Secondary School Students' Views on Environmental Pollution

Year 2025, Issue: 57, 43 - 53, 02.06.2025

Elif Alkar , Metin Akdoğan

https://doi.org/10.33418/education.1605957

Abstract

In this study, secondary school students' views on environmental pollution were focussed. The participant group consisted of 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students (52 girls-55 boys) studying in Hakkâri city centre. In the qualitative study design, the Word Association Test (WAT) was used as a data collection tool. Descriptive analysis technique was used to analyse the data, and frequency and percentage charts were presented in the form of cut-off points (CP). In the results obtained, it can be stated that students have knowledge about the causes and consequences of environmental pollution. Although some answers responded to the types of environmental pollution (air pollution, water pollution, etc.), most answers shed light on the causes of pollution (garbage, ped bottle, etc.). Students' mental construction of environmental pollution is mostly based on wastes that take a long time to disappear in nature. In addition, some expressions that are far from the possible definitions and adjectives of environmental pollution show that they have cognitive knowledge deficiencies. In the study, the importance of education and training services on environmental pollution, especially on the impact of polluting wastes both regionally and globally, starting from early childhood, comes to the fore. Based on the results achieved, identification of misconceptions students have towards environmental pollution and conducting educational activities to eliminate this misconceptions could be recommended. In addition, which metaphors students relate the concept of garbage that they express the most could be researched.

Keywords

Environmental pollution, environmental education, secondary school students

Ethical Statement

Ethics committee approval was obtained from Van Yuzuncu Yil University, Social and Human Sciences Publication Ethics Committee (Date: 23.05.2024, Number: 2024-10).

Ortaokul Öğrencilerinin Çevre Kirliliğine İlişkin Görüşleri

Abstract

Bu çalışmada, ortaokul öğrencilerinin çevre kirliliği hakkındaki görüşlerine odaklanılmıştır. Katılımcı grubunu Hakkâri il merkezinde öğrenim gören 5, 6, 7 ve 8. sınıf öğrencileri (52 kız-55 erkek) oluşturmaktadır. Nitel araştırma desenine göre oluşturulan çalışmada veri toplama aracı olarak Kelime İlişkilendirme Testi (KİT) kullanılmıştır. Verilerin analizinde betimsel analiz tekniği kullanılmış, frekans ve yüzde değerleri Kesme Noktaları (KN) şeklinde sunulmuştur. Elde edilen sonuçlarda öğrencilerin çevre kirliliğinin nedenleri ve sonuçları hakkında bilgi sahibi oldukları ifade edilebilir. Bazı cevaplar çevre kirliliğinin türlerine (hava kirliliği, su kirliliği vb.) yönelik olsa da çoğu cevap kirliliğin nedenlerine (çöp, plastik poşet, pislik vb.) ışık tutmaktadır. Öğrencilerin çevre kirliliğine ilişkin zihinsel kurguları çoğunlukla doğada yok olması uzun zaman alan atıklar üzerinedir. Ayrıca çevre kirliliğinin olası tanım ve sıfatlarından uzak bazı ifadeler bilişsel bilgi eksikliklerinin olduğunu göstermektedir. Çalışmada çevre kirliliğinin, özellikle de kirletici atıkların hem bölgesel hem de küresel etkileri konusunda erken çocukluk döneminden başlayarak eğitim ve öğretim hizmetlerinin önemi ön plana çıkmaktadır. Elde edilen sonuçlara dayanarak, öğrencilerin çevre kirliliğine yönelik sahip oldukları kavram yanılgılarının tespit edilmesi ve bu yanılgıların giderilmesine yönelik eğitim faaliyetlerinin yürütülmesi önerilebilir. Ayrıca öğrencilerin çöp kavramını en çok hangi metaforlarla ilişkilendirerek ifade ettikleri araştırılabilir.

Keywords

Çevre kirliliği, çevre eğitimi, ortaokul öğrencileri

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