Effects of environmental education on college students’ environmental knowledge, concern for the environment and willingness to participate in restorative efforts

Background/Question/Methods

Environmental education benefits students in multiple ways, notably by increasing environmental knowledge, awareness of interdependency, and confidence in environmental investigation/problem solving.  However, a large portion of the environmental education research that has been done has focused on students at the K-12 levels, or college students who voluntarily seek environmental experiences either through extra-curricular involvement or focused academic study. This research investigates the effects of environmental education on college students enrolled in a 100-level environmental science course at a liberal arts institution.  This course fulfills a general education requirement and therefore enrolls a significant number of non-science majors.  Specifically, we aim to determine (1) environmental knowledge learning gains and (2) willingness to participate in and/or contribute to environmental restoration as a result of enrolling in the course. To assess environmental knowledge and willingness, we developed an objective environmental exam and survey that we gave at the beginning of and at the end of the semester.  We scored items and calculated normalized learning gains for students.  Differences were analyzed using a two-tailed T-test, and relationships between objective items and willingness questions were explored.  

Results/Conclusions

All thirty-eight students enrolled in the course volunteered to participate in the study; 33 of them were non-science majors.  The mean score on the pre-exam(out of 30) of 16.88+ 0.57 was significantly lower than the post-test score of 21.70 + 0.64, suggesting that students did increase their environmental knowledge as a result of the course (T-test, p=1.7E-09).  The mean, normalized learning gain for the course was 0.36.  In particular, student knowledge of environmental concepts increased. For the 10-point Likert scale survey questions regarding willingness to participate in environmental restoration, students showed a half point increase post-instruction. However, specific questions resulted in greater average increases including questions related to concern for environmental health, environmental education and willingness to contribute economically to restoration efforts. Results suggest that environmental education experiences at the college level result in increases in environmental knowledge as well as some changes in willingness to contribute to environmental restoration. These results support the inclusion of environmental education in college programs as students’ minds and attitudes appear to be affected positively by the learning experience. It is important for the next generation to be knowledgeable about these topics, and that learning does not need to occur only in K-12 schooling.