CONTENTS
BACKGROUND
Chapter
I THE PROBLEM
Introduction
Theoritical Framework
Objective of the study
II. REVIEW OF THE RELATED LITERATURE
III. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Materials
Methods
IV. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
V. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
BACKGROUND
This paper is prepared as an inspiring outcome of the Research Based Learning Class in SE 204, Instructional Strategies in Science and Math Education at Mindanao State University- Graduate School, General Santos City last Second Semester, 2011.
According to our professor, Dr. Ava Clare Marie O. Robles, every teacher must have a heart in environmental education. Nowadays, humankind has been suffering in the effects of global warming. Teachers must have advocacies in educating people, especially the learners in every school must be educated of the ways in mitigating the effects of the devastating phenomena experiencing around the globe.
This study aimed to propose for examining the level of awareness, knowledge and practices of secondary schools students with regard to waste management. Waste management problems are almost encountered in the students view. Using a structured, self-administered questionnaire, students will be surveyed from all secondary schools in the Philippines. Data that will be collected will be subjected to percentage, mean, standard deviation, t-test and chi-square statistical analyses. Findings that will be revealed in the secondary school students from the sampled zones will examine the awareness of waste problems on their school compounds, reflecting on how the secondary schools give the priorities in the waste management practices. Significant relationships will be observed between students‘sex, age and class and their level of awareness, knowledge and practices of waste management.
CHAPTER I
The Problem
Introduction
One of the greatest challenges facing developing countries is the unhealthy disposal of solid waste which resulted from human activities of development and survival (Onibokun, 1999; Osinowo, 2001; Joseph, 2006; Longe & William, 2006; Kofoworola, 2007). It is a problem recognized by all nations at the 1992 Conference on Environment and Development, and regarded as a major barrier in the path towards sustainability (UNCED, 1992). There is strong evidence which suggests that individual or group awareness and attitudes towards waste generation and management is critical in the effort to respond to the waste management challenge. Thus, it comes as no surprise, that there existed an abundant literature on waste management attitudes and behaviour and on the limited use of recycling (Grodzinska-Jurczak, Agata, & Agata, 2003; Rahardyan, Matstuto, Kakuta, & Tanaka, 2004; Ehrampoush & Maghadam, 2005; Kofoworola, 2007; Ssenyondo, Naluwata, Namaganda & Namugenyi, 2008).
In Philippines, available literature on waste management are not only few but also concentrated on identifying the composition and quantifying waste generated in urban cities .The poor state of waste management in the country is caused by inadequate facilities, poor funding, and poor implementation of policies as well as wrong lifestyle (consumption pattern). The negative attitude of the public towards the environment does not exclude the educational institution whose problem has been aggravated by constant changes not just in curriculum content but also school subjects. For instance, school subjects such as hygiene where students were once taught sanitation of the environment has been replaced with health education, providing little or no opportunities through which students can be taught or learn the act of waste management and sanitation.
Theoretical Framework
The concept of attitude and associated relationship with human behaviour has been a topic of interest among researchers for years. Attitude toward a concept can be defined as an individual or group of individuals, general feeling of favourableness or unfavourableness for that concept (Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980). Many studies of knowledge and attitudes have found a positive and often significant relationship between the two variables. In a study of the effectiveness of a visitor education strategy in raising levels of knowledge and attitudes toward nature conservation, Olson, Bowman and Roth (1984) found a positive relationship between scores on the knowledge test and scores on the attitude test for all concepts measured. The programme was successful in raising both the levels of knowledge and improving attitudes toward environmental management. Similarly, Armstrong & Impara (1991) found that positive attitudes followed exposure to a K-7 environmental education publication on knowledge and attitudes about the environment. Many studies other have used the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) and its extension, the Theory Planned Behaviour (TPB), as a framework not only good for understanding, explaining and predicting behaviours, but also to provide a useful guide for designing intervention strategies to change or maintain behaviours. The theory is based on an assumption that individual behavioural intentions are directly related to their attitudes. The TRA views a person‘s intention to perform (or not perform) as the immediate determinant of the action. This behavioural intention, in turn, has two determinants. One is the attitude towards the behaviour—a person who believes that performing a given behaviour will lead to mostly positive outcomes will hold a favourable attitude toward performing the behaviour. The other is the subjective norm—a person believes that most referents with whom s/he is motivated to comply think s/he should perform the behaviour will perceive the social pressure to do so. The beliefs that underlie a person‘s attitude toward the behavior are termed behavioural beliefs, and those that underlie the subjective norm are termed normative beliefs (Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980).
