Scientific Environmental Competencies (SC, SR, SB) across the Six Environmental Principles

Table 3 shows the ranks in SC, SR, and SB by the student-participants across the six environmental principles. Although the learners’ population received the highest mean score in the domain ‘Change’ in SC, it does not mean that environmental concepts are well-received, especially in regard to human actions toward the environment without considering nature’s systems and processes. The results show that although the students are generally aware of global environmental problems such as climate change, it was not reflected in their SR. However, they feel generally uninformed about the impacts on health of chemicals used in everyday products, as shown in the domains ‘Finiteness of Resources’ and ‘Change’.

Table 3. Mean responses on the SC, SR, and SB across the six environmental principles (N = 177)

Results in the domains ‘Materials Cycle’ and ‘Change’ call for the integration of science education and EE, for instance, proper waste disposal. It should be taught in a manner that will make the students see its relevance in their own lives. This scenario calls for the public’s attention to minimize pollution and environmental damage, starting from teaching EE to students in school. This could lead to make learners become much aware of sustainable environmental issues. Similarly, the levels of their SC in ‘Balance of Nature’ and ‘Interdependence’ need to be addressed. For the domain ‘Balance of Nature’, the students were asked to rate their knowledge regarding the threats to extinction of species, the methods causing ecological damage, the importance of composting, the 3R’s (reduce, reuse, recycle), the human activities threatening ecological imbalance, the result of deforestation, and the interconnectedness of biotic and abiotic factors. For the domain ‘Interdependence’, the students responded to the questions relating to the importance of every organism as a vital link in the chain of life. These findings may be representative of a more general disconnect between science education instruction and the students’ daily life activities. To address the gaps in the present situation in the science curricula, students should be able to apply the concepts they learned in their daily activities, and they should be applied continuously throughout their lives as part of lifelong learning. Teaching and learning process should centre on making students understand the core of EE on real-world context.

Results also showed that the SC of the learners’ population in domains ‘Finiteness of Resources’ and ‘Diversity and Stability’ translates limited knowledge about the following topics: government laws attempting to limit the use of finite resources; human activities which contribute to the scarcity of resources; the impact of unlimited use of our natural resources; and the significance of the diverse species and stability of biodiversity to attain global sustainability. Even though this study is local, understanding EE is a collaboration of content and pedagogy that gets students interested in studying the environment to ‘encourage behaviour change and action’ (Thomas, Reference Thomas2005).

Take, for instance, the issue of global warming, which is one of the predominant problems of climate change (Tolppanen & Aksela, Reference Tolppanen and Aksela2018). For an issue this big, experts should not shoulder the burden alone of rectifying the problem and providing the necessary solution. Learners experience climate change. Thereby, issues in climate change must go beyond classroom experience. The much-needed actions should start from individuals who are knowledgeable and capable enough to participate in protecting and caring for the environment. It is a shared responsibility for all global citizens; therefore, it requires public involvement (Hunter & Brehm, Reference Hunter and Brehm2003). However, challenges in climate change education are highly affected by the media (Schreiner, Henriksen, & Hansen et al., Reference Schreiner, Henriksen and Hansen2005; Svihla & Linn, Reference Svihla and Linn2012), and the science behind climate change is quite complicated (Svihla & Linn, Reference Svihla and Linn2012). There should be a deeper understanding of the nature of science based on scientific research and findings (Hodson, Reference Hodson2008, Reference Hodson2011), which is crucial in answering students’ questions about climate change (Tolppanen & Aksela, Reference Tolppanen and Aksela2018). Students’ understanding should be enough to connect the dots among the species and realize the role each plays in the world’s one big ecosystem wherein human beings have a huge responsibility.

Findings showed that everyday activities that could help reduce environmental effect were part of learners’ comprehension of the concept of ‘Change’. These include using labour to reduce waste and achieve carbon neutrality, using efficient lighting, and recycling and reusing materials. It also showed that the ideas of conservation, preservation, proper allocation of natural resources, and responsiveness to practices are relevant to the learners’ comprehension of the domains of ‘Finiteness of Resources,’ ‘Balance of Nature’, and ‘Interdependence’. Such activities do not pose a threat to natural processes and cycles of nature. The community clean-up activity will invite people to attend and give emphasis to reducing instead of reusing and recycling waste. And taking pictures instead of getting souvenirs from the natural habitat and reducing meat consumption to cut down on ‘our carbon footprint’.

