Ecological Awareness and Behaviour among University Students in Education Majors: an Empirical Study

Abstract This study investigates the ecological awareness and behaviours of 86 university students majoring in education. The data were collected using a structured questionnaire adopted from the environmental awareness scales used in previous research consisting of 40 items, covering areas such as food consumption habits, transportation and shelter choices, energy usage, waste management, and water conservation. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, 0.78, indicating acceptable reliability. The Aiken’s test obtained the lowest value of 0.85 and the highest value of 0.92. This shows that the items in the questionnaire have good content validity. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics to identify patterns and discrepancies in ecological awareness and behaviour. The findings reveal that while students generally exhibit moderate ecological awareness, significant differences exist across specific environmental aspects. Quantitatively, energy usage scored the highest (mean score: 3.86), while food consumption habits scored the lowest (mean score: 3.45) on a scale of 1-5. Male students, those from districts, and students with lower monthly expenditures tend to show higher ecological awareness. The research highlights the need for enhanced environmental education within the curriculum, particularly in areas where awareness is lacking. Future research could benefit from exploring additional influencing factors such as peer and parental influence, and the role of digital literacy in shaping ecological behaviours.