The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) states that what an individual does is determined by personal motivation which is determined by attitude, social support and perceived behavioural control. These factors are grounded by the persons‘ perception of social, personal, and situational consequences of the specified action (Ajzen, 1985; Maddan, Ellen & Ajzen, 1992; Ajzen & Driver, 1992). TPB allows for a better evaluation of human behavior when participation decisions are voluntary and under an individual control. The Theory of Planned Behaviour has been widely used in environmental behaviour research to predict a person‘s intent to participate in a specified behaviour (Gamba & Oskamp, 1994; Scott & Willets, 1994; Kuhlemier, Van den Berg, & Lagerweij, 1999; Grodzinska-Jurczak, Agata, & Agata, 2003). TPB has been used successfully empirically and conceptually by many researchers in environmental behaviour to explore attitudes that trace the correlation of beliefs to behaviour. Apart from the TRA/TPB theories, the expectancy-value theory has also been identified in literature as capable of serving as framework for attitude-behaviour study of this nature (Van Der Pligt & De Vries, 1998).
Many studies in the last two decades on socio-demographic variables and environmental perception have helped in understanding people‘s views, and thinking about the environment. They have attempted to predict environmental awareness and attitudes of people based on their socio-demographic characteristics. For instance, Raudsepp (2001) reported that age, education and gender have shown strong and consistent relations with environmentalism. Other researchers (Mensah & Whitney, 1991; Gigliotti, 1992; Sheppard, 1995; Eagle & Demare, 1999; Tikka, Kuitunen, & Tyns, 2000) have attempted to ascertain the correlates of environmental knowledge and environmental quality awareness and concern. Some others have also explored the influence of education, income, age, and gender on public awareness and attitude toward environmental quality issues. Chanda (1999) reported that environmental concerns among residents of Gaborone vary according to education and income levels, while age and gender do not seem to have any significant influence on variation in concern.
Gender is a variable that has received consistent attention among researchers (Jones & Dunlap, 1992; Arcury & Christianson, 1993; Lyon & Breakwell, 1994; Petts, 1994). Raudsepp (2001) found that women were significantly more likely than men to be concerned with environmental problems. Females have been consistently shown to have higher environmentally conscious attitudes than men. The common reason advanced for gender differences is the different socialization patterns between boys and girls (Raudsepp, 2001; Diamontopoulos, Schlegelmilch, Sinkovics, & Bohlen, 2003). More often than not, girls are made to carry out most of all the sweeping and cleaning activities; they are called upon more than their male counterparts to perform maintenance tasks at home or in schools. However, in other studies such as Van Liere & Dunlap (1981) gender was not a significant predictor of environmental concerns and attitudes as other socio-demographic variables. Eagle & Demare‘s (1999) comparison of the mean attitude scores on the pretest with gender showed that girls scored significantly higher moral attitude scores than boys; there was no significant difference in the ecologic attitude scores of boys and girls. Kellert (1985) found no gender difference in these two attitudes for U.S. children in the 2nd grade. Eagles and Muffitt (1990), in a study of Canadian students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade, found no attitude differences between the sexes.
There are studies that have examined public, households and students‘ knowledge and attitudes towards waste management (e.g. Barr, Gilg & Ford, 2001; Walling, Walston, Warren, Warshay & Wilhelm, 2004; Meyers, Glen & Anbarci, 2006; Sha‘Ato, Aboho, Oketunde, Eneji, Unazi & Agwa, 2007; Ssenyondo, et al. 2008). Bassey, Benka-Coker and Aluyi (2006) used both qualitative and quantitative methods to examine the types of and waste disposal techniques employed in the management of solid medical wastes in five selected hospitals in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and reported that an average of 2.78 kg of solid waste were generated per bed/daily. In addition, 26.5% of the total waste was found to be hazardous in nature. No separation of waste was practised by any of the hospitals surveyed. Similarly, 18.3% of the hospitals incinerated waste was traced to a locally built brick incinerator; 9.1% buried; 36.3% burnt waste in open pits while 36.3% disposed waste in municipal dumpsites. Sha‘Ato, et al. (2007) also found that a substantial
proportion of household waste consists of various organic materials (36-57%), while ash, dust and sand (combined) constitute between (21-41%). There was more paper from commercial and institutional premises (9-12%) than from household or small/medium scale industrial premises (2-4%). Glass (0.1-6.9%), metals (mostly cans and bottle taps, 0.7-3.4%) and textiles (0.3-6%) constitute minor proportion of the waste across the sampled areas. The study also reported that households daily generated 0.54 kg waste; 0.018 kg/m2/day by commercial outlets; while small and medium scale industries, generated 0.47 kg/m2/day.
