Environmental Awareness and Practices of Selected Senior High
School Students of Alilem National High School
Julianne Rebecca Martes Pitlongay1
1Master
of Science in Education Major in General Science, Ilocos Sur Polytechnic State College, Tagudin, Ilocos Sur,
Philippines
ABSTRACT
Environmental education was integrated in different subjects in the Senior High School courses including earth and life sciences,
physical sciences, disaster readiness and risk reduction, health optimizing physical education and social studies. The aim of this
study was to determine the environmental awareness and practices of selected senior high school students of Alilem National High
School that served as a basis for environmental education programs and projects for the school and related stakeholders. The study
used a correlational descriptive design. Respondents were senior high school students selected through random sampling and
utilized an Environmental Awareness and Practice questionnaires provided by the researcher. Results showed that students have
high level environmental awareness and students have poor extent of environmental practice. Most respondents regardless of their
tracks and gender had high level of environmental awareness. Using a nonparametric correlation analysis, a coefficient of 0.695
means a ‘positive correlation” between the two variables, environmental awareness and practices, were obtained. It showed that
the level of the environmental awareness of the selected senior high school students was significantly related to their practices.
Based on the results and findings, the researcher recommended that certain educational programs and projects should be
implemented to increase the awareness and abilities of senior high school students to practice skills and values that may contribute
to solving environmental problems and issue. Examples of these programs and projects included information dissemination
programs, environmental advocacies, students’ organizations such as YES-O and science clubs.
Keywords: environmental science, environmental awareness, environmental practices, educational programs and projects,
environmental problems and issues
1.
INTRODUCTION
In today’s generation we are facing a lot of environmental issues and challenges that mainly arises from
human activities. This is an issue which should not be ignored and should be regarded with focus and action
implementation. As a solution to these increasing problems of the environment, environmental awareness
and practices should be evaluated and monitored. The earth is now suffering from innumerable afflictions at
present caused by egregious human activities that relentlessly denuding the environment [1]. The challenge
now for everybody is to act and move towards the preservation of the environment for the future generations.
The tremendously increasing Earth’s carbon dioxide levels are now crossing a really scary threshold and
scientist identified it as a permanent problem facing our generation today [2]. The rapid depletion of the
earth’s natural resources and the fast degrading environment are the realities which can no longer be denied.
These are the challenges that threatens both the man and the earth in this era [3].
The Education for Sustainable Development of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) reiterates that education is an indispensable tool towards sustainable development.
Environmental education is a process aimed at developing a world population that is aware of and concerned
about the total environment and its associated problems and which has the knowledge, attitudes,
commitments and skills to work individually and collectively towards the solution of current problems and
prevention of new ones [4]. In the Philippines, the Department of Education (DepEd), the Commission on
Higher Education (CHED) and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), in
coordination with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Department of
Science and Technology (DOST) and other relevant agencies, in consultation with experts on the
environment and the academe, lead the implementation of public education and awareness programs on
environmental protection and conservation through collaborative interagency and multi-sectoral effort at all
levels [5].
In the Philippines, one of the objectives of science education is to develop students who are environmentallyaware and ecological-friendly as reflected in every subject offered to students starting from elementary level.
Environmental awareness and practices are integrated in students’ subjects especially in sciences.
Environmental awareness is one of the greatest solutions that is being considered to solve today’s problems
when it comes to environmental issues and problems. People’s awareness has been recognized as a powerful
tool in environmental sphere. Information through education has an important impact to alter behavior [6].
Environmental awareness can be defined as the understanding and appreciative theories and realities related
to the environment and significances of various environmental problems like pollution, deforestation,
overpopulation, energy crisis and others. Environmental awareness can support social groups, and individuals
to attain awareness and understanding to environmental problems. In addition, environmental awareness can
improve aesthetic sense of individual in nature to appreciate its beauty [7]. Another definition cited by [7]
that environmental awareness can be understood through environmental education which has been viewed
as an important way to educate students about environmental education were focus on their subjects on
students’ environmental awareness and attitude.
Educating our students on environmental awareness may be a great help for them to discriminate information
on how to practice environmental sustainability and conservation. Integration of environmental education in
the curriculum of all school levels encourage inordinate influence in the knowledge, skills and attitude of
students towards environmental protection [2]. Moreover, [8] sited that environmental awareness can be learn
in an institution or society where environmental sustainability were practice. [9] clarified the nine principles
of environmental education that contributes ideas on the environmental awareness implications to the
education system. The nine principles comprised; 1) Education should highlight our interdependence with
other people, other species and the planet as a whole. 2) Education should support students form awareness
to knowledge to action. Teachers, students, and schools in the world’s richer countries should decrease their
consumption of the world’s resources. 3) Students’ must have prospects to improve a personal association
with nature. 4) Education should future-oriented. 5) We must relearn “old wisdoms” from native peoples to
re-connect to the planet. 6) Teachers should integrate media literacy into every school subject. 7) Teachers
should be facilitator. 8) Teachers should be good role models for their students and “walk their talk”. 9) An
environmental assessment is an important tool for measuring performance, assessing progress and setting
goals with respect to environmental practices.
