Interests of 5th through 10th Grade Students Regarding Enviromental Protection Issues

Abstract

This study investigates the extent of interest among middle and high school students in environmental protection issues along with the sources of their interests and factors that impact their interests, namely people with whom they interact and courses that they take related to the environment, science and technology. In addition, it is confirmed that the greater the grade and the age of the students, the more their interest towards the protection of the environment diminishes. According to these results, from the 7th grade onward, male students show a consistent decrease and see these issues as not a necessity. The female students’ interests in the issues decrease at a lesser rate than their male counterparts, but also consistently. The 9th grade is the period when both the male and female students lose most concern about the environment. In 10th grade, female students’ concern increases; however, males students’ remains at the same level and does not progress. In this study, these results are analyzed and examined. What are the sources of interest in the environment and the factors leading students to be more environmentally conscious? We attempt to answer these questions and determine what can be done in order to increase students’ concern with these issues through creating concrete suggestions and offering ways in which they can be applied in public schools and transferred to classes

Keywords

• Environmental protection, environmental consciousness, environmental education