Objective of the Study
Based on the theoretical framework and empirical evidence, the present study will explore three hypotheses:
(i) Students will possess high level of awareness and positive environmental practices towards waste management. (ii) There will be no significant difference in students‘ awareness, knowledge and practices according to their sex, age and class. (iii) There is no significant relationship between students‘ background variables (sex, age and class) and their awareness, knowledge and practices of waste management practices.
Chapter II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES
This chapter presents the review of related literature and studies which have significant bearings to this present study.
Education in Environmental Sustainability
Education is an essential tool for achieving sustainability. People around the world
recognize that current economic development trends are not sustainable and that public
awareness, education, and training are key to moving society toward sustainability. Beyond that, there is little agreement. People argue about the meaning of sustainable development and whether or not it is attainable. They have different visions of what sustainable societies will look like and how they will function.
(U N E S C O,Education for Sustainable Development in ActionLearning & Training Tools N°1,2006)
Environmental Education
Environmental education (EE) refers to organized efforts to teach about how natural environments function and, particularly, how human beings can manage their behavior and ecosystems in order to live sustainably. The term is often used to imply education within the school system, from primary to post-secondary. However, it is sometimes used more broadly to include all efforts to educate the public and other audiences, including print materials, websites, media campaigns, etc. Related disciplines include outdoor education and experiental education.
Environmental education is a learning process that increases people's knowledge and awareness about the environment and associated challenges, develops the necessary
skills and expertise to address the challenges, and fosters attitudes, motivations, and commitments to make informed decisions and take responsible action (UNESCO, Tbilisi Declaration, 1978).
Environmental Education in ASEAN
Environmental education (EE) has been defined as the process of helping people, through formal and nonformal/informal education, to acquire understanding, skills and values that will enable them to participate as active and informed citizens in the development of an ecologically sustainable and socially just society. It aims to make use of these knowledge and skills to preserve, conserve and utilize the environment in a sustainable manner for the benefit of present and future generations. It also involves learning how to employ new technologies, increase productivity, avoid environmental disasters, alleviate poverty, utilize new opportunities and make wise decisions. Furthermore, it involves the acquisition of skills, motivations and commitments to work individually and collectively toward the solution of existing environmental problems and the prevention of new ones.
Environmental education is not new in the region, and ASEAN countries have developed their own programmes of action since the first International Conference on EE held in Belgrade in 1975. Member countries are already pursuing various efforts on EE; though this is very commendable, no specific plan of action on EE for ASEAN had been developed prior to the ASEAN Environmental Education Action Plan.
Strengthening and enhancing environmental education are some of the more critical measures and approaches that have to be undertaken to develop among the people sensitivity to existing environmental problems and to be able to adopt a rational and integrated approach in managing the environment.
The Plan is expected to serve as a framework for the development and implementation of EE activities in ASEAN. It is also hoped that it will provide a holistic, dynamic and interactive EE agenda for ASEAN member countries.Coordinating the aggressive pursuit of environmental education programmes in the ASEAN region is surely one of the longer lasting steps to address the problems of imbalance and uncertainty in the environment. As the ASEAN Strategic Plan of Action on the Environment for 1996-1998 very succinctly put it, “Environmental education is very important in sensitizing people, particularly students, as it helps in developing the right environmental ethic and building an environmentally responsive
and responsible society.” Ultimately, the most sound and solid basis for the protection of the environment and the conservation and rational exploitation of resources are people who are aware of the possible negative environmental implications of their actuations, not only for the present generation but for future generations as well, hence, the importance of this area of cooperation. (http://www.aseansec.org/12656.htm)
Environmental Education Concerns
Among the priority concerns of ASEAN member countries is how to promote greater awareness of local/national environmental problems among the youth in school and out of school, adults in government, and the rest of the population. Because of the great geographic, geologic, climatic as well as cultural differences among the ASEAN countries, the environmental problems that beset them also differ greatly. Thus, a number of countries with coastal communities are troubled by environmental problems such as marine pollution, degradation of coastal resources (i.e., coral reefs and mangrove areas), coastal erosion and sea-level rise. But many face common problems of pollution (a unique problem is the transboundary pollution from the haze emanating from Indonesia and affecting Brunei Darussalam, Singapore andMalaysia); depletion or degradation of natural resources such as rapid consumption of fossil fuels, deforestation, wildlife depletion or loss of biodiversity and soil erosion; rapid growth of population with the accompanying land use changes brought about by increasing need for more living space, food and other amenities; and health and nutrition problems.
