Understanding Perception of Teachers and Students on Heat and Pollution in Churu, Rajasthan

Abstract

This study explores how environmental stressors, such as heat and pollution, are perceived and studied in middle school science textbooks. As environmental degradation is happening day by day, it is important to explore how teachers and students perceive these challenges and adapt to them. To understand students' perspectives, a science textbook analysis for the middle school curriculum was conducted alongside semi-structured interviews with teachers to examine how they respond to environmental stressors on school premises in Churu, Rajasthan. The findings reveal that while textbooks have ample content on environmental education, it is heavily taught through a fact-based approach, which makes it hard for students to connect and observe the same situations around them. Additionally, teachers are aware of the problems caused by environmental stressors and either address them or adapt to them to some extent at individual or community level.