With regard to SB, the issues that need to be addressed in this study are the domains of ‘Diversity and Stability’ and ‘Finiteness of Resources’, which focus on action skills as follows: pro-environmental practices such as preservation of wildlife species, reducing waste by using existing materials instead of buying new ones, reusing containers because plastics take hundreds of years to degrade, and recycling materials to lessen a pile of waste. It was also revealed that the student-participants were more motivated in the domain of ‘Change’ while the domain of ‘Materials Cycle’ needed more pro-environmental attention. The result showed that student-participants need to be engaged in actions and behaviour reflecting a positive impact towards achieving a more sustainable environment. As part of the solution to environmental problems (Braun & Dierkes, Reference Braun and Dierkes2017), people need to get back in touch with the natural world by interacting directly with its parts.

All the six environmental domains obtained a narrow mean score difference from each other and received the same remark of ‘Fair’. This indicates that environmental concepts were not highly included in the student-participants’ curriculum. Thus, environmental information that may provide useful inputs through EE programmes must be observed in the learners’ cognitive development. It was also noted that the prevalence of knowledge gained a central focus in the EE evaluation (Stern, Powell, & Hill, Reference Stern, Powell and Hill2014). Hence, educators must not only be more equipped with cognitive skills to provide factual information to students, but they must also create a learning environment that encourages learners to utilize experiences as a vital role in increasing the knowledge of the populace and thereby inculcating a positive attitude and behaviour towards the environment (Erhabora & Don, Reference Erhabora and Don2016) in order to inform more effective processes for achieving educational change.

What emerged from this study was coherent evidence for cause-and-effect relationships and evidence that SB of students can be strengthened in schools through the integration of structured or unstructured EE programmes that have an important role to play in the process of changing society. EE should be a bigger part of the curriculum than just ‘adding’ environmental issues to what is already being taught (Conde & Sanchez, Reference Conde and Sanchez2010). This is in line with the Philippine national standards.

Correlation Matrix of the Variables

Based on the correlation (Table 4), the results showed that there was a highly significant relationship (p-level = 0.009) between SC and SR. There was also an extremely significant relationship (p-level = 0.000) between SR and SB.

Table 4. Correlation matrix between demographic variables and scientific environmental competencies

** Correlation is significant at 0.05 level (2-tailed).

Findings from this study show that SC is a key aspect in translating SR, which is a precursor to positive behavioural actions. These behavioural changes of students can then be strengthened in schools which serve as an avenue for the incorporation of EE programmes into the curriculum aligned with conceptual, behavioural, and action-oriented principles underlying EE. Research findings have shown that behaviours and attitude towards environmental responsibility maybe influenced by the individual’s knowledge about the issue (Sadik & Sari, Reference Sadik and Sari2010; Sadik & Sari, Reference Sadik and Sari2010). Moreover, students should have ample opportunities to put the theories they have learned into practice in a real environmental setting through environmental activities, thereby, encouraging actions towards the resolution of environmental problems (Torkar, Reference Torkar2014). Curricula on EE should, therefore, include common issues related to the environment relevant to the students’ knowledge, behaviours, and experiences (Rickinson & Sanders, Reference Rickinson and Sanders2005; Malone & Tranter, Reference Malone and Tranter2005).

The forms of learning experience that encourage and produce active and informed minds (Torkar, Reference Torkar2014) is a prerequisite to effectively address environmental problems, different types of environmental initiatives that should be implemented. Predicting behaviour in terms of environmental practices was a difficult task influenced by numerous factors (Environmental Management Programs Directory, 2015). There is a widespread agreement that solutions to environmental problems must involve the public (Rogayan & Nebrida, Reference Rogayan and Nebrida2019), and that there are many possible routes for accomplishing this task. If students who are knowledgeable about the environment act positively towards the environment, it is consistent with their knowledge that EE must become a part of the school curriculum through structured or unstructured EE programmes. In this way, EE not only promotes the development of students’ skills and knowledge for the future but may also affect the choices that these students will make as part of society. This is where the schools play as an avenue and an important place in EE. To raise the environmental awareness that translate favourable action towards the environment, based on science education cited in Hadzigeorgiou and Skoumios (Reference Hadzigeorgiou and Skoumios2013) can offer real-life learning experiences to students by presenting environmental problems or issues as context for learning, thereby, providing students with a purpose to reflect upon interrelationship between the physical and the social world. At the same time, it is also imperative to engage the students in a wide range of socio-environmental issues that empower them to act upon the moral principles that guide their decision-making to promote pro-environmental behaviour.

