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* For correspondence.
Journal of Environmental Protection and Ecology 16, No 2, 723–732 (2015)
Environmental education and training
DETERMINATION OF THE PERCEPTIONS OF SECONDARY
EDUCATION STUDENTS TOWARDS ENVIRONMENT AND
NATURE
S. OZTURKa*, K. ENEZb
aDepartment of Landscape Architecture, Faculty of Engineering and
Architecture, Kastamonu University, Kuzeykent Campus, 37 200 Kastamonu,
Turkey
E-mail: sozturk@kastamonu.edu.tr
bDepartment of Forestry Engineering, Faculty of Forestry, Kastamonu
University, Kuzeykent Campus, 37 200 Kastamonu, Turkey
Abstract. This study aimed to determine the perceptions of students aged between 13 and 18 years
regarding the environment and nature, and was conducted within the scope of a project entitled ‘En-
vironment and Nature Education through a Social Support Approach’. The project was conducted in
Kastamonu, Kastamonu Province, Turkey, with 40 students who reside in Kastamonu Social Service
and Child Protection Agency. The participants in this study were investigated using face-to-face
interviews to determine their changes of perceptions towards the environment and nature. Accord-
ing to the results of survey, the information provided during the education program was successful
in raising awareness in the participants of the ongoing global issues of the environment and nature.
Nature courses provided in formal education at school are inadequate and do not make progress in
anyway or help students choose professions in the future that are related to the environment and nature.
Keywords: environment and nature education, Kastamonu.
AIMS AND BACKGROUND
There are environmental problems worldwide that include pressure on natural
resources and ecosystems due to population increase, climate change, pollution, a
decrease in the number of species, and access to water resources. These environ-
mental issues can regionally, territorially, and globally integrate. Focused education
from elementary school to college is necessary to properly process the meaning
of nature and the environment.
Environmental education that promotes interdisciplinary inquiries can be
seen at all levels of education1. The European Consultative Forum on the Envi-
ronment and Sustainable Improvement states that one of the rst steps towards an
action responsive to the needs and interests of the people requires ‘the education
system and especially the agendas for teaching and learning in schools, but also
A15
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the curriculums for teachers should be adapted to requirements for public envi-
ronmental awareness and sustainability’2. This report reveals the necessity of a
more or less overall view of the situation formed in European Union countries on
teaching and learning on sustainable improvement3. Environmental literacy refers
to the knowledge of an individual about the environment and students behaviour
towards environmental issues, and their skills and motives aimed at the resolution
of environmental problems4.
However, developing countries such as Turkey have not yet developed efcient
education systems on the protection of the environment and natural resources.
Additionally, most research that covered children who live and grow up far
away from their family and who stay in social service and child protection agen-
cies, usually uncovered issues of negligence of nature and the environment, lack
of self-condence, ignorance of the environment, and a lack of sociability5,6.
This situation may negatively reect in these children professional and social
life in the forth-coming years. The severity of the situation resulted in a project
entitled ‘Environment and Nature Education through a Social Support Approach’
on secondary education students who reside in the Kastamonu Social Service and
Child Protection Agency. The project considered all these problems and aimed
to promote argumentative and questioning behaviour of students and to break
down the hierarchical relationship between students and teachers. The activities
which were prepared the cover with the meaning of the project are aimed to make
nature itself being as classrooms and laboratories. Within this context, recognition
of nature, discovery of nature diversity, and interaction with nature were dealt with
in an integrative approach.
Activities within the project promoted joint action of participants during
group sessions, positive and enduring behaviours, and productive questioning and
self-condence personal traits. In addition, the study aimed to avoid rote-learning
behaviours, to obtain the ability of scientic thought, and to increase participants
awareness on protection of the already-damaged environment. As a result, an
increase in the participants sense of responsibility and love for the environment
and nature was anticipated.
The project was conducted in Kastamonu Province, Turkey, which was the
centre of civilisation for centuries, and still has rich natural and cultural resources.
The city has retained the textures and structures of the important components
belonging to Rome, the period of Turkish Principalities, Ottoman, and Turkish
Republic eras.
