Environmental Systems & Societies SL's Sample Internal Assessment

Environmental Systems & Societies SL's Sample Internal Assessment

Exploring the link between generations and environmental literacy among Peruvian individuals aged 11 years and older, currently enrolled in school or having graduated

7/7
7/7
12 mins read
12 mins read
Candidate Name: N/A
Candidate Number: N/A
Session: N/A
Word count: 2,245

Table of content

Identifying the context

Environmental education (EE), as per SDG 4.7, is “a process that allows individuals to explore environmental issues, engage in problem-solving, and take action to improve the environment.” By instilling vital knowledge, skills, values, and attitudes, it empowers individuals to be “change agents for sustainable development.”

 

Unfortunately, EE — crucial to reducing human-driven environmental impacts—is lacking in society. As UNESCO (2023) warned, “only half of the national curricula in the world have a reference to climate change,” something concerning considering that environmental issues, such as this one, are affecting everyone worldwide. Therefore, if no awareness is created about these escalating problems, there might not be a future ahead.

 

Part of the problem also lies in the lack of class time, support, and teachers with adequate backgrounds on the subject (Ham & Sewing, 1988). Thus, as Nijhuis (2011) states, it cannot keep up with the rate of environmental deterioration and the effects of human activity on the environment. Moreover, even where EE is taught, it often fails to impact students' attitudes, as they are not living its impacts just yet.

 

Specifically in Peru, a large portion of its environmental issues are consequences of the population's lack of awareness in this matter. However, insufficient studies exist to determine the national EE level. Conducting such research could guide the development of a more effective EE system, which, in turn, would play a crucial role in increasing the level of EE in the most polluted country in the American continent and the 12th most polluted country globally, as reported by Numbeo (2023). This would not only foster awareness among citizens about their environmental impact but also enhance their eco-friendly practices. Additionally, it could help preserve the 5th most biodiverse country in the world (Butler, 2016), where studies show that because of global warming, it is already too warm for some species to survive.

 

Hence, it is of utmost importance to analyze the relationship between EE levels and generations to assess the effectiveness of its implementation in Peru over time. This will be valuable as all the analyzed generation groups have experienced the evolving EE standards in Peru, leading to variations in how it has been taught and its impact on each generation. Thus, this investigation will allow an identification of the generations in most need of EE.

Research question

To what extent is there a correlation between generations and the environmental literacy (in terms of knowledge, attitudes, and practices) of a group of Peruvian individuals aged 11 years and above, currently in school or having already graduated?

Planning

Hypothesis

It is hypothesized that the younger the generation, the higher the level of environmental education. This is due to the rising global environmental concerns which have driven the implementation of new EE programs.

Equipment

  • Google Forms
  • Google Sheets
  • Computer

Figure 1 - Variables

Methodology

  • A computer was used to create a Google Form, a platform compatible with various devices and capable of handling unlimited responses.
  • A question regarding age and 14 multiple-answer questions based on previous EE questionnaires were created in Spanish, the primary language of Peruvians, to ensure all respondents could understand.
  • These questions were divided into four sections, each to collect information about the level of EE in different aspects -
    • Age
    • Knowledge

Figure 2 - Table On Age And Knowledge

Figure 3 - Table On Attitudes

Figure 4 - Table On Practices

  • Questions were teacher-validated and pilot-tested.
  • The survey was sent via WhatsApp and email, as this was a quick and effective method to gather a minimum of 30 respondents per generation group while sending it only to individuals who adhered to the control variables.
  • Google Sheets was used to process the data.
  • To facilitate data interpretation and mitigate sample size disparities, percentages were utilized for clearer visualization of responses.

Ethical considerations

The survey included confidential disclosure and informed consent in the introduction to comply with Peru’s Data Protection Law. Participation was voluntary, and participants were informed that their responses would be used purely for an investigation and would not be published publicly. The survey also maintained anonymity by not requesting names or emails.

Results, analysis, and conclusion

Raw data

Figure 5 - Table On Raw Data Of Respondents Per Generation Group

Figure 6 - Table On Raw Data Of Answers To The Questions Assessing Environmental Literacy Asked In The Survey

Figure 7 - Table On What Do You Know About Renewable Energy?

Figure 8 - The Main Gases To Contribute To The Effect Are

Figure 9 - Table On Which Of These Resources Produces Energy With The Least Amount Of Pollution?

Figure 10 - Table On Which Of The Following Is An Effect Of Deforestation?

Figure 11 - Table On How Concerned Are You About Environmental Issues?

Figure 12 - Table On From The List Below, Select 3 Of The Following Environmental Problems That Seem To You To Be The Most Concerning.

