Comparison of environmental awareness in students according to regions

Abstract

All humans should feel responsible about protecting the environment in order to preserve our health and future. Education is the most effective tool in developing individuals' environmental responsibilities. Environmental awareness should be raised in individuals on the importance of the environment. Raising awareness in children is extremely important, because the children of today will become the grownups of tomorrow; thus, they will shape the future. Environmental information, positive attitudes toward the environment, and nondestructive environmental behavior are the objectives of environmental awareness. Therefore, the current study aims to investigate whether there are differences in 8th grade students' environmental awareness depending on the region. The universe of the study is 8th grade students. The sample consists of a total of 345 8th grade students in elementary schools from 7 regions during the 2013-14 academic year. One-way analysis of variances (ANOVA) and frequency analyses were run for the "Environmental Awareness Scale" used in the study. The findings revealed that differences between Aegean Region, Central Anatolian Region, Southeast Anatolian Region, and Marmara Region were statistically significant. One-way ANOVA findings were not statistically significant though.