Carbon Footprint: Senior High School

Students’ Level of Environmental

Knowledge and its Relationship to
their Environmental Sensitivity
JULIET I. VILLARUEL
Presenter
Introduction

Anthropogenic climate change is an established

phenomenon. Within the scientific community, the
question is no longer whether climate change will
occur, but rather, at what rate, what effects and
what, if there’s any, can we do about it. The biggest
culprit in climate change is an increase in
atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) which is generally
primarily through burning of fossil fuels. (Raven,
Hassenzahl and Berg, 2013)
Introduction

The 2018 Global Emissions Report released by the

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
showed that global carbon dioxide emissions rose
again after a three-year hiatus, highlighting the
imperative to deliver on the historic Paris
agreement to keep global warming to below 20C
above pre-industrial levels. The report also stated
that emissions had to stop rising now, in order to
keep temperature increases to 1.50C and reduce the
risks for the well-being of the planet and its people.
(Xinhua, 2018)
Introduction

In line with this, it is in the schools where the

students are taught about the value of
environmental friendliness. Although there are a
vast number of DepEd memoranda and orders that
are promulgated and have been implemented to
make nature sustainable, the biggest question is yet
left unanswered: Are the students aware on how
they are doing to mitigate the effects of global
climate change?
Theoretical Framework

This study was anchored on the UN Charter

for Nature which reaffirms that man must
acquire knowledge to maintain and enhance his
ability to use natural resources in a manner that
ensures the preservation of the species for the
benefit of the present and future generations.
The charter likewise affirms that knowledge of
nature shall be broadly disseminated by all
possible means, particularly by ecological
education as an integral part of the general
education.
Conceptual Framework
Statement of the Problem
The study deals with the senior high school
students’ level of environmental knowledge and its
relationship to their Environmental Sensitivity.
Specifically, it seeks to answer the following
questions:
1. What is the level of knowledge of senior high
school students when taken as an entire group?
2. What is the level of knowledge of senior high
school students when classified according to their
ways of acquiring knowledge and sex?
Statement of the Problem
3. What is the environmental sensitivity of senior
high school students when taken as an entire group?
4. What is the environmental sensitivity of senior
high school students when classified according to
their ways of acquiring knowledge and sex?
5. Is there a significant difference between the
students’ environmental knowledge and their way of
acquiring knowledge and sex?
Statement of the Problem
6. Is there a significant difference between the
students’ environmental sensitivity and their way of
acquiring knowledge and sex?
7. Is there a significant relationship between the
students’ level of environmental knowledge and
environmental sensitivity?
Alternative Hypotheses

 There is a significant difference between the

students’ environmental knowledge and their
ways of acquiring knowledge and sex.
 There is a significant difference between the
students’ environmental sensitivity and their ways
of acquiring knowledge and sex.
 There is a significant relationship between the
students’ level of environmental knowledge and
environmental sensitivity.
Scope and Delimitations of the Study

The study deals with the senior high school

students’ level of environmental knowledge and its
relationship to their environmental sensitivity of
Kinalangay Viejo Integrated School in Kinalangay
Viejo, Malinao, Aklan, during the school year 2019-
2020. The study was focused only on the grade 11
and grade 12 students since they are ones who have
taken up most, if not all, of the competencies that
are needed of the basic education curriculum grade
level standards in science.
Significance of the Study
The findings of the study may be beneficial to
students, science teachers, school administrators,
as well as government and non-governmental
organizations.
To the students, the results of the study may be
of help for them to realize the importance of being
educated of what is going on with the environment
and the scope that it holds. The results may also
help them in their day-to-day activities so that they
can make earth-friendly decisions and actions to
promote the preservation of our nature.
Significance of the Study
Having the right information of the relationship
of environmental knowledge and the environmental
sensitivity from different activities, the results of
this study may help science teachers formulate
their lessons and construct teaching strategies that
leads to a more effective and meaningful learning.
School heads may utilize the results of this study
to serve as bases for conducting school activities,
prioritize making school projects that promote
environmental awareness and help them to advance
the school’s advocacy for environmental protection
and conservation.
Significance of the Study
Lastly, the study may be of help to governmental
and non-governmental organizations in realizing not
only the importance of acquiring technical
knowledge about the environment but also the need
for developing the right environmental attitudes
and practices of the citizens.
Methodology
Research Design
This study aims to determine the senior high school
students’ level of environmental knowledge and its
relationship to their environmental sensitivity.
The study employed the descriptive correlational
method of research. According to Pagoso and Montana
(2003), descriptive research is concerned with the
gathering, classification and presentation of data and the
collection of summarized values to describe the group
characteristics of data. Correlational research, on the
other hand, according to Fraenkel, Wallen and Hyun
(2012), involves studying relationships among variables
within a single group and frequently suggests the
possibility of cause and effect.
Respondents
Out of the 69 senior high school students enrolled
in Kinalangay Viejo Integrated School, 29 of which
are grade 12 students and 40 are grade 11, 59
students were selected. Using the stratified
proportional random sampling, the respondents
were drawn in such a way that the distribution of
the number of students is proportionate to the total
number of respondents.
Data Gathering Instruments

