CHAPTER I

RATIONALE

The conditions, resources, stimuli, and other factors that are present outside of

an organism's body are considered its environment. A simple ecological definition would

be that an environment is essentially the place over a specific period of time where

organisms live or that which is occupied by a living thing. It can also refer to the external

surroundings, including all biotic and abiotic factors that surround and affect the survival

and development of an organism or population. The ecosystem's entire

physicochemical and biological making up is included. ( BiologyOnline, 2022)

Experiences, comprehension, and action are all parts of environmental literacy.

The key is making the connection between what we know and what we do, even though

knowledge and understanding are crucial components of environmentally literate

citizens.

Understanding environmental issues is only one aspect of environmental literacy;

another is competence. The fact that students study photosynthesis or water quality

does not, however, prove that they have an understanding of the environment. The

linkages between people and the environment on an ecological, economic, and cultural

level must be understood by today's pupils. They also need to understand how

decisions made by governments and people, including themselves, have an influence.

In order to promote this awareness, environmental literacy must emphasize that people

are a part of a global community and that choices made locally by people or

communities have impacts that extend well beyond local ecosystems.

worlds through education. There is a strong relationship between how we feel and how

we see the world around us. Every people have unique perspectives, personalities, and

talents and shortcomings. Students, like their abilities or personalities, don't come in

fixed physical forms. They all differ in terms of their skills, personalities, and worldviews.

Education is therefore very individualized. It emphasizes shaping the minds and souls of

living people. Involving each person as an individual is the first step in raising the bar for

accomplishment.

We acquire the skills, knowledge, information, and understanding required to

recognize, comprehend, and respect the duties that we have to our communities,

families, and employers through education. As a result, there are many ways that

education can be valuable in life. Education has importance in life since it cultivates in

everyone a positive perspective on the world and our society. Exploration and learning

of new ideas are made easier through education. (Edu, 2021) Many parties involved in

education, including governments, organizations, and the students themselves, are

aware of its multifarious relevance. High-quality education, especially postsecondary

education, provides a key development stimulus for families of all economic levels. The

inclusion of multidimensional goals has expanded the importance of education, and

people now have a consciousness of society and the environment that was lacking in

previous generations. Education, through a number of techniques, has the capacity to

alter people's lives, as the World Bank blog article "Education is Essential to

Development and Growth" succinctly puts forward. 2021 (Leverage)

relationships between environmental problems, the relationship between people and

their ecosystems, and the many ecological systems. There are significant flaws in the

public's knowledge of environmental concerns, particularly the effects of human activity

on global warming. Lack of environmental knowledge among the general populace is

limiting the development of environmental regulation. This is due to the general public's

level of environmental awareness an concern has observable implications on

participants' willingness and capacity to engage in the development of public policies to

enhance environmental quality. Environmental education (EE) makes us more aware of

both our constructed and natural environments, which makes us feel more a part of it.

We all rely on the environment; thus, EE informs the public about issues impacting it as

well as what we can do to protect and maintain it. Whether we bring nature into the

classroom, take students outside to learn, or spot educational opportunities on a family

nature walk, EE offers many benefits for kids, teachers, schools, and communities.

Research Objectives

This study aimed to determine the students’ level of environmental literacy

and its implications.

Significantly, this study sought answers the following questions:

1. To determine the student’s level of literacy and its implications.

2. To draw the implication based on the result of the study.

This presents the relevant literature and studies that the researcher considered in

strengthening the importance of the present study. It also presents the synthesis of the

art to fully understand the research for better comprehension of the study.

Environmental Literacy

The most pressing issue of our day is sustainable development. The current

global economy generates a lot of riches, but it also causes a lot of social exclusion,

inequality, and environmental degradation. Every person must acquire the sustainable

development knowledge, global citizenship values, and 21st century skills necessary to

address our shared challenges and to promote a future of just, inclusive, and resilient

societies in order to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United

Nations. An essential catalyst for this transition is education. It is the cornerstone for

bringing out the best in each of us and in our communities, and it is the secret to

discovering how to live and work together for a better world.

According to Coyle 2019 a study from the Science Foundation's Advisory

Committee for Environmental Education and research. According to the Committee, "in

the next decades, the public will increasingly often be required to comprehend complex

environmental challenges, judge danger, assess proposed environmental strategies,

and comprehend how personal decisions are made both locally and globally, the

environment. The Committee demanded the establishment fostering a citizenry that is

knowledgeable about science, pointing out that this will require a "concerted and a
methodical strategy for environmental education that is based on extensive and in-depth

research a foundation that makes a strong case for lifelong learning.

Environmental literacy is evaluated in Environmental Literacy in America.