Figure 13 - Table On I Consider That Environmental Problems Are Directly Affecting My Health And My Daily Routine.

Figure 14 - Table On How Willing Are You To Change Your Lifestyle And Practices To Reduce The Damage You Cause To The Environment?

Figure 15 - Table On How Often Do You Recycle?

Figure 16 - Table On How Often Do You Or Your Family Buy Ecologically Packaged Products, Despite The Fact That They Are More Expensive Than The Regular Ones?

Figure 17 - Table On Have You Ever Participated In An Environmental Improvement Event, Such As A Beach Or Street Clean - Up?

Figure 18 - Table On How Often Do You Or Your Family Take The Following Actions To Reduce Water Consumption? [TAKE SHORTER SHOWERS]

Figure 19 - Table On How Often Do You Or Your Family Take The Following Actions To Reduce water Consumption? [CLOSE THE FAUCET WHILE BRUSHING YOUR TEETH OR SHAVING]

Figure 20 - Table On How Often Do You Or Your Family Take The Following Actions To Reduce Water Consumption? [AVOID USING THE WASHING MACHINE BEFORE IT IS AT FULL CAPACITY]

Figure 21 - Table On How Often Do You Or Your Family Take The Following Actions To Reduce Water Consumption? [RUN THE DISHWASHER ONLY WHEN IT IS AT FULL CAPACITY]

Figure 22 - Table On How Often Do You Or Your Family Take The Following Actions To Reduce Electricity Consumption? [TURN OFF LIGHTS WHEN NOT IN USE]

Figure 23 - Table On How Often Do You Or Your Family Take The Following Actions To Reduce Electricity Consumption? [TURN OFF TELEVISION, COMPUTER, VIDEO GAMES AND OTHER ELECTRONIC DEVICES WHEN NOT IN USE]

Figure 24 - Table On How Often Do You Or Your Family Take The Following Actions To Reduce Electricity Consumption? [LOWER OR TURN OFF THE AIR CONDITIONING OR HEATING WHEN NOT IN USE]

Figure 25 - Table On How Often Do You Or Your Family Take The Following Actions To Reduce Electricity Consumption? [USE FANS INSTEAD OF AIR CONDITIONING]

P - ValueMeaning
(P ≤ 0.05)The test is significant. There is enough statistical evidence to prove a relationship between variables.
(P > 0.05)The test is not significant. There is no sufficient evidence to prove a relationship between variables.

Figure 26 - Table On P - Value

Specifically, a Kruskal-Wallis Test for the Likert Scale questions was carried out using an online test calculator. The other remaining questions, qualitative in nature, were evaluated with the Chi - Square Test of Independence, also using an online test calculator.

Figure 27 - Stacked Bar Chart - Environmental Knowledge

Figure 28 - Table On Chi - Square Of Independence Test Results For Environmental Knowledge

Regarding environmental knowledge, Figure 27 shows that “Baby Boomers + Silent Generation” had the highest values while “Generation Z” scored the lowest (27.89%). The Chi - Square Test (Figure 28) was highly significant, showing a positive trend where the older the generation, the greater the knowledge.

Figure 29 - Stacked Bar Chart - Level Of Concern Regarding Environmental Issues

Figure 30 - Table On Kruskal – Wallis Test Results For Level Of Concern Regarding Environmental Issues

Figure 29 displayed equal medians but varying modes where "Millenials + Generation X" and "Baby Boomers + Silent Generation" showed the highest concern, while "Generation Z" had the lowest one. The Kruska – Wallis Test (Figure 30) was highly significant, reinforcing the relationship where the older the generation, the greater the concern regarding environmental issues.

Figure 31 - Stacked Horizontal Bar Chart - Effect Of Environmental Problems On Health And Daily Routine

Figure 32 - Table On Kruskal – Wallis Test Results For Effect of Environmental Problems On Health And Daily

Regarding the level of agreement about the direct impact of environmental issues on respondents, Figure 31 shows that each group’s modes, in order from youngest to oldest, were “3”, “4,” and “5,” respectively. This suggests that older generations tend to perceive these environmental issues as having a more significant impact on them. The Kruskal–Wallis Test (Table 5) was highly significant, confirming this relationship.

Figure 33 - Stacked Horizontal Bar Chart - Willingness To Change Lifestyle And Practices To Reduce Damage Caused To The Environment

Figure 34 - Table On Kruskal – Wallis Test Results For Willingness To Change Lifestyle And Practices To Reduce Damage Caused To The Environment.

Figure 33 shows a vast difference between each generation’s willingness to change their practices to reduce their environmental impact. The medians and modes for the oldest groups were the maximum, while the youngest group had “3” as its mode and median. The Kruskal – Wallis Test (Figure 34) confirmed a relationship, where older generations are more willing to change their practices to reduce their environmental impact.

