Increasing environmental problems and consumer society require individuals with higher levels of awareness in the issue of environment and more sensitive for the environment and make us face the requirement of changes in attitudes and behaviors. This requirement makes the environmental training and issue. Preventing unnecessary consumption, raising the levels of awareness for environmental issues in individuals and the society and most important of all, quitting the behavioral patterns that are currently harming the environment can be possible only with training about the environment. Beyond informing the society about the environment, the basic objective of training on environment is to transform the society through providing it with environmentalist attitudes and behaviors.
The objective of our study starting from this sensitivity of an environmentalist training is to measure to what level the sensitivity and behaviors of students for the environment have been influenced from courses with contents on the environment given in Harran University Economic and Administrative Sciences Faculty, Public Administration Department. In the study, a survey was implemented through probing, which is the most common method for direct comprehensive observation. Simple random sampling technique was used in the survey through probing. Measurement of the following were attempted in the survey analysis: a) sensitivity of students in environmental issues, and b) changes in their behavioral patterns following the environmental training. The survey was applied to two different student groups. The first group consisted of first year students who have not taken the courses on the environment yet, while the second group consisted of the fourth year who had taken the courses on the environment. The comparison between these two groups will give us the required results.
“The Environmental Attitude Scale”, which had been used in numerous academic studies previously, was used in the survey analysis to measure the environmentalist attitudes and behaviors. The Environmental Attitude Scale consists of two sections. The twelve statements in the first section have been prepared based on the anthropocentric and environment-centric points of view, which are the two basic points of view in environmental training and targets the measurement of environmental sensitivity of the students. The twelve behavioral patterns included in the second section, however, how environmentalist behaviors students display in their daily lives.
Considering the results of items included in the first section of the Environmental Attitude Scale measuring the environmental sensitivity of students, significant segregation was noted between the students. The rate of students who did not consider the consumption of genetically modified foods much dangerous was 31.8% in the first-year students, the same was 7.1% in the fourth-year students. The rate of those approves the use of nuclear energy for the economic development of Turkey in first-year students is 54.5%, this rate significantly falls to 12.8% in the fourth year. Likewise, the rate of students agreeing with the estimation that environment-based wars for resources will be experienced in future is 22.7% among the students of the first year, the same is 69.2% among the students of the fourth year. As seen in the figures given above, a segregation exists between the students of the first and fourth years. Students of the fourth year who had taken training on environmental issues are more sensitive in this area. In this sense, environmental training creates sensitivity in students.
Considering the results of the items included in the second section of the Environmental Attitude Scale measuring the changes in the environmental behavioral patterns of students, there are both positive and negative significant similarities between the students. Students in both first and fourth years had made some simple behaviors concerning the environment as “habits” in their daily lives, and significant similarities are observed between these behavioral patterns.
A significant portion of students attempt to use water economically when washing their hands. The rate of those who state that they are always careful when using water is 65.5% in first year students while the same in 71.8% in fourth-year students, and both rates are high. The rate of those who state that they always turn off the light left open is 65.5% in the first-year students and 66.7% in fourth-year students. The rate of those who stated that they always threw the waste in their hands into the waste box is 77.3% in the first-year students, and the same in fourth-year students is 69.2%. Considering those preferring walking short distances, the rate is 77.3% in first-year students and a little higher in the fourth-year students with 87.2%. Although they have not taken the courses on the environment yet, the first-year students display the same or close behaviors with the students of the fourth hear, who had almost completed the courses on environment as regards some behaviors.
This similarity observed in positive behavioral patterns is valid for negative behavioral patterns also. The rates of those stating that they would buy the products damaging the ozone layer if cheap is very high in both years. While this rate is 61.4% in first-year students, it is 53.8% in the fourth-year students. Rates of those preferring such as hamburgers, chips, soda and similar is 70.5% in the first-year students and 66.7% in the fourth-year students. The rate of those stating that they would but shoes even if the shoes they wear are solid is 45.5% in the first year and 74.4% in the fourth year. The rate of students stating that they always attend conferences on environment is very low in the students of both years. This rate is 29.5% in first-year students and only 20.5% in fourth-year students. While only 25% of the first-year students wished to work as a volunteer in an environmentalist NGO, the same rate among the fourth-year students is 25.6%. While the rate of those who stated that they never warned someone polluting the environment is 47.7% in the first-year students, the same rate in the fourth-year students is 30.5%. Both of these rates are not as high as expected. As seen, students display similarities as regards some negative behaviors.
