Assessing Environmental Knowledge and Attitude of Cadets in the Philippine Military Academy, Baguio City, Philippines

Year 2021, Volume: 4 Issue: 1, 13 - 30, 12.01.2021

Richard Dein Altarez , Manuel Paolo S Austria Joyce Ann L Bayron Tristan P Paltongan Reeven J Teofilo Mary Assumptha P Santianez Rogel M Poda-an Alecxander S Ibrado

Abstract

Environmental problem is still a pressing concern worldwide. Climate change, land degradation, biodiversity loss, and pollution in soil, air, and water are often related to the lack of environmental education or awareness. Environmental education is instrumental in changing or forming a person’s knowledge and behavior towards nurturing the environment. Evaluation of environmental knowledge and attitude, are ingredients in crafting a desirable environmental education approaches and lessons. Hence, an assessment of these variables of the cadets in the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) in Baguio City, Philippines were undertaken. The study employs a descriptive-quantitative design in the form of a survey to 575 randomly selected cadets during the first semester of the Academic Year 2019-2020. The study was carried out from January to April 2020. The study revealed that the level of environmental knowledge and attitudes of the cadets is very good and strong positive, respectively. The knowledge towards the environment of the respondents is not influenced by gender. Still, it differs in terms of class, which may be attributed to environmental course exposure in their academic curriculum, which is similar to the environmental attitude when grouped according to similar categories. Correlation analysis of the two variables was found not significant r(573)=0.10, p (two-tailed)=0.01. A study that will gauge the attitude of the respondents using different quantitative data is recommended. Also, to progress the sense of environmental stewardship among the cadets, the environmental science course in the curriculum of the Academy should be retained.

Keywords

Environmental knowledge, environmental attitude, Philippine Military Academy, cadets

Supporting Institution

Not applicable. This is an independent research.

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