</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Mandy+Seböková%22">Mandy Seböková</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Hungarian+Educational+Research+Journal%22"><i>Hungarian Educational Research Journal</i></searchLink>. 2026 16(1):59-79.
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  Data: AK Journals. 1117 Budapest, Budafoki str. 187-189, A Building, 3rd floor, Budapest, Hungary. Tel: +36-1-464-8282; Fax: +36-1-464-8251; e-mail: info@akjournals.com; Web site: https://akjournals.com
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  Data: 21
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Elementary+Education%22">Elementary Education</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Foreign+Countries%22">Foreign Countries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teacher+Attitudes%22">Teacher Attitudes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Elementary+School+Teachers%22">Elementary School Teachers</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Environmental+Education%22">Environmental Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Language+of+Instruction%22">Language of Instruction</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Cultural+Differences%22">Cultural Differences</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Slavic+Languages%22">Slavic Languages</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Hungarian%22">Hungarian</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teacher+Characteristics%22">Teacher Characteristics</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Context+Effect%22">Context Effect</searchLink>
– Name: Subject
  Label: Geographic Terms
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Slovakia%22">Slovakia</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Hungary%22">Hungary</searchLink>
– Name: ISSN
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  Data: 2064-2199
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: This study aimed to examine primary school teachers' attitudes toward environmental education (EE) in schools with Slovak and Hungarian as the language of instruction in Slovakia. Understanding how language of instruction and contextual factors influence EE practices is vital in multilingual education systems. Previous research highlights the role of teacher engagement, thematic diversity, and access to resources in shaping EE attitudes. However, limited attention has been given to linguistic inequalities within the Slovak educational context. Using a cross-sectional quantitative design (N = 83), we applied Kruskal-Wallis tests and Spearman's correlation analysis to explore the effects of demographic and contextual variables. Demographic factors such as age and gender showed no significant influence, while teaching experience, frequency of EE implementation, and topic diversity significantly predicted attitudes. Slovak-speaking teachers reported greater access to EE resources (p = 0.00001), broader topic coverage (p = 0.0279), and more positive overall attitudes (p = 0.0310). A strong correlation emerged between the perceived teacher role and EE outcomes (r = 0.7564), whereas awareness of environmental problems was negatively associated with topic source use (r = -0.3497). These findings highlight the need for targeted support for Hungarian-speaking teachers and emphasize the importance of ensuring equitable access to EE materials and opportunities for professional development in multilingual school environments.
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  Data: 2026
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  Data: EJ1505423
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      – Text: English
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      Pagination:
        PageCount: 21
        StartPage: 59
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Foreign Countries
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Teacher Attitudes
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Elementary School Teachers
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Environmental Education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Language of Instruction
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Cultural Differences
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Slavic Languages
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Hungarian
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Teacher Characteristics
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Context Effect
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      – SubjectFull: Slovakia
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Hungary
        Type: general
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      – TitleFull: Attitudes of Elementary School Teachers towards Environmental Education: A Comparative Survey from Slovak and Hungarian Schools
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            NameFull: Mandy Seböková
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              Y: 2026
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