Figure 35 - Stacked Horizontal Bar Chart - Recycling And Reusing Habits

Figure 36 - Table On Kruskal – Wallis Test Results For Recycling And Reusing Habits

Regarding the frequency of recycling and reusing habits, Figure 35 shows higher frequencies for the two oldest groups while a lower one for the youngest. Nevertheless, the Kruskal–Wallis Test (Figure 36) was not significant, disregarding the existence of a relationship.

Figure 37 - Stacked Horizontal Bar Chart - Participation In Environmental Improvement Events

Figure 38 - Table On Chi - Square Of Independence Test Results For Participation In Environmental Improvement Events

Regarding participation in environmental improvement events, a negative trend can be visualized in Figure 37, as the younger the generation, the higher the participation in these events. However, the Chi-Square Test (Figure 38) was not significant.

Figure 39 - Stacked Bar Chart - Frequency Of Habits To Reduce Water Consumption

Figure 40 - Table On Kruskal – Wallis Test Results For Frequency Of Habits To Reduce Water Consumption

Figure 39 shows no clear link between generations and water conservation habits, except for mode differences. The two younger groups had the highest mode, while the oldest group had one of "4." However, the lack of this relationship was also supported by the Kruskal–Wallis Test (Figure 40), which was not significant.

Figure 41 - Stacked Bar Chart - Frequency Of Habits To Reduce Electricity Consumption

Figure 42 - Table On Kruskal – Wallis Test Fesults For Frequency Of Habits To Reduce Electricity Consumption

Regarding the frequency of the habits to reduce electricity consumption (Figure 41), despite all modes having the highest frequency, the median only showed a frequency of 5” for the two oldest groups, while one of “4” for “Generation Z.” The Kruskal–Wallis Test (Figure 42) was significant, supporting a relationship.

Conclusion

It can be concluded that the older the respondents' generation, the more environmental knowledge, and attitudes. However, the relationship between environmental practices and generations is statistically unclear. This suggests a moderate to strong relationship, indicating that the older an individual in generation, the higher the level of EE.

Discussion and evaluation

Evaluation of the conclusion

This study’s findings have shown that younger Peruvian generations mostly lack adequate EE levels—especially in terms of knowledge and attitudes. Moreover, this conclusion is supported by previous investigations in other countries (Jones et al., 2020) but also challenged (EY and JA Worldwide, 2023), which is why further research, such as triangulation, should be carried out to fully confirm this complex relationship.

 

The reason behind this generational trend can be a consequence of the historical context in which these older Peruvian generations have been present. They have witnessed the evolution of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest, the growing impacts of the mining industry, and increasingly destructive weather patterns due to the ENSO phenomenon.

 

Still, this study has also shown that Peruvians overall do not have high EE levels compared to other countries such as Argentina, Singapore, and Finland. One possible explanation for this can be drawn from the demographic transition model (DTM). This suggests that, as countries develop in the DTM stage, the level of EE increases. This is a result of improved access to education, economic development, and shifts in societal priorities, all of which are associated with a country's progress through the DTM. Thus, Peru (DTM Stage 3) could be in a transition stage to reach EE levels such as those in Finland (DTM Stage 4), the country with the highest EE worldwide.

Evaluation of the method

The method's strengths were that it ensured that all respondents were educated nationally, thus obtaining a more precise overview of the country’s EE level. Moreover, the questionnaire was completely anonymous, so bias and social desirability were somewhat avoided. Additionally, using multiple-choice questions allowed for more effective data processing and analysis of trends, as responses could be quantified, unlike open-ended ones.

 

However, the weaknesses included varying sample sizes among generations. Thus, they had to be grouped into three generation categories to make sure there were at least 30 respondents for each. This made the results less exact, but it was necessary to ensure that statistical tests worked appropriately. To avoid this, more data could have been collected, aiming for similar sample sizes for each generation. Furthermore, other independent variables that may also affect EE levels, such as gender and culture, were not considered since they may affect the statistical analyses. However, to avoid this, in further investigations, these other variables should be investigated separately to compare the relationships of each of these factors.

 

Limitations included central tendency bias, as some individuals may have refrained from using the extreme responses of the Likert scales (1 and 5). Furthermore, while 216 respondents can offer a reasonable insight into the trends within each generational group, it remains impossible to draw fully accurate conclusions when a sample is used to represent an entire population. This problem could have been minimized, but not eliminated, by sending this questionnaire to even more people. Additionally, despite being anonymous, a certain degree of social desirability always exists, as individuals tend to choose more positive answers to make themselves feel better.

