Environmental Consciousness among Students in Senior Secondary Schools: the case of Hong Kong

Summary

This paper examines the level of environmental consciousness of students in an education system where curriculum objectives emphasised in the classroom are often strongly shaped by public examinations. The study sample was drawn randomly in 1993 from Secondary 5 geography classes taught by teachers who had earlier completed a survey on style and emphasis in the teaching of environmental issues. Respondents were asked to complete a questionnaire on environmental understanding, attitude and behaviour. A sample of them was given a further set of questions on participation in activities and lifestyle patterns with an environmental bearing. Findings indicate that respondents had only a limited understanding of environmental issues, especially with respect to higher order cognitive objectives like synthesis and evaluation and the comprehension of information presented in various diagrammatic forms. In terms of attitude and behaviour the degree of concern for environmental quality was also limited. Most respondents did not show much willingness to take an active role in environmental protection in cases where conflicts with personal freedom or demands on physical effort, expression of opinions or attempts to influence other people were involved. To a certain extent this pattern is the result of the rapid growth of materialistic values in society and the lack of attention to attitudinal and behavioural objectives in classroom teaching and public examinations. The coordinated efforts of teachers and supporting teams like curriculum planners, examiners and environmentalist associations are certainly required to improve the situation and promote the balanced development of environmental consciousness in schools.