Sobering and encouraging statistics about literacy in America. This summary contains

about ten years' worth of a loud wake-up call to the environmental community is

provided by NEETF's partnership with Roper Reports. community leaders, significant

professionals, and members of the education community, spanning from doctors to

weather forecasters. Americans are already dealing with an increase in critical

environmental decisions, we discover that the majority of our citizens are both

uninformed.

The junior high science curriculum's lessons on environmental pollution and

global warming are closely tied to current environmental concerns. Using local

environmental problem-based learning for student worksheets, this study aims to

investigate the connections between environmental literacy and thinking abilities,

behavior, and sensitivity to environmental issues. In this study, the survey approach

was used, followed by a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest. 372 junior high school

pupils from three schools in fire-affected areas served as the study's sample population.

Tests and questionnaires that were modified from the Middle School Environmental

Literacy Survey (MSELS) were used as research instruments to examine ecological

knowledge and cognitive abilities as well as actions and environmental sensitivity. Tests

and questionnaires developed from MSELS that were assessed on 35 respondents

before usage had reliability scores of 0.68 and 0.88, respectively. The Path-Analysis

with AMOS 23 software was used to examine correlations between two variables. The
study's findings demonstrated a connection between enhanced cognitive abilities and

ecological understanding. Action (Î2 = 0.01, t = 1.07, p> 0.05) and sensitivity (Î2 = 0.00,

t = -0.38, p> 0.05) are indirectly connected with knowledge. Knowledge serves as a

bridge between knowledge, action, and environmental sensitivity (Î2 = 0.12, t = 10.43, p

0.001) and is strongly correlated to cognitive abilities. The study's findings demonstrated

a connection between enhanced cognitive abilities and ecological understanding. Action

(Î2 = 0.01, t = 1.07, p> 0.05) and sensitivity (Î2 = 0.00, t = -0.38, p> 0.05) are indirectly

connected with knowledge. Knowledge serves as a bridge between knowledge, action,

and environmental sensitivity (Î2 = 0.12, t = 10.43, p 0.001) and is strongly correlated to

cognitive abilities. With an N-gain value of 0.2 in the control class and 0.4 in the

experimental class, the results of the effectiveness test of Local Environment-Problem

Based Learning (LE-PBL) student worksheets using the pretest-posttest design

demonstrated that LE-PBL is effective in raising students' environmental literacy.

Students' environmental literacy is strengthened when learning tools, such as LE-PBL

student worksheets, are used. (Suryawati, Suzanti et. Al, 2020)

When tackling sustainability issues like climate change, resource scarcity,

biodiversity loss, and zoonotic disease, it is crucial to develop and improve society's

capacity to comprehend, discuss, and take concrete measures toward a sustainable

future at a scale larger than the individual. There is growing knowledge about how to

encourage individual activity to address sustainability concerns, but less knowledge

about how to encourage collective action in this area. By identifying four crucially

important factors—scale, dynamic processes, shared resources, and synergy—we

create the term "collective environmental literacy" in order to enable research and
practice that encourages group action to address sustainability concerns. We highlight

areas where researchers, practitioners, and policymakers can help people and

communities work together to identify, create, and implement solutions to wicked

problems by building on existing collective conceptions and thought. We conclude by

going over the work's shortcomings and potential avenues for further research on

collective environmental literacy. (Ardoin, Bowels et.al, 2023)

In Israel, youth movements are informal groups that promote civic engagement

and offer a variety of opportunities for youth engagement in society. This study looked

at whether adolescent social participation, which includes choosing to join youth

organizations and taking on a leadership role in training newer members, has any

bearing on environmental activism. Findings on environmental literacy variables from a

survey of 1496 young instructors from 15 official youth movements reveal that youth

have only a general understanding of environmental issues, exhibit 'technical-optimism,'

which causes them to have little concern for the environment, recognize the importance

of environmental education only to a limited extent, and acknowledge the need for

changes in personal consumerism only to a limited extent. Additionally, research

indicates that since classmates and family do not bring up the subject in conversation,

environmental issues are not on their minds. Yet, these young people also exhibit a high

level of self-efficacy to bring about change, see themselves as role models for more

youthful participants, and express desire to integrate environmentally friendly activities

into normal youth movement activities. Their appreciation of nature serves as a basis for

other environmental principles as well. Further research demonstrates how these

results can provide theoretical and practical tools for integrating sustainability within the
framework of the youth movement and assist in realizing their potential for advancing

sustainability in society. (Goldman, 2017)

Citizens that are knowledgeable about science and the environment are needed

to address the complex environmental concerns humanity faces. Several environmental

education programs take place outside, where students can fully immerse themselves in

their studies. Although these field-based activities are interesting, there may not be

enough chances for students to practice the reasoning and critical thinking skills needed

to be environmentally literate. Researchers contend that a teaching strategy focused on

socioscientific issues (SSIs) can boost students' epistemic engagement and improve

their scientific and environmental literacy. In this study, we describe how we changed an

already-existing field-based ecology course to center the learning on a neighborhood

environmental socio-scientific problem. As a gauge of scientific understanding,

researchers employed a convergent parallel mixed-methods technique to look at how

high school students' socioscientific reasoning (SSR) evolved over time. The findings

show that a targeted SSI field-based environmental education program can assist high

school students' growth in socioscientific reasoning and environmental literacy.