Alongside it, a multi-perspective approach should be used when educating students about the environment (Williams, Reference Williams2011). The teachers, as facilitators, must guide the students to appropriate learning resources in order for them to be more independent and action-driven learners by finding an array of teaching strategies to improve learning outcomes. Since there was minimal environmental content in the Philippine K-12 science curriculum, the need to incorporate EE through structured or unstructured EE programmes must be in the context of science concepts by exploring cognitive skills to broaden the students’ understanding of their environment, thereby nurturing a pro-environmental citizenry. To change and transform society’s favourable behaviour towards the environment, EE programmes must be available and be provided at all educational levels, thereby integrating EE into school subjects by primarily demonstrating its need, clarity, complexity, and practicality to solve environmental problems. To be motivated to work toward environmental solutions, the integration of EE must be grounded in the students’ experiences and the need for a change from their present practices, thus developing a sense of personal attachment with the environment. In the teaching of EE, environmental knowledge is a significant cognitive factor (Duschl, Schweingruber & Shouse, Reference Duschl, Schweingruber and Shouse2007; Metz, Reference Metz2008) that leads to the development of skills and attitudes (Sadik & Sari, Reference Sadik and Sari2010) necessary for responsive environmental behaviours (Dietz et al., Reference Dietz, Gardner, Gilligan, Stern and Vandenbergh2009; Zelenika, Moreau, Lane & Zhao Reference Zelenika, Moreau, Lane and Zhao2018).

Proposed Skeletal Framework of EE Programme(s)

In Figure 1, the constructs and pathways emerged from our literature review and the findings of this study. The framework of EE programmes as output of this research is expected to be effective tools in capturing students’ enthusiasm for learning multi-disciplinary science subjects.

Figure 1. Logic model of framework in the development of environmental education programme.

The framework made use of a logic model (Rothm, Reference Rothm2014) to explain the connections among the activities, inputs, and outputs of environmental programmes.

Providing the students with equitable EE programmes that integrate cognitive knowledge (SC) to translate into collaborative affective decision-making (SR) and transform learning by connecting lessons to real-life experiences by taking action-oriented tasks (SB) promoting lifelong learning opportunities. In the teaching of EE, environmental knowledge is a significant cognitive factor (Duschl, Schweingruber & Shouse, Reference Duschl, Schweingruber and Shouse2007; Metz, Reference Metz2008), which is a precursor to the acquisition of and retention of reasoning that leads to the development of skills and attitudes (Sadik & Sari, Reference Sadik and Sari2010) necessary to engage in responsible environmental behaviours (Chawla, Reference Chawla2015; Zelenika et al., Reference Zelenika, Moreau, Lane and Zhao2018; Zelenski, Dopko, & Capaldi, Reference Zelenski, Dopko and Capaldi2015).

This paper discusses how EE can be applied to a variety of situations in order to promote the effective use of EE programmes to positively influence scientific environmental competencies (SC, SR, SB), such as schoolyard habitat and greening of school grounds, waste reduction, enviro-clubs, community clean-up, multi-disciplinary art environmental programmes, and outreach programmes (Erhabor & Don, Reference Erhabor and Don2016). The acquisition of new knowledge and skills must be strengthened in schools as an avenue and an important part of these EE programmes. As a formal ground for teaching and learning, schools have a vital role to play in preparing students to acquire the knowledge, skills, perspectives, and practices they need to be environmentally responsible citizens (Ontario Ministry of Education, 2007). In the integration of these EE programmes, the school curriculum must take full advantage of the potential of EE to provide opportunities to gain insights into the fields of sciences and their connection to the natural world. This means that schools should be an avenue to teach children how to become pro-active in environmental management as well as environmental protection.