The Ilgaz Mountain- and Kastamonu-Bartin Kure Mountains National Parks
lie within the province. The park areas are important in terms of their bio-diversity,
endemic species, and they host various types of medical and aromatic plants. The
Ilgaz Mountain National Park occupies an area of 1087 ha and is important for its
natural richness and tourism potential. The Kastamonu-Bartin Kure Mountains
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National Park covers an area of 37 000 ha and is one of the nine hot points in
Turkey and of the hundred hot points in Europe. Moreover, the park is one of the
most important national parks in Turkey and has been certicated with the PAN
Parks certication system, which is one of the most important certication systems
for protected areas in Europe.
The project was conducted in the Ilgaz Mountain National Park for the rst
four days, three days of the project took place in Taskopru, Devrekani, Daday and
Kastamonu central districts, and the last two days were in the Kastamonu-Bartin
Kure Mountains National Park (Table 1).
Table 1. Projects contents
Area Course contents
Part I
(Ilgaz Moun-
tain Natural
Park)
hotel around drama, photography, sky observation, nd-
ing ways in nature, rst aid
Arpaseki plateau biodiversity, forest ecosystem, trekking
Kirkpinar plateau ornithology, plateau tourism, forest ecosys-
tem, group games
Kadidagi picnic area orienteering, nature sports
Part II
(Kastamonu-
Taskopru-
Daday-
Devrekani)
City centrum archeological
area, historical mansions,
visit to castle
cultural heritage, urbanisation
Kucuksu picnic area environment cleaning, waste management,
water ecosystem
Pompeipolis ancient city archeological protection area
Beyler dam ornithology, usage of water resources,
water on earth
Sarpunalinca-Buz caves geological formations, trekking, cave
formation
Kasaba Village Mahmutbey
mosque
culture tourism
Daday forestry department-
plantation
tree planting
Part III
(Küre Moun-
tains Natural
Park)
Ilica falls, Horma canyon,
Valla canyon, Mantar cave,
Ejder hole
delicate ecosystem areas, global climate
change, forest res, and ecotourism activi-
ties such as trekking, canyoning, speleol-
ogy, photo-safari
Research group. This experimental study was conducted over two time periods
in secondary school students aged 13 to 18 years who stay in Kastamonu Social
Service and Child Protection Agency. The rst period was from July 23rd, 2012,
to August 1st, 2012, and the second was between August 6th and 15th, 2012. The
research group included a total of 40 students, with 20 students per term.
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Data collection methods. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews.
The data-generating questionnaire consisted of three parts. The rst part contained
questions regarding the participants general characteristics and the features of the
area in which the research was conducted (Table 2). The second part comprised
four open-ended questions that aimed to measure the participants concerns related
to nature and the environment (Table 3).
Table 2. General knowledge of the participants on environment and nature
Gender
Where did you receive information on environment and nature education?
Is school education on nature and environment sufcient?
What is your knowledge level on Ilgaz and Kure Mountains Natural Parks?
Are you a member of an association on nature and environment?
Table 3. Concerns of participants regarding the nature and environment
Please write down the associations that you know on nature and environment in Turkey
or abroad
What are the three main problems of Turkey and the world?
What is your expectation from education on nature and environment?
What should the universities do regarding protection of nature and environment?
The environment perception scale was composed of 15 questions that meas-
ured the relationship between the participations education on nature. Changes in
their perceptions related to nature were identied in the nal part of the question-
naire (Table 4). These questions include open-ended propositions regarding the
competence of the education on nature and the environment, and the participants
ideas regarding their future career plans, and important environmental terms that
were described during the education process.
Table 4. Paired samples t-test
Research group Pretesting Empiric process Final test
AG T1 Nature and environment education pro-
gramme
T1
AG – the student group that participated in the survey; T1 – environment perception scale.
Data analysis. Frequency distribution, which is one of the descriptive statistic
methods, was carried out in the rst part of the questionnaire. The open-ended
questions were calculated with percentiles to measure the participants concerns
related to nature and the environment. The Environment concern scale, which
was developed to measure changes in perceptions of participants, was used twice
on the rst day and repeated two more times on the last day of the research. The
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dependent t-test was employed in order to compare the effect of nature and the
environment education on participants.