Other areas of concern stem from the need for the following: (a) human resource development for EE: teachers who can effectively teach environmental education, teachers who can write books and other instructional materials on EE for classroom use, and teacher trainers in EE; (b) more efficient integration of EE in the formal school curriculum and co-curricular programmes; (c) greater institutional/interdepartmental cooperation in planning and implementing EE activities and projects as well as networking between governmental and nongovernmental organisations; (d) greater participation by the public in EE activities and in solving environmental problems; (e) more baseline information about the local/national environment; (f) EE materials for the general public written in the local languages and in simple format (e.g., comic book style); (g) local EE textbooks for primary and secondary school learners and for tertiary level students; (h) experts on the environment to serve as consultants on EE; (i) an EE action
plan at the national level for some of the member countries who do not have this yet; and (j) bigger allocation than currently approved by the governments for EE programmes at the national level to support projects such as training workshops and textbook writing. (http://www.aseansec.org/12656.htm)
Role of the Government
Department Administrative Order 2003-14
The cooperation program of Development Bank of the Philippines with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has successfully culminated in the issuance of DENR Administrative Order (DAO) No. 2003-14, which was signed on June 2, 2003. It creates the Philippine Environment Partnership Program (PEPP) to support industry self-regulation towards improved environmental performance. This new law specifically aims to establish and facilitate cooperation among environmental regulators and industry sectors towards the formulation of a stepwise approach to pre-agreed technical environmental standards.
Under this program, the DENR−Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) seeks
cooperation to institutionalize at least 10 environmental management plans (EMPs) as a strategy for continuing improvement in industry performance and as basis for compliance monitoring by government. These industry groups are the Philippine Sugar Millers Association (PSMA), Philippine Cement Manufacturers Corp. (PHILCEMCOR), Pulp and Paper (PULPAPEL), Food Processing (PHILFOODEX), Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines (SEIPI) and Alcohol Distillers Association.
Through DBP’s initiatives, the EMPs of the six industry groups have been completed. These groups include cement, textile, pulp and paper, stone craft, semiconductor, and ship repair.
To update these EMPs, benchmarking of selected industry sectors is being undertaken by the Bank’s Environmental Management Unit (EMU), in close coordination
with Swedish experts for the EMP-3B. The benchmarking activity also aims to determine the present level of environmental performance of these sectors to establish baseline parameters necessary for the formulation of industry specific guidelines.
Republic Act 9003 - Ecological Solid Waste Management Act
The Ecological Solid Waste Management Act (R. A. No. 9003) aims to transform and improve the solid waste management of the country through the following measures:
source reduction and waste minimization measures, including composting, recycling, reuse, recovery before collection treatment and disposal in appropriate and environmentally sound solid waste management facilities. The Act empowers the local governments to be responsible primarily for the implementation and enforcement of their solid waste management systems.
Local government units (LGUs) are required to: (1) establish city-level solid waste
management boards; (2) develop and implement 10-year solid waste management plans;
and (3) serve as members on the Metro Manila Board. The solid waste management plan
focuses on source reduction through reuse, recycling, and composting. The Act stipulates that local governments must divert 25% of all solid waste through reuse, recycling, andcomposting by 2006. They are also required to establish reclamation programs and buyback centers for recyclables and toxic materials. Collected toxic materials are to be sent toappropriate hazardous waste treatment and disposal facilities that meet the provisions of the Republic Act No. 6969. Furthermore, a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) shall be established in every barangay or clusters of barangays. The MRF shall serve as a site for receiving mixed waste for final sorting, segregation, composting, and recycling.
The Act prohibits the use of non-environmentally acceptable packaging. This provision states that no sale is permitted at retail of any products placed, wrapped or packaged in or on packaging that is not environmentally acceptable. To allow concerned
stakeholders to comply with this provision, a phase out period for such packaging must be put in place after proper consultation and hearing with the stakeholders or with the sectors concerned.
The Act prohibits the establishment and operation of open dumps. The local governments are required to convert their open dumps into controlled dumps. More important for the disposal of residuals is the establishment of sanitary landfills that meet the minimum criteria. These include liners, collection and treatment of leachate, gas control recovery system, ground water monitoring well system, cover placed over the waste, closure procedure and post-closure care procedure.
CHAPTER III
Materials and Methods
Methods of Study
Based on reviewed literature, a questionnaire was designed on students‘ knowledge and practices of waste management in schools. It will make up of three parts. The first part consisted of five items, 4-point Likert scale seeking information on ―awareness of waste management‖, the knowledge component consisted of seven questions also on a 4-point Likert scale ―Not often‖ ―Sometime‖ ―Often‖ and ―Very often‖, while the practices consisted of thirteen items on a 3- point scale of ―Yes‖ ―No‖ and ―Not sure‖. Coefficient of internal consistency of the instrument was calculated using the Kudar Richardson (Kr 21) formula. A total of 50% of the student’s population in every school will be surveyed from all secondary schools in the Philippines and students will be randomly selected.