Learning and exploring the natural environment through science beyond the four walls of classrooms (Barton & Pretty, Reference Barton and Pretty2010; Kaplan & Kaplan, Reference Kaplan and Kaplan2011) could foster an effective safe use of environmental resources, thereby making the most space in schools (Jensen & Schnack, Reference Jensen and Schnack2006; Williams, Reference Williams2011). In addition, Matthies-Lindermann et al. (Reference Matthies-Lindermann, Constantinou, Junge, Köhler, Mayer and Nagel2009) mentioned that teachers should be trained since they have a big multiplier effect and to enable them to facilitate the teaching and learning of EE (as cited in Kimaryo, Reference Kimaryo2011). Teaching methods that are active as well as participatory and are related to real-life situations may be used to raise environmental awareness. To easily transform the students’ SC, teachers should find ways to help the students acknowledge environmental issues and problems (SR) and acquire positive SB.

Integration of EE should be perceived as a universal responsibility and must happen beyond the four walls of the classroom. To expand learning beyond the four walls of the classroom, the school ground can serve as an integral part of the outdoor space for learning to provide students with opportunities to use real-life situations to make learning more meaningful. Learners should be encouraged to think about all sides of environmental issues. This will not only help them understand the topic better, but it will also help them develop critical thinking skills. In addition to its effects, natural settings provide a more supportive context for learning (Kuo, Barnes, & Jordan, Reference Kuo, Barnes and Jordan2019) and are associated with intrinsic motivation (Fagerstam & Blom, Reference Fagerstam and Blom2012; Hobbs, Reference Hobbs2015), which is crucial for student engagement and longevity of interest in learning. Findings in the study further revealed that learning experiences in the classroom can teach students to improve their environmental behaviours and positively respond to natural changes.

The integration of environmental issues into the EE programmes gives the positive behaviour modification and action competence required to emulate environmental practices (Jensen & Schnack, Reference Jensen and Schnack2006). The school as an important place of EE sheds light on considering diverse perspectives in the teaching of EE in the science curricula across school levels. However, it must be pointed out that direct experience with the environment is not the simple answer to a more intact EE among students. Outdoor experiences are only useful if students know what to do when they are in direct interaction in the context of study, such as an actual environmental setting. However, without prior environmental knowledge, they may not be able to see the environment in the way that is expected of them, nor would they become engaged in hands-on, experiential, and often outdoor environmental practices (Borchers et al., Reference Borchers, Boesch, Riedel, Guilahoux, Ouattara and Randler2013). Lessons and activities in school as an important part of EE must be more than academic schooling and behaviour modification. In teaching students to become environmentally responsible citizens, it is necessary to make present and future citizens capable of acting on a societal as well as a personal level through real-life experiences aimed at integrating EE. Exploring EE can serve as a teaching opportunity to engage students in the lessons, as it has the potential to combine the outdoors with instructional practices. The school curriculum, as part of the process in the teaching of EE, must be necessarily open and flexible, not in the form of isolated teaching units but as clear connecting axes of objectives, content, and procedural principles endowing the different subjects with coherence and solidarity (Conde & Sanchez, Reference Conde and Sanchez2010), safeguarding the interconnections of science and EE into all areas of knowledge and in the everyday lives of students in schools.

In the context of these concerns, interactions that take place during learning serve as progressions that could establish positive behavioural outcomes as outputs of the proposed EE programmes. Creating synergy between science education and EE can be linked through EE programmes which provide opportunities for new forms of education (Wals, Brody, Dillon, & Stevenson, Reference Wals, Brody, Dillon and Stevenson2014) which are more responsive to the current situation in the Philippines as well as to global challenges.

By providing equitable EE programmes that integrate cognitive knowledge (SC) to translate collaborative affective decision-making (SR) and transform learning by connecting lessons to real-life experiences by taking action-oriented tasks (SB), we will enable the learners to have a sense of connection with their environment, promoting lifelong learning opportunities. Thus, the key aspects in the acquisition of new knowledge and skills that translate into positive behavioural actions bounded by environmental principles can be achieved by gaining optimal insight into the subject at hand and seeing its relevance in a wider context while becoming active learners in the 21st century.