関東森林研究論 文67-2(2016)

小学校教諭の校内の樹木や森林環境教育に対する意識－神奈川県藤沢市の事例－
Elementary school teachers’ level of consciousness concerning trees in their schools and forest
environmental education- Case study of Fujisawa in Kanagawa Prefecture杉浦克明＊1・沖 嘉尚＊1
Katsuaki SUGIURA＊1 and Yoshinao OKI＊1＊1 日本大学生物資源科学部
College of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University, 1866 Kameino, Fujisawa, Kanagawa 252-0880, Japan
要旨：藤沢市立小学校全 35 校の校内の 8 年間にわたる樹木調査の結果，生徒の危険防止や美化の目的で各小学校の校庭内の樹木が減少していることが明らかになっている。しかし，教育の場としての校内の樹木や森林環境教育に対する小学校教諭の意識はどのようなものか不明である。そこで，本研究目的は，藤沢市立小学校教諭の校内の樹木活用の実態や森林環境教育に対する意識を明らかにすることである。調査対象は，2014 年 8 月 26 日に藤沢市立小学校
理科教育研究会の理科教育研究会の研修の一環として行なわれた「子ども樹木博士」に参加した教諭 23 名を対象とした。その結果，樹種名を知らない教諭ほど，授業等で校内の樹木を活用していないことが明らかとなった。また，森林に関する教育の必要性と教育意欲に関する質問の回答の分析から，森林環境教育に対する教諭の意識は必ずしも高くないと考える。現在の指導要領の中で森林に関する教育を推進していくためには，教諭の力も必要だが，環境の整備も必要だろう。
キーワード：意識，森林環境教育，小学校教諭，藤沢市
Abstract: As a result of an eight-year survey of trees in all 35 elementary schools in Fujisawa, it was found that the number oftrees in the school grounds of each elementary school has decreased. This is has been performed in the interests of danger
prevention and the beautification of the area. However, elementary school teachers’ level of consciousness of the trees in theirelementary schools and the need for forest environmental education is unknown. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to clarify
teachers’ consciousness of the actual situation of trees as educational tools and forest environmental education in elementaryschools. The subjects of the survey were 23 teachers who participated in the Fujisawa elementary school science education
meeting on August 26, 2014. From this, it was recognized that teachers who do not know the names of trees do not use trees as
educational tools in elementary school and that the teachers who do use trees use them for science. In addition, from analysis ofanswers concerning the necessity of and motivation behind forest environmental education, we believe that teachers haveinsufficient consciousness of forest environmental education. Improving the ability of the teacher and environmental maintenancein elementary schools is necessary to promote education about forests in current courses of study.
Keywords: consciousness, forest environmental education, elementary school teacher, Fujisawa
Ⅰ Introduction

increasing familiarity with trees and forests and throughIn recent years, the interest in forest environmental

activities that deepen children’s understanding and thinking ineducation has increased. In 2014, a special feature on the study

the future (7). The Forestry Agency promotes the use of theof forest environmental education was included in theforest for education based on experiences and participation in

Japanese Forest Society’s journal, Vol. 96 No. 1 (10). Forest

forest environmental education (6).

environmental education is designed to inspire interest in theHowever, there is little forest in the vicinity of elementary

relationship between human society and the forest byschools in urban areas and there are few opportunities to gain－267 －（受理日 2016 年 11 月 4 日）

experience and learn about contact with the forest and the use

4) Intentions to practice forest environmental education.

of wood from the forest in everyday life in modern society (5).

Five phases of evaluation data were examined throughIn addition, children’s playgrounds are often indoors (4).

principal component analysis (PCA). The question items wereStaying in an elementary school is important for a child as it is

as follows: 1) the need for an emphasis on forest environments

a long-term place of learning and a familiar environment.

in elementary schools, 2) enforcement of forest environmental

Familiar environments (in particular, elementary schools andeducation in elementary schools, 3) the need for trees inparks, etc.) have been previously as materials to allow children

elementary schools as educational materials, 4) intentions forto learn about trees (8). As a result of an eight-year tree-related

the enforcement of the “children’s tree doctor.” The PCA wassurvey on all 35 elementary schools in Fujisawa, it was foundperformed using R software and the first two componentsthat the number of trees in the school grounds of eachwere chosen to plot the principal component scores.

elementary school had decreased in the interests of danger
prevention and the beautification of the area (9). Since there

Ⅳ Results and discussion

are few forestry-related tree species in elementary schools, it isAs can be seen in Figure 1, most of the teachers who

difficult to link directly to forests and forestry. However, there

participated were between their 20s and 30s in age, suggestingis a possibility for the use of trees in elementary schools as anthat relatively young teachers appear to be more motivatedintroduction for someone interested in trees (9).

towards forest environmental education. The results for each

Therefore, a purpose of this study is to clarify municipal

item of the questionnaire are as follows:

elementary school teachers’ consciousness of the reality of15

forest environmental education concerning trees utilized in

10schools in Fujisawa.

511452

100Ⅱ Survey participants

20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 Morethan 70

Fujisawa is located in the southern part of the center ofKanagawa prefecture. Blessed with convenient proximity totransportation such as railroads, it has become a sightseeing

Fig. 1 Surveyed ages

1. School hours and educational content concerning
forests

spot and a health resort and has residential areas in the suburbs

Most of the participants responded to this question byof the metropolitan area, such as “Enoshima” and “Shonan

giving the number of hours they devote to science education,Coast,” that face Sagami Bay (2, 3). It is a city ofwhile others provided the hours devoted to social studies.

approximately 420,000 people that developed as an industrial

Many gave life environmental studies for their answer for item

and commercial city around Fujisawa Station. The city itself is“Other” in Figure 2. In relation to the educational content,dissimilar to the Tokyo downtown area; however it is larger

types and characteristics of trees are commonly focused on inthan a village.

science and Kanagawa forestry is focused on in social studies.

