The Effect of Summer Environmental Education Program (SEEP) on Elementary School Students' Environmental Literacy

Y

17

Summer Programs; Environmental Education; Elementary School Students; Knowledge Level; Grade 4; Grade 5; Grade 6; Grade 7; Grade 8; Foreign Countries; Program Effectiveness; Pretests Posttests; Content Analysis; Statistical Analysis; Intention; Student Attitudes; Citizenship Responsibility; Intervention; Interdisciplinary Approach; Science Process Skills; Questionnaires; Student Behavior; Qualitative Research

1306-3065

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of Summer Environmental Education Program (SEEP) on elementary school students' environmental knowledge, affect, skills and behavior which are the main components of environmental literacy. The sample consisted of 45 students (25 males, 20 females) studying in 4th through 8th grades and living in Orphanage in Antalya. Various data collection instruments (e.g. Environmental Knowledge Test, Affective Disposition toward Environment Scale, Children's Responsible Environmental Behavior Scale and Scientific Process Skill for the Environmental Test) were used for assessing students' different outcomes prior to and after SEEP. The open-ended responses were subjected to content analysis whilst the remaining data were subjected to statistical analysis (e.g. repeated t-test). The results revealed that students' environmental knowledge, environmental sensitivity, intention, environmental attitudes and responsible environmental behaviors significantly increased after intervention. Even though students' "cognitive skills" and "saving behavior" increased from pre-test to post-test, these increases were not statistically significant.

As Provided

40

2015

EJ1062929