2010 wces status ee awareness presented

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ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS LEVEL IN THE CONCEPT OF

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENTAMONGST SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

Dr. Arba’at HassanFaculty of Education

Universiti Kebangsaan [email protected]

WCES 2010 BAHCESEHIR UNIVERSITY, ISTANBUL

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Framework

• Introduction

• EE Objectives (UNESCO 1989)

• Research Method

• Data and Findings

• Discussion

• Conclusion


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Introduction

• 1960: environmental knowledge taught only to students in Biology classes (concepts of ecology).

• 1970: EE taught as a subject by itself (as technology started to effect environment).

• Series of conferences, seminars, etc.....Bulgaria, Tbilisi, Rio de Janerio, Langkawi (Malaysia), etc.

• Langkawi Declaration on Envt (1989) recommended for economic growth and sustainable development (eradicate poverty, meet basic needs, thus enhance the quality of people’s life).


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• Science Seminar Towards Educational Reformation (1993) ...curriculum must include contents and strategies. The three contents related to environmental education (EE) were;

(i) courses (increase environmental awareness) (ii) laws and policy (increase awareness towards conservation and relation to industrialization), and (iii) environmental noble values (increase appreciation towards environment) (Yusof & Khalijah 1993).


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• Environmental awareness (EA) concept on sustainable development (SD) should be achieved through education.

• These four objectives (UNESCO 1989) recommended:

(i) Knowledge, (ii) Awareness, (iii) Skills, and (iv) Participation (Hungerford & Volk 1992;

Arbaat 1992; 2006; 2009).

• Focus must be well planned for students/courses to integrate activities, fieldworks, projects, investigations, evaluations, ...analyses.


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Method

• n=340; secondary school students (science and art streams)

• Quantitative: (questionnaire=descriptive; measure EA level and concept for SD).

• Questionnaire: Likert (5 rating). • The Cronbach α-coefficient: 0.81• Qualitative (literature review=status on

the concept of SD).WCES 2010 BAHCESEHIR

UNIVERSITY, ISTANBUL

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Fig 1: Levels of EA and sustainability practices and attitudes in the concept of SD

• EA analysis of mean amongst secondary school students was “high” ( =3.80). ẍ

• The practices, attitudes, and noble values of sustainability was at “medium” ( =3.54; ẍsd=0.53) (Fig 1).


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Data Findings3.80

3.54

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50

4.00

Environmental Awareness

SustainabilityPractices

Fig1: level for EA, sustainability practices and attitudesẍ


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Pearson Corr Analysis (PCA)

PCA was “weak” but +ve corr bween two variables [r= 0.31, n=340, p=0.000], (level of practices, attitudes and noble values of sustainability and level of EA concept of SD amongst the secondary school students).

Variables Practices, attitudes and noble values of sustainability

Level of EA in the concept of SD

Corr coefficient, r 0.31

Sig. p (2-tail) 0.000

n 340


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4.2 EA level on the Concept of SD (Gender)

• 37.1% (n=126) respondents were males, 62.9% (n=214) were females.

• T-test indicated a significant difference between males ( =3.72, sd = .48) as compared to females ( = ẍ ẍ3.84, sd = .44).

• Female students have higher EA level in the concept of SD.

Respondents n ẍ sd Df t Sig. p

Male

Female

126

214

3.72

3.84

0.48

0.44

338 -2.30 .022


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4.3 EA Level in the Concept of SD (by Subject Streaming)

Respondent n ẍ sd Df t Sig. p

Science stream

Art stream

196

144

3.86

3.71

0.49

0.40

338 2.92 .004

• 57.6% (n=196) respondents = science stream 42.4% (n=144) respondents = art stream students

► T-test : significant difference science stream = 3.86 ẍ art stream students = 3.71ẍ

• Science stream students have higher level of EA concept of SD


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4.4 EA level Based on School Location

Respondent n ẍ sd Df t Sig. p

Urban areaSuburban area

189151

3.883.69

0.440.46

338 3.92 .000

• 55.6% (n=189) = urban; 44.4% (n=151) = suburban

• T-test shows: significant difference urban ( = 3.88);ẍ

suburban ( = 3.69) (Table 4). ẍ

• Result: urban school students have “higher” level of EA on the concept of SD


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4.5 Categories of the Sustainability AwarenessItem Statement ẍ sd Total (%) VA+A