Two quantitative instruments were used in the

study: Test on Environmental Knowledge, a
researcher-made questionnaire to measure the
knowledge of environmental concepts, principles as
well as issues and problems and an adapted WWF –
Philippines’ Carbon Footprint Checklist to test their
environmental sensitivity.
Data Gathering Instruments

Test on Environmental Knowledge

The researcher made use of a modified version of
the 35-item test created by Oebanda, (2009). Since
the test was originally made for college freshmen
students and was formulated ten years ago, the
researcher made some revisions to suit the
students’ educational level and to associate it with
the expected grade level standards of the K to 12
basic education curriculum.
Data Gathering Instruments

Test on Environmental Knowledge

The researcher revised the test questionnaire
and added some questions based on the following
topics; pollution (land, air, water), natural
resources, conservation of natural resources, solid
waste management, species interaction,
environmental issues and problems, and
environmental concepts and principles. These topics
were also used in constructing the one-way table of
specification for the test on environmental
knowledge.
Data Gathering Instruments

The researcher revised the test questionnaire

and added some questions based on the following
topics; pollution (land, air, water), natural
resources, conservation of natural resources, solid
waste management, species interaction,
environmental issues and problems, and
environmental concepts and principles. These topics
were also used in constructing the one-way table of
specification for the test on environmental
knowledge.
Data Gathering Instruments
Each correct answer was given a score of one point, while a
wrong answer was not given a point. The test scale was used
to indicate the respondent’s level of knowledge as classified
below:
Score Range Description
0 – 6 points very low level of knowledge
7 – 13 points low level of knowledge
14 – 20 points average level of knowledge
21 – 27 points high level of knowledge
28 – 35 points very high level of knowledge
 Data Gathering Instruments
Environmental Sensitivity
The adapted activity-based WWF – Philippines’ Carbon
Footprint Checklist is used to evaluate their carbon footprint
based on the carbon emission that they are going to rate. The
researcher revised the responses from three (always, sometimes,
never) to never, seldom, often, very often and always. Each item
on the checklist was followed by the five possible responses with
respective numerical weights assigned were as follows:
Weight Responses Interpretation
1 Never none at all
2 Seldom very rarely
3 often from time to time
4 Very often most of the time
5 Always All the time
 Data Gathering Instruments
The following scales of means with corresponding
descriptions were used to interpret the scores of the
respondents:
Scale Description
1.0 - 1.79 Very low level of environmental sensitivity
1.80 – 2.59 Low level of environmental sensitivity
2.60 – 3.39 Average level of environmental sensitivity
3.40 – 4.19 High level of environmental sensitivity
4.20 – 5.00 Very high level of environmental sensitivity
Statistical Analysis of Data

The data are subjected to appropriate

descriptive and inferential statistics. The following
descriptive statistics will be used:
Mean. This is used to determine the level of
environmental knowledge and environmental
sensitivity of the respondents.
Standard Deviation. This is used to determine
the dispersion of the respondents’ scores from the
means obtained from different categories of the
study.
Statistical Analysis of Data
The inferential statistics to be used are:
Pearson’s r. This is used to measure the magnitude
and significance of the relationship between
environmental knowledge and environment sensitivity.
One-way Analysis of Variance. This statistics
determined the significant difference of the in the
students’ level of environmental knowledge and
environmental sensitivity when grouped according to
way of acquiring knowledge and sex.
All inferential statistics of the study is set to 0.05
level of significance.