| dc.description.abstract | The title of this study is, "The influence of environmental knowledge on secondary school students' attitudes toward environmental conservation". The purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of environmental knowledge on attitudes of secondary school students toward conservation within the framework of the established school curriculum. The research project was carried out in the Central division ofMachakos district.
The overarching objectives of the study included establishing secondary school students' environmental knowledge levels; establishing students' attitudes toward conservation; determining the extent to which environmental knowledge influences students' attitudes toward conservation and to find out environmental activities that students engage in while in school and out of school.
The research problem was based on the premise that Kenya is among 47 countries in Sub - Saharan Africa that basically depend on their natural resources for development. However the rate at which the natural resource base is deteriorating in the country is increasingly becoming unsustainable and therefore necessitating an urgent solution. Environmental
education hence knowledge within the formal school curriculum was seen as a pragmatic
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response to this concern. It was on this basis that thh9rstud~ was carried out to investigate the
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influence of environmental knowledge on secondary school students' attitudes toward conservation.
The study was guided by the descriptive research design. Important variables in this study were students' environmental knowledge which was the main factor of investigation while students' and teachers' attitudes were the dependent variables. Extraneous variables were gender and challenges that students and teachers faced in their effort to conserve the environment.
Twenty one (21) public secondary schools, eighty four (84) public secondary school teachers and four hundred and twenty (420) public secondary school students were sampled for the study. Two questionnaires, thus the teachers' attitude questionnaire (TAQ) and the students' attitude questionnaire (SAQ) as well as one (1) observation schedule (OB) were used to collect data. Four hundred (400) students and seventy eight (78) teachers completed the questionnaires representing 94.84 percent response rate. The researcher completed twenty one (21) observation schedules for the twenty one (21) public secondary schools that had been sampled.
The Likert scale was used to measure the respondents' attitudes. A series of statements that were a good representation of the attitudes were provided. Each statement was measured on a five-point Likert response scale with alternatives running from one extreme, strongly agree (SA), through a neutral point (Undecided - U), to the other extreme, strongly disagree (SO). The scores given to each statement were summed up and means calculated. The means and the scores were then analysed quantitatively and qualitatively to establish the students' and teachers' attitudes toward conservation.
Closed and open ended items in the students' questionnaire were also used to elicit responses that were quantitatively and qualitatively analysea- to -d~ete-rmlne students' environmental knowledge. The relationship between students' environmental knowledge and their attitudes
toward conservation was determined by using simple regression analysis. The relationship between gender and conservation attitudes was also investigated through analysis of the Likert scale and regression techniques.
Findings of this study revealed that students and teachers had requisite knowledge on the environment albeit inadequate. The study also indicated that environmental knowledge is important in determining environmental attitudes although knowledge alone is an insufficient
factor. The study further revealed that there was a relationship between gender and environmental attitudes. In addition, the study showed that most students and teachers lacked support and encouragement to enhance environmental conservation and this would likely lower their morale and positive attitude towards conservation. It was also found that most students and teachers regarded environmental conservation highly. Despite high positive environmental attitudes among the students and teachers, there was poor commitment among schools to carry out environmental activities. The existing education curriculum in Kenya offers ample opportunities to impart environmental knowledge to students. However, this often remains at the blackboard level. The students do not go beyond the blackboard to sufficiently participate in environmental protection.
Studies done on attitudes and environmental conservation were appraised under the literature review section. Varying results were given. Some studies showed a correlation between environmental knowledge and environmental attitudes among students. Other studies portrayed a negative relationship. This calls for further research into factors other than environmental knowledge that are likely to influence more strongly students' and teachers' attitudes toward environmental conservation. Further research should be carried out to
investigate reasons for high positive environmental-attitudes among teachers and students yet
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their schools lacked commitment in carrying out environmental activities | en |
