Page 1 of 17
Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal – Vol. 8, No. 8
Publication Date: August 25, 2021
DOI:10.14738/assrj.88.10654. Gikonyo, J. M., Anyango, S. O., & Agwata, J. F. (2021). Assessing the Influence of School Environmental Programmes on the
Environmental Attitudes and Behaviour Among Secondary School Students in Muranga County, Kenya. Advances in Social Sciences
Research Journal, 8(8). 438-454.
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Assessing the Influence of School Environmental Programmes on
the Environmental Attitudes and Behaviour Among Secondary
School Students in Muranga County, Kenya
Josphat M. Gikonyo
Centre for Advanced Studies in Environmental Law and Policy
University of Nairobi, Kenya
Stephen O. Anyango
Centre for Advanced Studies in Environmental Law and Policy
University of Nairobi, Kenya
Jones F. Agwata
Department of Environmental Sciences, Machakos University, Kenya
ABSTRACT
Environmental degradation is a major challenge which requires appropriate
strategies to reverse the situation. One of such strategies is experiential
environmental education among high school students who, through change of
attitudes and behavior, are able to participate in various environmental
management activities. In this study the pro-environmental attitudes and behavior
of high school students in Murang’a County, Kenya were examined to assess how
environmental education programmes among the students affected environmental
issues of waste management, water resources management, natural resources
management and climate change in the schools. Nine hundred and sixty-one (961)
students from nineteen (19) high schools from two sub-counties in the County was
used in the study. The Likert type questionnaire and the 2-MEV Scale were used to
collect the required data. The t-test statistic was applied to determine any
differences between the variables. Results showed significant differences in pro- environmental attitudes and behavior with regard to solid waste management,
water resources management, natural resources management. There were
significant differences with regard to solid waste management, natural resources
management, climate change and environmental concerns between members of
Environmental Clubs and non-members. Pro-environmental attitudes and behavior
were influenced by current membership of the Clubs rather than past membership.
It is concluded that experiential environmental programmes improve the student’s
pro-environmental attitudes and behavior hence environmental management
within the schools. It is recommended that appropriate policies be formulated to
enhance the implementation of school experiential environmental programmes to
ensure capacity building of the learners to effectively manage environmental issues
in the schools.
Keywords: Environmental Education, Experiential Environmental Progammes, Pro- environmental Attitudes and Behaviors
Page 2 of 17
439
Gikonyo, J. M., Anyango, S. O., & Agwata, J. F. (2021). Assessing the Influence of School Environmental Programmes on the Environmental Attitudes
and Behaviour Among Secondary School Students in Muranga County, Kenya. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 8(8). 438-454.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.88.10654
INTRODUCTION
Environmental degradation is a growing problem both locally and internationally, and will
continue to be an issue in the future (Joldersma, 2017). This is because of the belief that “natural
and physical resources are free and inexhaustible, and that the environment can assimilate all
our wastes, leading to unsustainable use of resources” (Yarime et. al ,2012). Indeed,
conservation scientists now posit that the earth is facing a sixth mass extinction (Johnson
2017). The on-going degradation can be attributed directly to human activity which has
contributed significantly to the increasing crisis (Joldersma, 2017).
Therefore, since human action is at the heart of environmental issues, sustainable development
ultimately depends on changing human behavior (Zelenika et. al, 2018). Notably, it has been
noted that environmental degradation has been preceded by a long-standing erosion of
environmental values from the human value system (Sanrakshan, 2014), which means it can
also be managed by changing relevant behavior. Indeed, according to Glažar et. al (1998),
negative attitudes towards the environment and a low level of environmental awareness
among the population are variables that can have a great social impact, highlighting the need
for education for sustainable development.
Solutions to environmental issues acknowledge that environmental problems are not only
problems of development, but basically problems of knowledge and education that go beyond
learning about the environment, and that also have to do with the way in which environmental
problems are understood and addressed (Sharma, 2016). Subsequently, coping with these
problems requires education and engagement (Dillon, 2016), making environmental education
increasingly important (Wals, 2014).
