ASSESSMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL ATTITUDES AND PRACTICES OF TEACHERS UNDERGOING SANDWICH DEGREE PROGRAMMES IN NIGERIA

Nigerian Journal of Research and Development in Higher Education 3(1 & 2), 1999Nigerian Journal of Research and Development in Higher Education 3(1 & 2), 1999

ASSESSMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL ATTITUDES AND PRACTICES OF TEACHERS UNDERGOING SANDWICH DEGREE PROGRAMMES IN NIGERIA

J. A. OLAWEPO

and

A. A. JEKAYINFA

Abstract

The environmental education-related attitudes and practices of 187 teachers enrolled in sandwich degree programmes at the University of Ilorin, Nigeria, were investigated. Responses to a two-part questionnaire revealed that most of the teachers had positive attitudes to environmental issues and endorsed desirable environmental practices. The result of chi-square analysis showed that teachers attitudes and practices were not significantly influenced by gender and year of study, but area of specialization was a significant influence on both attitudes and behaviours. Correlation and t-test analysis showed that attitude was positively and significantly related. The study ended with the suggestion that English and Social studies should be among the subjects for environmental education in the primary and secondary schools.

Introduction

The goal of the National Policy on Environment for Nigeria is to achieve sustainable development in the country, and also to secure for all Nigerians a quality of environment adequate for their health and well being (Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA, 1989). The implementation of this policy depends on specific actions directed toward major sectors and problem areas of the environment. One of the sectors is the human population. By their individual and collective behaviour, humans make significant positive or negative impact on the natural resources and non-human environment of the country (Aina, 1989, Awosolu, 1997).

The Nigerian environment is characterized by pollution and degradation of land, air and water. This state of affairs is engendered by a combination of neglect, ignorance and harmful attitudes and socio-political practices (FEPA, 1989, Salami, 1997). There is therefore the need to provide opportunities to acquire the knowledge, values and commitment required to protect and improve the environment. For this to be done in any significant way, there is the need to collect baseline data on the prevailing environmental knowledge, attitudes and practices of the targeted cohorts of the population. One of these is the teachers. Teachers are role models for their students and the society in general. It is against this background that this study was designed to identify and describe the environmental attitudes of practising teachers on vocation degree programmes.

Statement of the Problem

There are several studies on the environmental knowledge, attitudes, values and practices of students, teachers, parents and people in diverse situations. Such studies include those of Larsen (1976). Ber-Eha (1980), Welch (1982), Noibi (1982) and Salami (1977). Both Larsen (1976) and Salami (1997) found that students held negative attitudes to environmental issues. Also both Noibi (1982) and Salami (1997) discovered that teachers and students had a remarkably low knowledge of the basic concepts of environmental education. Moreover, Salami (1977), discovered that teachers and students had a remarkably low knowledge of the basic concepts of environmental education. Moreover, Salami (1977) found that secondary school students engage in practices which are inherently harmful to the environment. This is not surprising given their low knowledge and their negative attitude which have been pointed out above. The finding that students displayed negative environmental attitude and undesirable practices is probably a reflection of their teachers environmental attitudes and behaviours. It is in the light of this that this study was designed to identify and describe teachers environmental attitudes and practices.

Ben Elia (1982) found that education, income and age, were important influences on students and peoples perception of environmental issues. The need for mobility, the type of place people had spent most of their life, ethnic identity, grade level, gender and teacher motivation did emerge as unimportant characteristics in the study of environmental values (Welch, 1982) Grade level, a part of education, has been found to be unimportant by Welch but Ben-Eha found education to be important. It is the desire to probe the influence of education further that the independent variables of area of specialization and year of study were chosen as independent variables in addition to gender, which is the most basic human trait.

Research Questions

The following research questions were raised for this study.

1.What type of attitudes do teachers have towards environmental issues of public concern?

2.What kind of environmental practices do teachers exhibit?

3.Do teachers in different areas of specialization possess significantly different attitudes to environmental issues?