Data Analysis
The statistical methods will be used in this research consisted of descriptive statistics of frequency count, percentage, mean and standard deviation. Other statistical methods will be employed included Chi-square, t-test and pearson product moment correlation in order to determine the significant difference or relationship between some students background variables and their knowledge and practices of waste management. Responses to the questionnaire can be pooled, edited and scored. Nominal values were assigned to the items according to scales. Questions on knowledge and awareness had an assigned score of 1-4 for ―Not sure‖, ‗Not Worried‖ ―Worried‖ ―Very Worried‖. The items on common environmental problems were scored as follows: 4 – ―Very Often‖, 3 – ―Often‖, 2 – ―Sometime‖ and 1 – ―Not Often‖. The practice statements were scored based on negative or positive wording of the items. For every positively worded questionnaire, the respondents
progressed from 3 through 2 and 1. The scoring pattern was reversed for the negatively worded items. In order to statistically determine the level of knowledge, binary partitions for knowledge (low/high) and behaviour index (negative/positive) will be used. To determine the partitioning value of items, the maximum of each of the nominal values was divided by N. Thus, the upper limit of knowledge/awareness was put at 2.50, while for practices was put at 1.50. For purposes of data interpretation, mean values of 2.50 and above were deemed to indicate high knowledge/awareness and below 2.50 were regarded as implying low. Mean values of 1.50 and above were considered for positive practice. A standard deviation greater than 1.00 was taken to indicate high variability among respondents.
CHAPTER IV
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Results
The sample (n= 50% of the total students population in every secondary schools in the Philippines) and selection will be done randomly and the percentages for the gender will be tabulated. A four-point scale will be used as a self-measure of students‘awareness. The data will be presented in a table, using percentages. Item by item analysis will be presented on the level of student’s awareness on waste management based on the questionnaires and instruments will be used.
CHAPTER V
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
This study will seek to establish a baseline of descriptive information on students‘knowledge, attitudes and practices concerning waste management. The findings of this study will abundantly clear that waste management is a serious environmental problem in Philippine secondary school, and students are aware of it. The results are supported by Chan‘s (1999) report that people‘s environmental knowledge was highly specific to issue and geographic scale. Students‘waste management practices depicted a negative practice. Duan and Fortner (2005) found that students possessed high environmental awareness and knowledge of local environmental issues than global environmental issues. Differences were observed in students‘knowledge and practices of waste management.
The research initiative aimed to understand the knowledge and practice of waste management of secondary school students in Philippines. The findings from this study will have great implications for waste management practices in secondary schools in the State and the need to increase students‘awareness of waste management issues and practices. The study will reveal the need for behavioural and attitudinal change which is essential effective participation in waste reduction, reuse and recycling.
Therefore this paper will also seek for recommendation that efforts should be made by government and school management to organize seminars and workshops for students, teachers and administrators to sensitise and consciencitise them to waste problems and their consequences on the students. When stakeholders are made aware of their environment unfriendly practices/ behaviour and provided with strategies to address them, they are better able to promote environment friendly practices.
The introduction or integration of waste management concepts and themes through environmental education and school curriculum at all levels will not only improve students‘ understanding of waste management but more likely to change their seemingly unfriendly waste management behavior and practices.
For Example:
• Mathematics helps students understand extremely small numbers (e.g., parts per
hundred, thousand, or million), which allows them to interpret pollution data.
• Language Arts, especially media literacy, creates knowledgeable consumers who can
analyze the messages of corporate advertisers and see beyond "green wash."
• History teaches the concept of global change, while helping students to recognize that
change has occurred for centuries.
• Reading develops the ability to distinguish between fact and opinion and helps students
become critical readers of political campaign literature.
• Social Studies helps students to understand ethnocentrism, racism, and gender inequity
as well as to recognize how these are expressed in the surrounding community and nations
worldwide.
Each discipline also has associated pedagogical techniques. The combined pedagogical techniques and strategies of each discipline contribute to an expanded vision of how to teach for creativity, critical thinking, and a desire for life-long learning - all mental habits that support sustainable societies.
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| Composting Project |
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| Drawing Contest |
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| Segregation of Waste |
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| Brainstorm on how to recycle wastepaper in schools |
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| Brainstorming on how to recycle |