(Kinslow, Stadler et. Al , 2018)

A crucial educational element for fostering sustainable societies is the whole-

school approach to sustainability. As a whole-school sustainability program, "green-

school certification" in Israel incorporates curricular integration, operational

modifications, and community outreach with the goal of instilling sustainability in both

students' and the institution's organizational culture. Using a closed-ended and open-

ended questionnaire, this study examined the effects of the program on the
environmental literacy of upper primary children and the integration of sustainable

practices into school operations using a "environmental visibility" tool. At schools that

had transitioned to the advanced certification, environmental literacy among students

and environmental performance of the institution were higher. Despite this,

improvements in education fall short of those made in school environmental

performance. Students do not connect their own materialistic consumption and its

environmental effects, with recycling being seen as the primary tool for ecologically

responsible conduct. This suggests that the program must move beyond "light green"

sustainability education to address consumerism, a significant problem in contemporary

culture, from the more basic changes in lives and attitudes needed. Maintaining the

school's long-term dedication to sustainability after certification presents another

significant challenge. There are ideas offered for dealing with these problems that might

improve the framework's effectiveness as a teaching tool for national SD policy in

advancing sustainability. (Goldman, Ayalon et.al, 2018)

To raise students' understanding of environmental issues, it is essential to

increase their environmental literacy (EL). By examining EL of students in Ponorogo,

this study aimed to demonstrate the contribution of eco-school programs (Adiwiyata)

and non-Adiwiyata schools to EL of junior high school students. From March to October,

the research was done. In the survey, 379 students participated. The type of research is

ex post facto. The Middle School Environmental Literacy Survey was used for the

evaluation (MSELS). The findings indicate a relationship between the Adiwiyata

program and an increase in EL with a sig value of 0.000. The EL value of the

environment increases with the adiwiyata level. Although more than 51% of
respondents did not achieve the score at level 3, which is the average level of EL, the

overall EL assessment in Ponorogo is still low. Junior high school students' EL skills

differ between males and females, with a sig value of 0.004. All data analysis revealed a

significant relationship between gender and school type and students' Environmental

literacy levels. Due to students' limited exposure to theories, concepts, and the

environment, their Environmental Literacy (EL) may be low. (Nurwaqidah, Suciati et.al,

2020)

The article looks at how environmental education in schools can help create a

community that cares. Adiwiyata School has a special responsibility to advance

environmental literacy through green initiatives. The delay in green initiatives at Banda

Aceh City's Adiwiyata School was investigated using descriptive and qualitative

methods. This study also aims to shed light on Adiwiyata School's contribution to the

realization of the school community's responsibility for environmental management and

protection through sound school governance to support sustainable development. One

of its functions is the development of student work through green projects. The study's

findings showed that environmental projects inspire children to learn more effectively

and imaginatively. Because they must be able to adapt their thinking, behavior, and

skills to match the demands of their environment. Students' competency development

can be honed by practical work on things like products that recycle garbage or contain

objects or involve art classes, among other things. Additionally, the Adiwiyata initiative

promotes learning and action, offering efficient ways to raise students' environmental

literacy. The neighborhood in the area of Adiwiyataschool is anticipated to alter as a

result of the school. The schools must serve as a role model for creating a safe and
comfortable atmosphere as well as thoughtful and educated students. (Kamil, Putri et.

Al, 2020)

Theoretical Framework

Around the middle of the 1960s, a new subject called environmental education

began to take shape. It now draws on a wide range of fields, including science

education, informal education, geography education, and education about the

conservation and use of natural resources. These sources are the foundation of

effective environmental education. Yet, the emphasis is on shared relationships

between nature and social systems, humanity's relationship with nature, technology and

desires, and lifelong developmental learning. This is where we say that "environmental

education is the process of developing attitudes, value decisions, knowledge, and skills

for environmental protection and showing environmentally friendly behavior and seeing

their benefits" (Erten, 2018). To put it another way, to educate everyone in society about

the environment, to increase awareness, to bring about lasting, positive behavioral

changes, and to ensure that each person takes an active role in resolving issues (Zey,

2019). Economics, ecology, social justice, and political awareness are all goals of

environmental education. In other words, the goal of environmental education is to raise

responsible future generations.