Environmental education is thus the key catalyst (Kaur, 2020), for the needed change, and a
primary means of achieving environmental protection (Sharma, 2016). It is among the most
effective strategies that does not require a large enough cost to change people's perspectives
and attitudes towards the environment (Habibie, 2020).
To halt and reverse the ongoing degradation therefore requires appropriate mechanisms and
strategies that promote environmental education, including policy formulation at both global,
national and local levels, and upscaling of best practices. One other strategy to address this issue
points at experiential environmental education among high school students who, through
change of attitudes and behavior, are able to participate in various activities that conserve the
environment.
In Kenya, environmental education (EE), both formal and informal, has been introduced to
change students’ attitudes and to appreciate environmental concerns (GoK, 2013). Kenya has
incorporated environmental education considerations in the school curriculum (Kenya
Institute of Education, 2002) and integrated it in the teaching of various subjects, both in the
sciences and social subjects. This teaching of environmental education in Kenyan schools aims
to develop in the students an appreciation of the environment, create positive attitudes and
thereafter facilitate positive behaviors which will lead to the effective management and
conservation of the environment (Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development, 2016).
Page 3 of 17
440
Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal (ASSRJ) Vol. 8, Issue 8, August-2021
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Subsequently, the knowledge and education among the students should be made manifest
through positive environmental attitudes and behavior in society, leading to sustainable
environmental management in the country.
However, despite environmental education being implemented in schools, the anthropogenic
environmental impacts continue to increase in scale, which implies that the results on EE have
not been seen (Kristalinawati, 2019). This means that EE as taught in schools does not seem to
have the desired impact of promoting environmental conservation and instilling pro- environmental values and behavior. As such, the ongoing environmental degradation
challenges have not been adequately addressed with most Kenyan citizens exhibiting poor
environmental attitudes made manifest through negative environmental behavior.
To boost environmental literacy and pro-environmental behavior, several experiential
programmes are run in schools through clubs and societies. The purpose of this study was to
investigate whether students’ engagement in these experiential environmental programmes,
which provide direct learning and conservation experiences among secondary school students,
positively impacts on instilling pro-environmental attitudes and behavior among learners in
Kenya and Muranga county in particular. The study compared environmental knowledge,
attitudes, and practices of secondary school students in their final year of secondary education
who have participated in such experiential environmental programmes, so as to assess pro- environmental behavior which is an indicator of environmental education success (Hidayah,
2017).
STUDY AREA, APPROACH AND METHODOLOGY
The study sites were located in two sub-counites in Muranga County, one of the 47 counties in
Kenya. The county is in Central Kenya and is located in the Upper River Tana region. The County
was selected because learners here have a higher chance in engaging in environmental
management activities. The site also gives two different eco-systems – one that is semi-arid in
the lowlands, and another that is humid in the highlands, and which mirrors the Kenya country
context with regards to highlands and Arid and Semi Arid lands (ASALs), meaning that study
results from the study can be cascaded to reflect the situation in the country. The study sample
was drawn from 19 secondary schools, of which 9 were from Kahuro (in the highlands) and 9
in Muranga South (in the ASALs) sub-counties. The total number of students sampled were 961,
of which 44% were from Kahuro and 56% from Murang’a South. In terms of gender, female
students were 58.8% and male were 41.2% of the total sample.
The study used quantitative methods in the collection of knowledge, attitudes and practices
among the secondary school students. The questionnaire used tailored and based on the
Environmental Attitude/Awareness Scale of Hassan Taj Environmental Attitude Scale; the 2-
MEV Scale; "Attitude Scale for Environmental Issues" developed by Saraç and Kan (2015); and
standardized tool of Environmental Behavior Scale (EBS) by Urmila Verma and Archana Singhal
(2012). The questionnaire focused on knowledge, attitudes and practices, and avoided
questions of an academic nature.