EXPERIMENTAL
It is enlightening to explore journals of environmental education associations for
current thematic orientation of environmental education. These articles show that
the natural environment takes the most frequent share (43–60%), while urban and
global topics have a very low presence (12–29%). The observed contradiction
between the world environmental priorities and the present orientation of envi-
ronmental education shows the need of reorienting education and reinforcing the
link between environmental scientists and environmental instructors7.
Environment education methods based on experience in nature, which have
been widespread since the 1990s, are inuential over the achievement of knowledge
and values related to nature8. Research in this eld reveals that such education
methods contribute to the development of positive attitudes and behaviours of
participants, that participants knowledge on nature increases, and that emotional
relations develop between living and non-living things9.
The rst part of the survey was conducted with 20 male and 20 female par-
ticipants. We found that 55% of the participants had heard about our environment
and nature education from their teachers, whereas 35% of them had learned about
it from the posters (Table 5). When they were asked about the adequacy of school
education on nature and the environment, 45% of the participants answered that
they found it to be inadequate, whereas 35% of the respondents stated that they
found school education sufcient. It was also found that 50% of the participants
had partial knowledge on the Ilgaz and Kure Mountains National Parks. Inter-
views with the participants revealed that the participants have visited the region
for recreational purposes. 80% of the participants responded negatively when
questioned as to whether they had membership of associations related to nature
and environment. This was asked to uncover the participants prior concern with
nature and the environment.
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Table 5. Frequency distribution of the participants regarding nature and environment education
Gender F%*
Male
Female
20 50
20 50
Where did you hear about nature and environment education?
Internet
My teachers
My friends
Posters
– –
22 55
4 10
14 35
Is school education on nature and environment sufcient?
I nd it sufcient
I nd it partially sufcient
I do not nd it sufcient
14 35
8 20
18 45
What is your knowledge level on Ilgaz and Küre Mountains Natural Parks?
I have sufcient knowledge
I have partially sufcient knowledge
I am only familiar with their names
I have not heard before
4 10
20 50
13 32.5
3 7.5
Are you a member of an association on nature and environment?
Yes
No
8 20
32 80
* Percentages have been calculated according to F = 40.
In the second part of the questionnaire, only 22.5% of the participants were
able to name civil government organisations of nature and the environment. When
they were asked about the main problems of Turkey and the world, the respond-
ents gave different answers. Some 42.5% of the respondents stated environmental
pollution, 35% noted global warming, and 32.5% answered with the decrease in
forest elds, respectively (Fig. 1a). When the participants were asked about their
expectations of the education sessions, 32.5% of the respondents stated that they
expected to learn about the environment and nature, 10% stated that they expected
to increase their sensitivity towards the covered topics, and 5% stated that they
expected to enjoy the education (Fig. 1b). Finally, when the participants were
asked about the responsibilities of universities regarding nature and the environ-
ment, 12.5% replied that universities should prepare projects to inform the wider
population, whereas 5% of the participants stated that universities were required
to plant trees (Fig. 1c).
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Fig. 1. Important problems of the world and Turkey (a), expectations of participants from education
(b), expected responsibilities of universities (c)
The Environmental Perception Scale in the third part of the questionnaire
aimed to test the relationship between the participants sensitivity towards environ-
mental and natural issues, and knowledge that they acquired during the education.
In this way, we could compare the respondents answers of related concepts that
were questioned both at the beginning and at the end of the education (Table 6).
According to this table, there was no statistically meaningful change in terms of
the respondents answers regarding the adequacy of school education, compulsory
environment education, and their profession preferences. Additionally, with the
exception of the term waste, there were no signicant changes in respondents
answers to questions regarding their knowledge on all terms (ozone, acid rain,
ecology, ora, fauna, protected area, recycling, National Park, erosion, ecotourism,
biological diversity) (P< 0.05).
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Table 6. Paired samples t-test results of perceptions regarding nature and environment
F P t P
Is school education on nature sufcient? 1.419 0.237 0.875 0.384
Do you think that nature and environment education
should be compulsory?
7.614 0.007 1.433 0.156
Do you want to have a job related to nature and
environment?