Conceptual Framework

The conceptual framework the level of environmental literacy of the students. It

consists the Independent and Dependent variable. The Independent variable is level of
 environmental literacy where the demographic data are presented and dependent

variable its implications. This study conducts different resources that emphasize the

level of environmental of the students.

Analysis of data
through:
a. administrating the
The implications of
questionnaire
The level of environmental
environmental literacy b. tabulation of the literacy of the
response students.

c. statistical analysis
of data and
interpretation

Figure 1. The Conceptual Framework

Significance of the Study

This study brings importance to the following:

School administrators. This study helps them to understand the level of

environmental literacy and implications in the students. Also, this research can be their

guide or basis in creating programs that promotes motivation to individual students

about their performance.

Teachers. This study helps them to understand the level of environmental

literacy and implications in the students. Also, this research can categorize the different

approach in teaching using the resources in school.

literacy and implications in the students and to encourage them to improved their

performance by using the different resources.

Parents. This study helps them to understand the level of environmental literacy

and implications in the students. This study serves as their basis on how the students’

capability works within the school by using the resources. This study also helps to

support their child in contribution for the education resources.

Researcher. This study helps them to understand the level of environmental

literacy and implications in the students. This study contributes to elaborate the different

perspective in implementing the use of resources in school.

Future Researchers. This study serves as their guide or references for their

future research about the level of environmental literacy and implications in the

students.

Definition of Terms

For clarity and better understanding, terms used are hereby defined operationally

and conceptually about the problem of the study.

Environmental. It refers in relating to or caused by the surroundings in which someone

lives, or something exists. Conceptually, it is the certain surroundings that the students

should what to react or should do in a specific situation.

about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing

thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. Conceptually, it is the

basis of the study where the students conceptualize the level of their knowledge for the

certain things.

Environmental Literacy. Operationally, it’s referring to the development of knowledge,

attitudes, and skills necessary to make informed decisions concerning the relationships

between natural and urban systems. Conceptually, this refers to the understanding

between the students and the situation about the environment.

METHOD

This chapter concentrates on the discussion of the research methods and

procedures adhered to by the researcher in order to answer systematically the specific

questions posed for investigation. Specifically, research design, research locale,

respondents of the study, research instruments, data gathering procedures, and

statistical treatment of the data used for the accurate data analysis and interpretation

were explained in this chapter.

Research Design

This study descriptive research design is defined as a research method that

describes the level of environmental literacy of the students that is being studded. As

was used where data was collected from the respondents at one point in time. This

design always focuses more on what of the research subject rather than the why of the

research subject (Babbie, 1990). The data for this survey was further collected at the

Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Colleges Marbel Inc.

Research Respondents and Sampling Technique

determining the target population, those to be involved. The respondents were the Fifty

(50) students of Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Colleges Marbel Inc.

They were taken as the key informants of the study because they have the

capacity and knowledge of the process system and could give such information needed

by the researchers.

Research Locale

This study was conducted at Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Colleges- Marbel

Incorporated, located at Purok Waling-waling Barangay Zone II, Arellano Street,

Koronadal City, Province of South Cotabato, 9506, Philippines. The research was only

focus on the level of environmental of literacy of the students. To evaluate the level of

environmental literacy, survey questionnaire was given to the teachers, faculty, staff and

the students of Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Colleges-Marbel Inc.

Research Instruments

To get the appropriate data needed, the researcher will have ten (10)

question provided to answer for respondent. The tool for profile was made by the

researcher; it will determine the different perspective for the level of environmental

literacy and its implications. The questionnaire consist of five (

Data Gathering Procedures

to the dean of the education department and a letter to the head of the RMMC-MI

school. The researcher presented the study's purpose to the students in this manner

and gave out the questionnaires in google form for them to complete at their

convenience. So, record and tally were the responders' response. In keeping with this, it

served as the foundation for the data and will be interpreted in the strictest of

confidence. The participants' responses to the pre-prepared questions were the main

subject of the study.

Statistical Tool

In accordance with the objectives of the study and the statement of the problem,

the data that the researcher will gather will be subjected to tabulation, statistical analysis

and interpretation. The data that will be obtain will be computed and analyze using the

statistical tools to answer the problem of the study. The researcher uses the simple

random sampling technique, the weighted mean will be used.

Ethical Consideration

To complete the research in accordance with the necessary research

requirements, research ethics are essential. In terms of ethics, study participants are

given enough opportunity to express their familiarity with the research issues.

Respondents were made aware that participation in the study was entirely voluntary and

that they might drop out at any time. A survey questionnaire was used to collect the

data. The privacy of respondents is strictly maintained. Also placed first is regard for the

respondent's self-worth. The privacy of participants, both personally and

research should be open and transparent.