4.Are these significant differences in teachers attitudes based on their year of study?

5.Are these significant differences in teachers attitudes based on gender?

6.Do female teachers do significantly different environmental practices from their male counterparts?

7.Are there significant differences in teachers environmental practices based on their areas of specialization?

8.Do teachers at different levels of study do significantly different environmental practices?

9.Are the environmental attitudes of the teachers related to their environmental practices?

Research Methodology

The subjects used for this study consisted of male and female primary and secondary school teachers enrolled in part-time degree programmes of the University of Ilorin. These teachers were pursuing six different areas of specialization and were at four different levels of their course of study. Their population numbered about 3,400 in all. A stratified random sample of the student teachers was made using years of study as the strata. From each of the levels of study, student-teachers were picked proportionally, giving a sample of 230 subjects.

A questionnaire focusing on teachers attitudes and practices was designed based on the one used by Salami (1977). Pollution, refuse disposal, bush burning, use of fertilizers and insecticides, flora and fauna management, water management, high population, urbanization, monthly national environmental sanitation exercise and the need for environmental education, were issues raised under environmental attitudes and environmental practices.

The attitude section of the questionnaire was made up of ten statements, five of them positive and five negative. Each statement had a scale of five responses attached to it, ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree. The section on four possible responses. At least one of the responses was negative. Although the questionnaire was based largely on an already validated instrument, it was still submitted to a panel of six lecturers for face and content validity. Four of them agreed that the questionnaire covered all the environmental issues of public concern in Nigeria today.

The questionnaire was administered on the respondents with the help of course lecturers. The respondents completed the questionnaire in a capture audience arrangement and there was no consultation among them. The number of properly completed questionnaire was 187.

A master data sheet, made up of three independent variables of gender, area of specialization and year of study and two dependent variables of attitudes and practices, was completed. To do this, the responses to the attitude subset of the questionnaire was scored 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1 corresponding to Strongly Agree, Agree, Undecided, Disagree and Strongly Disagree, for positive statements. The values were reversed for negative items. For any one respondents, the maximum score possible was 50 (5 x 10), while the minimum score possible was 10 (1 x 10). The scores 10 to 50 were dichotomized into 24 to 50 for positive attitude and 1 to 25 for negative attitudes. Unvaried frequency was done for each item in the attitude protocol.

In addition, each of the responses to the ten questions in the environmental practices section of the questionnaire was assigned a mark. The mark could carry a positive or negative sign depending on the nature of the response. The scores of the response were again dichotomized into minus 10 to + 01 for undesirable environmental practices and 01 to 10 for undesirable behaviour. Univariate frequency was done for each item.

Research questions one and two were answered by calculating frequencies and percentages. Research questions three to eight were answered by employing chi-square statistics at a confidence level of 0.05. Finally, research question nine was treated by calculating Pearsons product moment correlation (r) coefficient and converting it to a t-test ascertain whether Pearsons (r) was significant or not.

Results

The student teachers were in the following areas of study, arranged in descending order of numerical importance of Social Studies (41.7%), English (24.1%). Mathematics (17.6%), Yoruba (10.70%), Science (40.3%) and French (1.6%). The female outnumbered the males as shown by the following percentages respectively for females and males. 52.9% and 47.1%. These teachers were at four different contact sessions or levels of study, viz first year (4.2%), second year (9.3%), third year (45.9%) and fourth year (40.6%).

Research Questions One and Two

Most of the teachers (89.8%) had positive attitude to environmental issues while the remaining teachers (10.2%) had negative attitude. Also, most of the teachers (86.1%) disclosed that they engaged in desirable environmental practices while only a few of them (13.9%) displayed undesirable environmental behaviours.

Research Questions Three, Four and Five

Gender and level of study did not significantly influence teachers attitude. According to Tables 1 and 2, the chi square values calculated for gender and year of study were 0.95 and 4.63 respectively. But the influence of area of specialization was significant, since the calculated chi-square (14.13) is greater than the table value (11.07). Teachers of Social studies, Mathematics and English, had more positive attitudes than those of Science and Yoruba. Most of the teachers of French had negative attitudes.

