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A study of environmental knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of junior college and secondary students in Singapore
Abstract
The main purpose of this study is to gather baseline data on the level of environmental knowledge, attitudes and behavior of secondary and junior college students in Singapore. For this purpose, an instrument of fifty-five items was designed and tested on a sample of 1 256 secondary students (grade 9) and junior college year one (grade 11) students.
The students' mean environmental knowledge score was 70.9%. The mean correct response rates for the environmental fact, concept and generalisation subtests were 68.0%, 68.8% and 78.0% respectively. The mean environmental attitude and behaviour scores were 66.0% and 70.5% respectively. A stronger correlation was found between environmental knowledge and attitudes (r = 0.41, p < .01) than behaviour (r = 0.26, p < .01). A lower but significant correlation was also found between environmental attitudes and behavior (r = 0.27, p = .01).
When investigating the students' main source of environmental information, it was found that the students indicated that they gained most of the environmental knowledge from out-of-school sources than from general education at a school. Majority of the students (53.7%) indicated that they gathered most of their environmental information from the printed media (newspaper and magazines) as well as the electronic media (radio and television). Only 30.75% of the students indicated that general education at school was their main source of environmental information.
The students' perception of the most serious environmental problems in the world and locally was quite different. They perceived that ozone depletion and global warming were the two most serious environmental problems in the world whilst locally, the two most serious environmental responsibility, 90% of the students indicated that everybody should be responsible for the protection of the environment.
Eighteen hypotheses were tested at p <0.01 level of significance to find out the relationships between the dependent variables and the independent variables (educational level, gender, course, ethnicity and house type). Out of these, seven revealed significant differences. Educational level and secondary three course type were found to have significant effects on environmental knowledge and scores. As for environmental behavior, the independent variables which were found to have significant effects were gender, secondary three course type and house type.
The students' mean environmental knowledge score was 70.9%. The mean correct response rates for the environmental fact, concept and generalisation subtests were 68.0%, 68.8% and 78.0% respectively. The mean environmental attitude and behaviour scores were 66.0% and 70.5% respectively. A stronger correlation was found between environmental knowledge and attitudes (r = 0.41, p < .01) than behaviour (r = 0.26, p < .01). A lower but significant correlation was also found between environmental attitudes and behavior (r = 0.27, p = .01).
When investigating the students' main source of environmental information, it was found that the students indicated that they gained most of the environmental knowledge from out-of-school sources than from general education at a school. Majority of the students (53.7%) indicated that they gathered most of their environmental information from the printed media (newspaper and magazines) as well as the electronic media (radio and television). Only 30.75% of the students indicated that general education at school was their main source of environmental information.
The students' perception of the most serious environmental problems in the world and locally was quite different. They perceived that ozone depletion and global warming were the two most serious environmental problems in the world whilst locally, the two most serious environmental responsibility, 90% of the students indicated that everybody should be responsible for the protection of the environment.
Eighteen hypotheses were tested at p <0.01 level of significance to find out the relationships between the dependent variables and the independent variables (educational level, gender, course, ethnicity and house type). Out of these, seven revealed significant differences. Educational level and secondary three course type were found to have significant effects on environmental knowledge and scores. As for environmental behavior, the independent variables which were found to have significant effects were gender, secondary three course type and house type.
Date Issued
1996
Call Number
QH541.2 Tan
Date Submitted
1996