Further areas of research

  • Focus groups could be carried out to determine the level of EE more precisely, as open-ended questions could be asked in smaller groups to better understand the differences between each generation.
  • Observations, where specific individuals would be monitored, could also be performed in public spaces or workplaces to see the different generational behaviors.

Applications

Locally, an anthropocentric application with an ecocentric viewpoint can be applied. This approach could mirror the efforts of DEEKSHA in India, where individuals with higher EE levels, like ESS students, engage in activities to raise awareness among people of all ages who lack this type of education. Thus, environmentally educated people can contribute back to their community with their experience and expertise.

 

This project would have the strength that many students would be eager to participate, especially IB students, as this could be used for CAS or their resumes. Therefore, positive feedback would happen as people would increasingly get higher EE levels as projects such as this one continue.

 

Nevertheless, volunteers could be underqualified, meaning some false information might spread. Moreover, the lack of funding for the project might jeopardize the continuity of the solution. Also, if only one tutor teaches one student, the education would not be fully effective as EE is based on a community level.

 

The solution's limitations include the time for an effect or benefit to be observed. Also, because the activities might be done virtually for convenience, it may not be entirely effective because virtual education has proven to yield a worse performance in students.

References

Altindag, D. T., Filiz, E. S., & Tekin, E. (2021). IS ONLINE EDUCATION WORKING?.National Bureau of Economic Research. https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w29113/w29113.pdf

 

Butler, R. (2016, May 21). The top 10 most biodiverse countries. Mongabay Environmental News. https://news.mongabay.com/2016/05/top-10-biodiverse-countries/

 

Chaudhary, C., Richardson, A. J., Schoeman, D. S., & Costello, M. J. (2021, April 5). Global warming is causing a more pronounced dip in marine species richness around the equator. 118(15). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2015094118

 

ESAN. (2023, May 18). Situación de la educación ambiental en el Perú. https://www.esan.edu.pe/conexion-esan/situacion-de-la-educacion-ambiental-en-el- peru

 

EY and JA Worldwide. (2023). Generational Sustainability Survey 2023. Ernst & Young. https://assets.ey.com/content/dam/ey-sites/ey-com/en_gl/topics/corporate- responsibility/ey-ja-2023-sustainability-report-27-july-2023.pdf

 

Ham, S. H., & Sewing, D. R. (1998). Barriers to Environmental Education. The Journal of Environmental Education, 19, 17-23. https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.1988.9942751

 

Jones, L. P., Turvey, S. T., Massimino, D., & Papworth, S. (2020). Investigating the implications of shifting baseline syndrome on conservation. People and Nature, 2(4), 1131–1144. https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10140

 

Lukacks de Pereny, S. (2023). Situación de la educación ambiental en el Perú. Conexión ESAN. https://www.esan.edu.pe/conexion-esan/situacion-de-la-educacion-ambiental- en-el-peru

 

Nijhuis, M. (2023). Green Failure - What’s Wrong With Environmental Education? Yale Environment 360. https://e360.yale.edu/features/green_failure_whats_wrong_with_environmental_educ ation

 

Numbeo. (2023). Pollution Index by Country 2023. https://www.numbeo.com/pollution/rankings_by_country.jsp

 

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2012, April). How “green” are today’s 15-year-olds? https://www.oecd.org/pisa/pisaproducts/pisainfocus/50150271.pdf

 

Scholz, R. W., & Binder, C. R. (2011). Environmental Literacy in Science and Society. Cambridge University Press. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258375213_Environmental_Literacy_in_Sci ence_and_Society_From_Knowledge_to_Decisions

 

Social Science Statistics. Chi-Square Test Calculator. (2023). https://www.socscistatistics.com/tests/chisquare2/default2.aspx

 

Social Science Statistics. Online Kruskal-Wallis Test Calculator. (2023). https://www.socscistatistics.com/tests/kruskal/default.aspx

 

Srbinovski, M., Erdogan, M., & Ismaili, M. (2010). Environmental literacy in the science education curriculum in Macedonia and Turkey. ScienceDirect, 2(2), 4528–4532. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.03.725

 

UNESCO & German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. (2021, May 19). Berlin Declaration on Education for Sustainable Development. UNESCO World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development. https://en.unesco.org/sites/default/files/esdfor2030-berlin-declaration-en.pdf

 

UNESCO. (2023, April 20). Only half of the national curricula in the world have a reference to climate change, UNESCO warns. https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/only-half- national-curricula-world-have-reference-climate-change-unesco-warns

 

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2012, July 28). What is Environmental Education? https://www.epa.gov/education/what-environmental-education

 

University of St Andrews. (n.d.) Analysisng Likert Scale/Type Data. https://www.st - andrews.ac.uk/media/ceed/students/mathssupport/Likert.pdf