An exploratory study in educating rural high school children towards maintaining an eco friendly environment

Abstract

newlineThe present study is a Ph.D work by Smt.Bhavya.N which aims at educating rural newlinehigh school children studying at Government aided high schools in Pavagada newlinetaluk towards maintaining an eco-friendly environment. newlineThe main objective of the study was to educate the experimental group of newlinerural high school children about environment, its pollution and conservation with newlinethe help of an intervention education module and compare the knowledge, newlineattitude and practices of the eco-friendly environment between control and newlineexperimental groups, between the five schools taken for the study and between newlineboys and girls. newlineThe main hypothesis was that the intervention program has helped newlinepromote knowledge, attitude and practices among the rural high school children newlinein maintaining an eco-friendly environment. newlineThree hundred ninth standard children consisting of both boys and girls newlinein the age group of 13-15 years, 152 children for the experimental group and 148 newlinechildren for the control group were selected using random sampling method from newlinefive rural Government Aided High Schools from five different villages, newlineMugadalabetta, K.T. Halli, Gujjanadu, Mangalawada and C.K.Pura, which were newlineselected using the purposive sampling method. newlineObservation, basic survey and experimental methods were the methods newlineused for data collection, the questionnaire on knowledge, attitude and practice newlinestatements being the tool. A total of 118 multiple choice questions, including 24 newlinequestions on picture perception and 20 statements each on attitude and newlinepractices were used for the pre-test and post-test. The Environment knowledge, newlineattitude, practice (EKAP) tool was prepared both in English and Kannada, since newlineKannada is the medium of instruction in the rural schools, the intervention newlineprogram also being in Kannada. newlineThe main findings of the study showed that the literacy rate in all the five newlinevillages was considerably good