Lcarners Euvirdlnnentai Literacy in Relation to Knowledge, Attitude and Practice: The Case : Of Bahirdar University
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Date
2008-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Today more than ever, sludents need high-quality environmental education programs that
succeed in moving values, developing Javorable altitudes and changing behaviors' in the
direction oj sustainabiliry and environmental conservation. Environmental action begins with
em ironmentalliteracy.
Hence, (he oly'ec(ives of (he "'(lId:v \1'£11'£1 to (a) analyze Ullciergrwiu(l(e regular Un iversity
s(lfdell(S' envirolll1len(ol /i(eNIC}, - knowledge. affiludes. IJl'actice- and (h) examine (he
rc:loti()I1Shl';J hefll'eel/ /wrtic.:ip(/Ilts ' knoll'led;..:e, (lttitlldes, o/'/(/ C()1I1ll1itlJ7 l!lIt to £'lIl'ironmellto/
Ji'i(,I1(/~\ ' hellul'ior (llolIg \\'itll sOllie hiogl'{lphic(ll allti acudelllic mriohles.
A (/escriptire survey method .\'lffJlJlemellteci hy some qllulituti\'(! upfJl'Ouch \1'as elllployed.
1)(ll'ticip£lnts were 302 (39.1% geography, 32.8% biology, and 28. i% chemislfY) .fi'()1J7 :veClr I
(lild ."''('(11' Iff sc:lecled by propOl'lionol strotUied samplinK techniqlle ./i'om not ural science
(citemiSlf}', hiolog ... ). and social science (geography). Depurtments were selected
pllrfJ()sejit!~v. M(linly a questionnaire consisting of environmental knowledge, altitudes and
{JI'(/(.:tice \l'US the IIwill (/uta KUlhering toul.fi'olll students. Data was analyzed using both
descriptive (percentile, mean, standard deviation) and inJerential (simple correlation,
independent T-test, one way ANOVA. peA and linear regression) statistics.
Results sh(m' thut (/) undergraduates at BDU have a moderately Javorable environmenlal
allilllde (62.3% = grade C) followed by nearly moderate environmental knowledge (52.4% =
grade C) but belo'tv average in environmentally Jriendly practices engagement (-16.1% =
grade D); 2) a very low relationship (r < 0.2) among components oj environmental literacy;
3) an increase in environmental literacy as students growing older as well as moving up Jrom
year one to three;-I) males, with rural background and social science streams had higher
scores than the corresponding females, with rural backKrounds and natural sciences in
overedl enl'ironmenwlliteracy index.
On the basis ofjindings and discussions, conclusions and implications jar jilrther research
are well indicated.
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Euvirdlnnentai Literacy in Relation to Knowledge, Attitude and Practice