Effects of Source-Based Waste Management Awareness on Waste Segregation Behavior Among Lower Secondary School Students in Thailand: A Case Study of Phitsanulok Province

This study investigated waste segregation awareness and behavior, developed awareness-promoting activities, and evaluated their effectiveness among lower secondary school students in Phitsanulok Province, Thailand. The research was conducted in three phases: Phase I involved baseline data collection using interviews and structured observations. Phase II focused on developing awareness-promoting activities, including training workshops, printed public relations materials, video-based learning, and game-based waste segregation. Phase III evaluated the effectiveness of interventions using a pre-test–post-test design. The research instruments included awareness and behavior questionnaires, behavior observation forms, and records of segregated solid waste quantities. The results showed significant increases in awareness and waste segregation behavior scores after the intervention across all activity types (all p < 0.001). The mean awareness scores increased from 10.27 to 12.74 (p < 0.01), and mean waste segregation behavior scores increased from 11.82 to 13.64 (p < 0.001). However, after adjustment for pre-intervention scores and school, no significant differences were observed among activity types. Higher awareness levels were positively associated with improved waste segregation behavior, as reflected by changes in waste quantity and composition. These findings indicate that awareness-promoting activities can effectively enhance source-based waste management practices and may be applied in similar municipal and educational contexts.