ANALYZING THE ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS OF STUDENTS ACCORDING TO THEIR EDUCATIONAL STAGE
Keywords:
educational stage, environmental awareness, environmental consciousness, environmental educationAbstract
Environmental consciousness and environmental awareness are behaviors which can be gained with an environmental education of high quality at early ages. The environmental education which could be given in parallel with the cognitive development of the student will make the individual sensitive to the environment lifelong. The aim of this study is to determine the environmental consciousness and the perceptions of the students in Northern Cyprus between the ranges from the primary to higher education levels. The design of this study which is conducted appropriate to the qualitative research method is case study. The sample group is formed from 78 students from one primary school, one secondary school, one high school and one university which are regarded as having a high success degree in Northern Cyprus education system. In the study, “The Environmental Knowledge and Awareness of Environmental Problems Interview Form” was used which was prepared in a structured way by the researcher. The gained data have been analyzed in the direction of sub directions after theming and discussed in parallel with the literature. At the end of the study, it is found that the environmental awareness of the students vary according to their educational stage, although the low grade students approach more emotional to the environment, the further education level the more environmental consciousness they have. In addition to the results, to increase the environmental sensitiveness of the families and children, some suggestions are offered to non-governmental organizations, universities and academicians, the Ministry of Education in Northern Cyprus, and families.
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