Environmental Awareness among Secondary School Students: Insights about Behavioural, Emotional, and Sustainability Practices

Abstract

There has been interconnectedness between human actions and environmental
changes. To create a sustainable living environment and to balance the ecological systems of
the world, there should be awareness among the humans. In order to sustain the world we
live in and prosper towards a future that is safe for everyone, we need to educate the future
generation. Embedding sustainability awareness in the education system will enhance
students’ awareness of issues along with empowering them to make eco-friendly practices in
their daily lives. This research explores the level of sustainability awareness among
secondary school students in New Delhi. A sample of 240 secondary school students was
taken to study the behavioural and attitude awareness, emotional awareness, and
sustainability awareness. While investigating these factors, the study aims to highlight the
strategies for cultivating sustainability mindsets among the students and foster their thinking
towards advocating for the environment. The findings show that there is high sustainability
awareness among secondary school students. An independent samples t-test was employed to
find the significant difference between mean scores of female and male students. The study
highlights there is no significant difference between awareness levels between male and
female students. The findings emphasise the need for educational interventions that bridge
the gap between awareness and action.