A Study of Environmental Awareness among Undergraduate Students

Abstract

The present research paper aims to study the environmental awareness of undergraduate students. In the present era, industrialization, urbanization, population growth, climate change, pollution, and excessive exploitation of natural resources have intensified the environmental crisis. In such a situation, the development of environmental awareness among students has become extremely important, as they are the future responsible citizens, decision-makers, and agents of social change.

For the present study, 130 students studying in B.A. and B.Sc. Fifth Semester in colleges located in the Shahjahanpur metropolitan area were selected as the sample. The survey method was employed for the study. To measure environmental awareness, the Environmental Awareness Competency Scale, developed and standardized by Dr. Praveen Kumar Jha, was used. The collected data were analyzed using the Mean, Standard Deviation, and t-test.

The findings of the study revealed that there was no statistically significant difference in environmental awareness between male and female students, students belonging to Arts and Science streams, and students from urban and rural backgrounds. This indicates that undergraduate students possess environmental awareness at approximately similar levels irrespective of gender, academic stream, and residential background. Therefore, environmental education in higher education institutions can be made more practical, value-oriented, and activity-based to further strengthen students’ sense of responsibility towards environmental conservation and sustainable development.