Table 1

Chi-Square Analysis of the Influence of Gender on Teachers Attitudes to Environmental Issues

GenderFrequencies of Teachers AttitudesTotal

NegativePositive

Male97988

Female108999

Total19168187

X2(1,0.05)= 0.85Not Significant

Table 2

Chi-Square Analysis of the Influence of Year of Study on Teachers

Attitudes to Environmental Issues

Year of StudyFrequencies of Teachers AttitudesTotal

NegativePositive

1st 268

2nd 41418

3rd 38285

4th106676

Total19168187

X2(3,0.05)= 4.63Not Significant

Table 3

Chi-Square Analysis of the Influence of Area of Specialization on

Teachers Attitudes to Environmental Issues

Area of Specialization Frequencies of Teachers AttitudesTotal

NegativePositive

Science17 (87%)8

Social studies67 (91%)78

Mathematics330 (90%)33

English 342 (93%)45

Yoruba317 (85%)20

French31 (33%)4

Total19 (10.2%)168 (89.8%)187

X2(5,0.05)= 14.13Not Significant

Research Questions Six, Seven and Eight

Again, the independent variables of gender and year of study were not significant influences on teachers environmental practices (see Tables 4 and 5) The calculated chi-square values.

Table 4

Chi-Square Analysis of the Influence of Gender on

Environmental Practice of Teachers

GenderFrequencies of Teachers PracticesTotal

NegativePositive

Male147488

Female128799

Total26161187

X2(1,0.05)= 1.45Not Significant

Table 5

Chi-Square Analysis of the Influence of Year of Study on Teachers

Environmental Practices

Year of StudyFrequencies of Teachers PracticesTotal

NegativePositive

1st 2810

2nd 51217

3rd 68086

4th136174

Total26161187

X2(3,0.05)= 5.04Not Significant

Table 6

Chi-Square Analysis of the Influence of Area of Specialization on

Teachers Environmental Practices

Area of Specialization Frequencies of Teachers PracticesTotal

NegativePositive

Science35 (63%)8

Social studies1167 (86%)78

Mathematics527 (84%)32

English 441 (91%)45

Yoruba119 (95%)20

French22 (50%)4

Total26 (13.9%)161 (86.1%)187

X2(5,0.05)= 27.40Significant

Calculated value of 27.40 is greater than the tabulate value of 11.07. Teachers of Social Studies, English and Yoruba, exhibited more desirable environmental practice than teachers of Science, Mathematics and French.

Research Question Nine

According to table 7, the correlation co-efficient showing the relationship of attitudes and practices is 0.03. This is low, but positive. To decide whether it is significant or not, the figure was converted into a t-test statistics, using the following formula:

r(( n 2

tcal = 1 r2

where n = number of sampled teachers and r = co-efficient of correlation. That calculated (t) value is 13.61, whereas the t tabulated is 1.65. This means that here is a significant relationship between teachers attitudes and environmental practices.

Table 7

Relationship Between Teachers Attitudes and Practices Concerning Environmental Issues

VariablesNMeanStd Dev.R

Attitudes1871.910.310.03

Practices1871.860.37

t (185.0.05 = 3.61 Significant

Discussion of Findings

The findings of this study are as follows: (a) About 90% of the teachers had favourable environmental attitudes; (b) About 86% of the respondents practiced desirable environmental behaviour (c) Gender and year of student were not significant influences on teachers attitudes and behaviour; (d) Area of specialization significantly influenced teachers attitudes and practices concerning environmental issues; (e) Teachers environmental attitudes were positively and significantly related to their environmental practices.

The following discussions are based upon the assumption that the findings of the present study are valid. It is well known that peoples response to questionnaires and interviews are subject to constraints and distortions (Oppenhem, 1966). The measures taken to reduce these problems include the compilation of the questionnaire in complete anonymity and without giving room for consultations among the respondents.