The subjects of the survey conducted in this study were 23
teachers who participated in the Fujisawa elementary schools

Education relating to fallen leaves and nuts is conductedduring drawing and crafts classes.

science education meeting on August 26, 2014 in Nihon

2. Teachers’ knowledge of tree species

University (College of Bioresource Sciences). The content of“Ignorance” and “less than ten” were commonly provided

the workshop was the “children’s tree doctor” which is

as answers (65%) to the item pertaining to the numbers of treereferred to in a literature (9).

species that the teachers can recognize, as can be seen inFigure 3. Nine of the participants who gave response of“ignorance” and “less than ten” were teachers in their 20s. On

Ⅲ Methods
After the training, we conducted a questionnaire survey on

the other hand, by examining the ages of the people who

the following four items: 1) The forest, trees, and the actual

responded that they could recognize 20 or more (one person insituation of education on wood, 2) The actual environmental

their 40s, two in their 50s, and one in their 60s), it was foundsituation of trees in elementary school campuses, 3) Necessarythat these were often relatively elderly teachers.

materials for the promotion of forest environmental education,－3. Name tags on trees in the elementary school

268 －関東森林研究67-2(2016)

The question pertaining to the presence or absence of name

Of these eight, seven had answered “ignorance” or “less thantags on trees in the teachers’ schools was often answered withten” to the question concerning knowledge of trees. As a result,“some trees” or “none,” as can be seen in Figure 4. As a result,

it is clear that teachers with no knowledge of tree species doit can be surmised that many teachers are probably aware of

not use trees in school education.

the situation of the trees in their school. On the other hand, thefour teachers who answered “unknown” had also answered

15“ignorance” or “less than ten” in relation to the question on

Use

8Unuse0knowledge of trees. In other words, these teachers are

51015

2025

probably indifferent to the trees in their school, even if theFig. 5 Inflection of the trees in the elementary school

number of trees in their school is high, because they have no5. Change in numbers of trees in elementary schools

knowledge of tree species.

As shown in figure 6, many of the teachers responded tothis question with “immutable” or “decrease.” The reasons for

Nonexecution(3)

reducing the numbers of trees in school grounds include theScience(15)

Other (6)inconvenience caused by withered trees, impact on thesurrounding roads, danger of child injuries, neighborhood

Clubactivities(4)complaints, etc. Teachers give priority to these items over trees
education uses. On the other hand, five teachers of the six thatDrawingand crafts(3)
Japanese(2)answered “unknown” to this question had answered
Socialstudies(7)

Integrated
studies (3)“ignorance” or “less than ten” to the question concerningknowledge of trees. As a result, it can be said that teacherswith no knowledge of tree species have no interest in trees inFig. 2 School hour and education content concerning

the school.

forests (Duplicate answers allowed)

15

Note: The number in parentheses is the number of people.
Morethan 50(2)11105

Ignorance(2)660040-49 (1)Less thanten (13)30-39 (1)20-29 (1)Fig. 6 Change in the numbers of trees in the elementary schools
6. Necessary measures for the promotion of forest

10-19 (3)environmental education

Fig. 3 Number of tree species teachers can identify

As shown in figure 7, necessary measures for the promotion

Note: The number in parentheses is the number of people.

of forest environmental education include an improvement inteachers’ knowledge of the forest and trees, improvement of1315
105

school environments, and external cooperation. Teachers were
50

aware of the need to teach about forests and trees.

417. Five phases of acquired through principal component

0analysis
After using principal component analysis, the result shownin Figure 8 was provided. The proportion of variance of theFig. 4 Name tags on trees in the elementary school

PC1 was 54.8% and approximately half overall. In addition,

4. Inflection of the tree in the elementary school

because the proportion of variance of the PC2 was 24.2%, theThe percentage of teachers that utilize trees in school as

cumulative proportion with PC2 was approximately 80%

educational tools was 65% (15 teachers), as shown in Figure 5.

overall. The numbers in Figure 8 are Identification numbers

On the other hand, 35% of teachers do not use trees (8 people).

(ID), used to distinguish survey participants. ID numbers 2－269 －and 23 were evaluated as receiving a 5 on all of the questions,consciousness in this respect. Also, in current curriculum

while ID number 1 was evaluated as receiving a 4 on threeguidelines, development of school environments is required,questions and a 3 on one question. Thus, a distribution ofwhich not only involves passive learning for children, but also

higher consciousness towards the right side and inferior

encourages interest in the trees in the school.

consciousness towards the left side is presumed. There was an

There is a need to research trends in more many elementary

apparent high score in the questionnaires, but a large number

school teachers’ consciousness for forest environmentalof teachers are on the left side, despite the questionnaire being

education in future.

distributed immediately after the workshop. Thus, teachers’
consciousness of forest environmental education is presumed

References

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(1) AKAMATSU Y. and KOBAYASHI I. (2003) Delivery of classes
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None (0)(2) FUJISAWA CITY (2012) Origins and characteristics ofWorkshop (1)Time (2)Manual (1)External
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http://www.city.fujisawa.kanagawa.jp/content/000146476.pdf(Accessed 15 October 2012)(3) FUJISAWA CITY (2012) Numerical overview of Fujisawa.

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environmental educationl (Accessed 9 October 2012)

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Ⅴ Conclusion

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