Psychology Behind Improving Environmental Literacy in Students’ Education

Abstract

The Philippine laws since 1977 have mandated incorporating environmental subjects into the fundamental education curriculum.  After decades of execution, an assessment was piloted to appraise the present Environmental Literacy amongst Junior high school students in Iloilo City and Iloilo province, respectively, all located in the Philippines.  The data will afford reference point information that is useful to outline the fitting environmental education programs.   There are 500 students given a survey questionnaire.  The data on environmental proficiency, verbal agreement, tangible commitment, environmental consciousness, and general environmental feelings was later collected.  The data were analysed using chi-squared tests and Pearson's correlation coefficient.  Results showed that the student's environmental literacy level was moderate, with significant correlations between ecological knowledge and sex, residence location, and grade in science; actual commitment and residence location; and general environmental feelings and grade in science.  These outcomes suggest the necessity for supplementary and targeted environmental education programs in schools, especially in rural areas.  Additionally, the study highlights the importance of gender-sensitive environmental education programs to increase environmental Literacy among female students.