The finding that most of the teachers had positive attitudes and desirable environmental behaviour is not surprising. The respondents are matured adults, not adolescents. They are mostly married people. They hold the Nigeria Certificate in Education and or the Associateship Diploma in Education which qualify them to teach Education and or the Associateship Diploma in Education which qualify them to teach at the primary and secondary school levels. They have been teaching for upwards of five years. Moreover, these teachers have come into regular contact with environmental education either in their teaching duties or in the mass media (print or electronic). They are also participating in the national monthly environmental sanitation exercise and the annual free planning campaigns. For these reasons, the respondents, who are student teachers are expected to have positive attitudes and practice desirable environmental behaviours. These teachers, like Larsen (1976) found, tended to have positive attitudes and Welch (1982) found that education had a significant influence.

The finding that Social studies, English, Yoruba and Mathematics teahers, had more positive attitudes and exhibited more desirable practices than teachers of Science and Mathematics, is not easy to understand and explain. Having said that it is clear that Social studies teachers have learnt and taught a subject which emphasizes the interaction of human, and the human, the physical and social environment. For this reason, these teachers are likely to be more aware of the consequences of man and environmental relationships which have a lot to do with environment issues. In addition, teachers of English and Yoruba, are in a better position to profit from the information and education dished out by the mass media in English and Yoruba.

Lastly, that there is a positive and significant relationship between attitudes and practices is easily explained, at least on theoretical grounds. As since most of the teachers possessed positive attitudes, they are expected to practice responsible environmental behaviour.

Implications of the Findings

The national environmental education curriculum is part of the national citizenship education which is expected to be taught at the junior and senior secondary school levels (Adedayo and Olawepo, 1997). There is the need to make the curriculum available to teachers of selected subjects to select and incorporate aspects of it into their scheme of work and their teaching. English and Social studies at the primary and junior secondary schools should be made two of the carrier subjects of environmental education just as there are carrier subjects for population education in Nigeria (Oroge, 1989). It is in this way that both the teachers and their students will have enhanced attitudes and practices concerning environmental issues.

References

Adedayo, A. O., Olawepo J.A. (1997). Integration of Environmental Education in Social sciences Curriculum at the Secondary School Level in Nigeria: Problems and Prospects. Environmental Education Research, 3(1) 83 93.

Aina, E.O.A. (1992). Our Environment Government Initiative and Childrens Environmental Education an Instrument of Change. A Paper presented at the UNESCO Sub Regional Workshop at Lagos.

Awosolu, E.O. (1997). Environmental Sanitation and Development. An Assessment of the Monthly Sanitation Exercise in Ilesa Urban of Osun State. A paper Presented at the Sixth National Conference of the National Association of Social Studies Educationist at Okene.

Ben-Elia, N. (1980). Environmental Values and the Subjective Assessment of Residential Quality. Dissertation Abstracts International 41 (1), 433A.

Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA) (1989). National Policy on the Environment. Lagos Federal Government Press.

Larsen, P.E. (1976). Environmental Value Orientations and Methods of Teaching Environmental values in the Elementary School. Dissertation Abstracts International 38 (5), 3398A.

Noibi, A. S. (1982). Relationship Between Reasoning Levels and Selected Environmental values Among Teachers in Nigeria Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, University of Ibadan.

Oppenhem, A. M. (1966). Questionnaire Design and Attitude Measurement, London: Heinemann.

Oroge, S. A. (1989). Population Family life Education for Adolescents Through Formal School sector. The Nigerian Experience. Population Education Information Series. 5- 11.

Salami, E.F.K. (1997). Environmental Education and Ondo State Secondary School Students Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices: Implications for Current Development, Ondo State University.

Welch, M.L. (1982). A Examination of the Relationships between Environmental, Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviour. Dissertation Abstracts International 43(4). 853A.PAGE 16