Water education in school curricula: impact on children knowledge, attitudes and behaviours towards water use

Abstract

At present, there are alarming reports raising serious concerns about water availability in many countries including Morocco. In this context of water scarcity and increasing water demand, education may play a crucial role in transforming values and habits that promote a sustainable management of the resource. Therefore water education topics should be incorporated in school curricula. The first objective of the present study was to explore the status of water education in Moroccan curricula designed for Primary and Lower Secondary School levels. The second objective consisted in assessing students’ knowledge, attitudes and behaviour regarding water-related issues. The study results showed that water-related topics are incorporated in the curricula with multi and interdisciplinary approaches and the most involved are Sciences and Geography; however there is a lack of field and extracurricular activities. While students’ attitudes towards water were positive, their daily water use habits did not match attitudes. To make curricula more effective in changing students’ attitudes and behaviour regarding water use and conservation, water-topics should be taught in accessible ways using values-driven education and innovative methods, field trips and school life activities.

Keywords:

• Attitudes
• behaviour
• children
• curriculum
• water education

Disclosure statement

None declared.