Correspondingly, [10] recognized the effects of environmental problems on youth and suggested
endorsements to educate the youth with the concept of environmental education programs such as forming
environmental awareness, building an association to the environment, and shifting the views and opinions of
youth on the environment. The study showed significant positive effect in the three programs associated with
camp curriculum including the human’s influence on the water cycle, the significance of animals to humans,
and disbursing time to fix problems present in nature. Through the integration of environmental education in
the curriculum of all school levels, an excessive influence in the understanding, practices and attitude of
students towards environmental protection can be attained. It would be a great help for the students to
distinguish indications on how to exercise environmental sustainability and conservation with proper
environmental teaching [2]. Moreover, the serious determinations in the study of environmental education
are now the priorities of most universities in the west [11].
A number of researches and studies have been conducted to gauge the environmental awareness and practices
of students in various levels. Foreign studies have focused mainly on the environmental awareness and
practices of college students [12], tertiary students’ environmental awareness in relation to their stream of
study and their area of residence [13], college students’ level of awareness, attitude and participation in
environmental activities [14], intrinsic and extrinsic motivation of tertiary students and their ecological
awareness and practice [15], the level of environmental awareness and practices on recycling of solid waste
of college students [16] and the high school students, environmental risk perceptions and environmental risk
perceptions and environmental awareness levels [17]. In the Philippines, studies focused on the
environmental awareness and practices of high school students as basis for disaster preparedness program
[3], level of awareness and extent of practices in green technology of college students [18], and the
environmental awareness of the graduating college students [19]. [19] considered the Awareness and
Practices in Green Technology of Students which focused on the level of awareness and extent of practices
in green technology of the participants. It was revealed in this study that there was a moderate level of
awareness but low extent of practices in green technology among the participants. There was also a positive
correlation between the level of awareness and extent of practices obtained from the responses. The article
suggested the development of holistic program that incorporated the concepts and applications of green
technology in college education in order to engage the students’ active participation in the promotion of
environmental sustainability. This suggestion can also be adapted by other schools as a means of instilling
environmental awareness to students. [20] emphasized in his book “Philippine Environmental Laws: An
Overview and Assessment” that the Philippines must have an urgent requirement to regulate human activities
aside from elevating the awareness of Filipinos.
The senior high school students of Alilem National High School have a high level of environmental
awareness but have inadequate knowledge on environmental practices, given this argument, this study is
aimed as an initiation to solve the problem. While other studies focus mainly in describing the level of
environmental awareness and extent of environmental practices of students, this study aims to look into the
environmental awareness and practices of selected senior high school students of Alilem National High
School as a basis for future programs and projects to be implemented in order to address environmental issues
and problems.
2.
RESEARCH METHOD
Research Design
In reference to [1], the study utilized a descriptive-correlational research which sought to find the relationship
of the respondents’ environmental awareness and environmental practices through the survey-questionnaire.
Respondents
This study involved 30 GAS-Grade 11 students divided into 15 girls and 15 boys, and 30 TVL-Grade 12
students divided into 15 girls and 15 boys of Alilem National High School-Senior High School. The study
used simple random sampling technique.
Measure
In reference to [21], the Environmental Awareness and Practices Questionnaire adopted from Pardo (2012)
in a study concerning the Environmental Awareness, Practices and Attitudes of UNP students was utilized
in this study. It included scales on environmental awareness and practices based on the four environmental
themes, namely; stewardship, finiteness of resources, change and materials cycles. The survey questionnaire
was distinctly validated by three university professionals in the Philippines with the field practices on
environmental management, botany and ecology, and physical sciences.
Procedure
The participants of this research were the senior high school students, both grade 11 and grade 12, of Alilem
National High School. The participants were chosen to assess their current knowledge and practices towards
the environmental issues. The researcher administered the self-report measures to the participants via printed
questionnaires and online survey with the permission of the school administrators. The students were chosen
randomly and they volunteered to answer the questionnaire. The participants have been informed about the
aims of the study before completing the questionnaires. Descriptive statistics such as mean and nonparametric
correlation analysis were utilized in this study in order to measure the relationship between the level of
environmental awareness and practices of the senior high school students. The results served as a basis for
environmental programs and projects in the school.
3.
RESULTS AND ANALYSIS
The results of this study were based on the responses of the participants according to the self-assessment
survey concerning their levels of environmental awareness and practices. This research questions desired to
know the demographic profile of the participants, to obtain the level of environmental awareness and
practices of senior high school students, and to measure the relationship between the level of environmental
awareness and extent of practices of students. The researcher utilized different statistical analyses in order to
obtain valid results from the participants’ responses.