The association seen in both positive and negative responses to behavioral patterns included in the second section of the survey shows us that environmental training is not mush effective on behavioral patterns. In conclusion, although the environmental training increases the level of sensitivity for the environment, it is not effective as expected in changing the environmental behavioral patterns. This is compliant with the several studies in the literature. In order to experience the expected changes as regards the environmental behaviors of students, practical course activities must be increased, and an environmental training spread in the overall education instead of giving environmental training limited with certain courses.
Public Administration Environment Education Environmental Sensitivity Environmental Awareness
Çevre eğitiminin hedefleri arasında yeni bir ahlak anlayışını topluma kazandırmak, gelecek nesillere karşı sorumluluk hisseden, çevre sorunlarına karşı duyarlı yeni bir insan tipi yetiştirmek yer alır. Çevre eğitiminde amaç yalnızca bireylerin bilgi düzeyini artırmak değildir. Bunun ötesinde bireylerde çevresel tutum ve davranışlarda bir değişikliği harekete geçirmektir. Bu nedenle öğrencinin davranışlarında bir değişimin yaşanması çevre eğitiminin başarısı bakımından önemlidir.
Çalışmanın amacı, üniversitede verilen çevre derslerinin öğrencilerin çevre konusundaki duyarlılığı ve davranış kalıplarını ne ölçüde etkilediğini bulmaktır. Bu amaçla Harran Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Fakültesi Kamu Yönetimi bölümü öğrencileri arasında bir anket çalışması uygulanmıştır. Tesadüfi örneklem tekniğinin kullanılacağı anket çalışmasında öğrencilerin a) çevre konularında gösterdiği duyarlılık, b) çevre eğitimi sonrası davranış kalıplarındaki değişim ölçülmeye çalışılmıştır. Anket çalışması iki farklı öğrenci grubuna uygulanmıştır. İlki, henüz çevre dersi almamış olan 1. sınıf öğrencileri iken; ikinci grup, çevre derslerini almış olan 4. sınıf öğrencileridir. Bu iki grup arasındaki karşılaştırma bize istenen sonuçları verecektir.
Yapılan anket çalışması sonunda çevre eğitiminin öğrencilerin çevresel duyarlılık düzeyini artırdığı görülmüştür. Çevre eğitimi alan 4. sınıf öğrencileri bu eğitimi almayan 1. sınıflara göre çevre konusunda daha duyarlıdır. Diğer taraftan, duyarlılık seviyesindeki bu olumlu değişim davranış kalıplarına yansımış değildir. Öğrencilerin çevreye yönelik hem olumlu hem de olumsuz davranışlarında ciddi benzerlikler görülmekte, çevre eğitimi almış olmak öğrencilerin davranışlarında bir fark doğurmamaktadır. Bu durum verilen çevre eğitiminin sorgulanmasına neden olmaktadır.
Kamu Yönetimi Çevre Eğitimi Çevresel Duyarlılık Çevre Bilinci
Birincil Dil | Türkçe |
---|---|
Bölüm | Makaleler / Articles |
Yazarlar | |
Yayımlanma Tarihi | 30 Haziran 2019 |
Gönderilme Tarihi | 13 Şubat 2019 |
Kabul Tarihi | 8 Mayıs 2019 |
Yayımlandığı Sayı | Yıl 2019 Sayı: 46 |
ERCİYES AKADEMİ | 2021 | sbedergi@erciyes.edu.tr Bu eser Creative Commons Atıf-Gayri Ticari-Türetilemez 4.0 Uluslararası Lisansı ile lisanslanmıştır.