1 I read about environmental issues in the mass media 3.72 0.94 67.0

2 I concern about environmental problems at my place 3.82 0.86 70.3

3 I always discuss about environmental problems with my friends 2.98 1.03 28.5

4 I feel dissapointed with air pollution 4.36 0.81 86.7

5 I feel dissapointed with river pollution 4.42 0.78 88.9

6 I appreciate biodiversity 3.93 0.89 69.1

7 I concern about smoke that is omitted by vehichels 3.88 0.97 68.2

8 I try to reduce amount of waste at home by collecting materials that can be recycled

3.37 1.08 46.2

9 I composting the food residue to become fertilizer 2.68 1.06 19.1

10 I do not use plastic bag to wrap things 2.51 1.12 18.3

11 I conserve the use of electric energy at home 3.76 1.03 65.9

12 I conserve the use of water supply 3.66 1.07 62.7

13 I deliver informations on environment to my family members 2.98 1.04 27.6

14 I involve in the environmental awareness activities in school 3.06 1.07 33.2

15 I aware my responsibility towards environment 4.04 0.99 75.8

Overall (Level of sustainability practices, attitudes and noble values) 3.54 0.53

* Level indicator: 1.00-2.33 low, 2.34-3.66 medium, 3.67-5.00 high


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Fig 2: Means of items on sustainability practices, attitudes and noble value

4.5 Categories of the Sustainability Awareness

3.72 3.82

2.98

4.36

4.42

3.93

3.88

3.37

2.68

2.51

3.76

3.66

2.98 3.06

4.04

3.54

0

1

2

3

4

5

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Level

Item

Mea

n


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4.5 Categories of the SD (%)

Fig 3: Percentage of response VA and A for each items arranged increasingly

18.3

19.1 2

7.6

28.5 33.2

46.2

62.7

65.9

67.0

68.2

69.1

70.3 75.8

86.7

88.9

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

A10 A09 A13 A03 A14 B08 B12 B11 B01 B07 B06 C02 C15 C04 C05

Item

Perc

en

tag

e R

esp

on

se (

%)


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Discussion: Categories of SD SD Category Item Percentage response (%)

A. Sustainability practice awareness

3, 9, 10, 13, 14 0 – 39.9 (Practices that seldom or dislike to be done)

B. Behavioral and attitude awareness

1, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12 40.0–69.9 (Practices that are done/ happened moderate/medium)

C. Emotional awareness

2, 4, 5, 15 70.0–100 (Practices/feelings that are most likely one/happened)

Analysis of the items based on the percentage responses identified three categories of sustainability awareness. This means that three levels of practices students carry out in their daily lifes; the most did; medium did and seldom did.


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• Emotional awareness: They were very aware about their responsibility and environmental problems around them. They felt “very dissapointed” about air and river pollution (item 4 & 5).

• Behavioral and attitude awareness: They mostly did but need to do somthing (reading, appreciating, recycling materials, saving energy and water ). Between 40–70% said that they did most.

• Sustainability practice awareness: This category indicated respondents seldom did. Less than 40% said they practiced (discuss, deliver information about environmental problems, compost food residues, use less plastic bags, involve in environmental awareness activities, etc.).

Discussion…


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• Even though they had “high” level of environmental awareness, they felt so difficult to act and practice some attitudes to improve their surrounding problems.

• Students were the least practised discussion and delivered information about environment to their family members (27.6%) and friends (28.5%).

• Instead, involvement in environmental awareness activities in school also among the least (33.2%).

• At home, practised to compost the left-over food (19.1%) and to reduce the use of the non-biodegradable plastic bags (18.3%) were the most difficult sustainability practices to be done.

Conclusion


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• Comparison on the level of environmental awareness for concept of sustainable development between two groups:

• (i) Science stream (SS) vs art stream (AS) students.

SS students showed higher level of awareness compared to AS students. (They learned more environmental and ecological concepts in Biology; more interest in environmental activities in school and joined the commitee.

• (ii) Urban school (US) vs suburban school (SS) students. US students had “higher” level of awareness compared to SS students (Families are educated and wealthy residents; EE lesson and awareness from home and neighbourhood; and carried out some practices at home.

Conclusion


THANK YOU


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2010 wces status ee awareness presented

Education

Transcript of 2010 wces status ee awareness presented