8.827 0.004 0.000 1.000
Do you have knowledge about the term ozone? 16.704 0.000 –2.029 0.046
Do you have knowledge about the term acid rains? 101.541 0.000 –4.696 0.000
Do you have knowledge about the term ecology? 52.232 0.000 –5.436 0.000
Do you have knowledge about the term ora? 936.000 0.000 –7.649 0.000
Do you have knowledge about the term fauna? 936.000 0.000 –7.649 0.000
Do you have knowledge about the term protected
area?
96.680 0.000 –8.707 0.000
Do you have knowledge about the term waste? 0.394 0.532 –0.443 0.659
Do you have knowledge about the term recycling? 6.081 0.016 –2.308 0.024
Do you have knowledge about the term natural park? 26.137 0.000 –2.743 0.008
Do you have knowledge about the term erosion? 23.460 0.000 –4.006 0.000
Do you have knowledge about the term ecotourism? 28.532 0.000 –3.232 0.002
Do you have knowledge about the term biological
diversity?
37.471 0.000 –3.557 0.001
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
We attempted to educate project subjects who were selected according to the
characteristics of the project site with a participatory and questioning approach
and through special focus on problem solving. As such, the project aimed to
capture the participants interest in scientic observation and research, knowledge
on nature and the environment, and awareness on environmental problems. The
program included observation and exploration activities, which covered ecology,
recycling, protected areas, and biological diversity. Evaluation of the ndings of
the can be summarised as follows:
The results of rst part of the questionnaire showed that number of male and
female participants was equal and that sex difference had no signicant inuence
on answers to questions. Although it is known that lessons in schools on the en-
vironment and nature are rare or non-existent, 35% of the participants perceived
school education as sufcient. The rst part also revealed that the participants
had seen some of the research sites before, albeit without taking their visits with
a scientic or ecological approach, and they had no membership to organisations
related with environment and nature. This situation asserts the participants indif-
ference to nature and the environment prior to the project.
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The open-ended questions in the second part of the questionnaire revealed
that the participants could name only two of the nongovernmental institutions that
work in the eld of nature and the environment. Participants stated that environ-
mental pollution, global warming, and the disappearance of forests were the main
problems of Turkey and the world. These answers indicate a positive change in
the attitudes of participants regarding their sensitivity to environmental problems
and environmental protection. The prime expectation of the participants from the
educational program was to gain knowledge on the environment and nature. The
respondents also stated that universities primary responsibility regarding the en-
vironment should be to increase social awareness. These answers reveal that this
kind of education should be sustained.
According to the results of the Environmental Perception Scale, which was
conducted before and after the program, an increasingly positive knowledge regard-
ing the terms of ozone, acid rain, ecology, ora, fauna, protected area, recycling,
National Park, erosion, ecotourism, and biologic diversity was registered. This
indicates that the project activities increased the perceptions of the participants
regarding biological diversity, protection areas, and factors that threaten the envi-
ronment. When we consider the fact that social, perceptional, physical, mental and
emotional development processes of those living under protection agencies differ,
the responses of the participants are highly important10. The results also revealed
that there was no important change regarding the participants perceptions on the
adequacy of school education or on their profession preferences at the end of the
program. We believe that this situation stems from the fact that children who live
far from their family are less interested in education as discussed earlier.
The participants asserted that they had gained multidimensional knowledge
through their participation in the educational program. Additionally, their partici-
pation in activities revealed that participants competence, self-responsibility, and
positive attitudes towards environmental protection had increased. At the end of
the program, the participants also expressed the joy they had experienced during
the course.
CONCLUSIONS
The results indicate that education methods based on free experience in nature
increased the perceived importance of the environment, knowledge and aware-
ness of participants related to nature and environment, and contributed to creativ-
ity and independent and critical thinking when compared with formal education
methods conducted in classrooms. Due to this, it is expected that the participants
of the education program will be more aware of the use and protection of natural
resources, and that they will share their experiences with their peers at the end of
the education.
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Acknowledgements. The study conducted was supported by the TUBITAK 4004-112B233 project
titled ‘Environment and Nature Education through Social Support Approach’. We owe our deepest
gratitude to TUBITAK for their material support and contributions in this context.
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Received 9 February 2015
Revised 8 March 2015
