Green minds, brighter future exploring environmental awareness among Cotabato foundation college of science and technology (CFCST) students

This study investigated the level of environmental awareness of second year college students of Cotabato Foundation College of Science and Technology (CFCST), Doroluman, Arakan, Cotabato, Philippines across the seven environmental concepts: Balance of Nature, Pollution, Stewardship, Finiteness of Resources, Change, Interdependence, and Diversity and Stability. Using a descriptive research design, structured survey questionnaires were administered to 106 randomly selected students from various degree programs. The results revealed that the students are very much aware of all seven environmental concepts, indicating a strong understanding of ecological relationships and environmental responsibility. When grouped according to gender, significant differences were found in the concepts of Balance of Nature, Pollution, and Stewardship, where female students exhibited higher awareness than males. However, no significant difference was observed when students were grouped according to their major field of concentration, indicating a consistent level of environmental awareness across disciplines. The study concludes that the high level of awareness may be attributed to the effective integration of environmental education in the curriculum. It is recommended that the college continue to strengthen its environmental education programs, enhance gender engagement strategies, and extend future studies to include other year levels and academic programs to provide a more comprehensive assessment of environmental awareness.