Table 1. Descriptive interpretation for the level of environmental awareness
Mean
Definition
4.21-5.00
Strongly Agree
3.41-4.20
Agree
2.61-3.40
Neutral
1.81-2.60
Disagree
1.00-1.80 Strongly Disagree
Interpretation
Very High
High
Average
Low
Very Low
Table 2. Descriptive interpretation for the extent of environmental practice
Mean
4.21-5.00
3.41-4.20
2.61-3.40
1.81-2.60
1.00-1.80
Definition
Very Often
Often
Sometimes
Seldom
Never
Interpretation
Very Good
Good
Poor
Very Poor
Needs Improvement
The measure of central tendency which obtained the mean values of the awareness and practices levels of the
respondents on the four environmental themes was used in order to descriptively reveal their results based on the
descriptive interpretations for environmental awareness and practice. Nonparametric correlation analysis was utilized
in order to get the significant inter-correlation values between the two variables.
The level of environmental awareness and extent of practices of senior high school students are presented in four
environmental themes as shown in Table 3.
In the first environmental theme about stewardship or man as God’s caretaker, results displayed that the respondents
have “high” level of awareness with a mean rating of 4.03. On the other hand, the respondents have “good” extent of
practice with a mean rating of 3.42.
The second environmental theme is about the finiteness of resources or the earth as place for the future generations as
well. Results showed that the participants have “high” level of awareness with a mean rating of 4.01. In terms of the
extent of practice, the respondents have “poor” extent of practice with a mean rating of 3.21.
The third environmental theme covered the changing phenomena on earth which disclosed that the respondents have
“high” level of awareness with a rating of 3.76. is a “poor” extent of environmental practice among the respondents
with a rating of 3.05.
Lastly, the Materials Cycle or Everything Must Go Somewhere and Ends Somewhere as the fourth environmental
theme indicated “high” level of awareness with a rating of 3.55 and showed a “good” extent of practices with a rating
of 3.79.
Generally, the level of environmental awareness on the four environmental themes among the respondents is found to
be “high” with an overall rating of 3.84. However, the extent of environmental practice among the respondents is
found to be “poor” with an overall rating of 3.37.
Table 3. Level of Environmental Awareness and Extent of Environmental Practices of Senior High School students towards the
four environmental themes
Level of Environmental Awareness and Extent of Practices on the Four Environmental Themes (N=100)
Awareness
Practices
Mean
DI
Mean
DI
A. Man: God's Caretaker (Stewardship)
4.03
High
3.42 Good
B. The Earth - For the Future Generations Too (Finiteness of Resources)
4.01
High
3.21 Poor
C. Most of the Earth's Resources are now Depleting (Change)
3.76
High
3.05 Poor
D. Everything Must Go Somewhere and Ends Somewhere (Materials Cycle)
3.55
High
3.79 Good
Overall
3.84
High
3.37 Poor
Table 4. Significant relationship between the awareness and practice of the respondents towards the four environmental themes
AWARENESS
PRACTICE
Coefficient
N
Coefficient
N
AWARENESS PRACTICE
1
0.695
60
60
0.695
1
60
60
The researchers utilized a nonparametric correlation analysis to know if there is a significant relationship between the
level of environmental awareness and extent of practices among the senior high school students. The analysis indicated
a Spearman’s rho coefficient of 0.695 which shows a “positive correlation between the two variables as shown in
Table 4. This means that the level of awareness of the senior high school students is significantly related to their extent
of practice.
4. CONCLUSION
The main objective of the study is to know if there is a significant relationship between the level of awareness and
extent of practices among the selected senior high school students that will serve as a basis for future programs and
projects for environmental education. The results illustrated that there is a positive correlation between the
environmental awareness and practice among the respondents. The researcher then concluded that the level of
awareness of students are high however the extent of practice is poor. It is proven that what the students know about
environmental problems can be able to transform into actions which allow them to solve these issues with their existing
knowledge.
This means that the respondents’ high level of environmental awareness has a connection on their extent of practice.
The results follow the findings from the study of Pardo (2012) which established a significant and substantial
relationship between the awareness and practice towards environmental issues among the selected students of the
University of the Northern Philippines. Based on the summary of findings and conclusions, the researchers
recommend for the development of environmental education program which will maintain the high level of awareness
and increase the extent of the senior high school students towards the environmental problems and sustainable
development principle. This can be done by environmental dissemination programs and trainings, environmental
advocacies, students’ organizations like YES-O and science clubs.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Firstly, praises and thanks to God Almighty, for His unending blessings throughout my research work and for making
it successful.
I would also like to thank my ICT Application in Research instructor, Mr. George Villanueva, for giving me the
opportunity to do research and providing invaluable guidance throughout our course. His intelligence, vision and
sincerity have deeply inspired me. It was a great privilege and honor to study under his guidance.
I am extremely grateful to my parents for their love, prayers, caring and sacrifices for educating and preparing me for
my future. Also, I express my thanks to my sisters for their support and valuable prayers. My Special thanks goes to
my friend and my colleagues at work for the keen interest shown to complete this research successfully.
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