Inspecting primary school students’ environmental attitudes based on ecocentric and anthropocentric perspectives

Year 2023, Volume: 12 Issue: 3, 122 - 141, 31.07.2023

Büşra Şeyma Dölek Gülsüm Akyol

https://doi.org/10.19128/turje.1177454

Cited By: 1

Abstract

This study aimed at (i) identifying primary school students’ attitudes toward environmental issues based on the perspectives of ecocentrism and anthropocentrism and (ii) inspecting students’ attitudes (i.e., ecocentric and anthropocentric) toward environmental issues in relation to gender and grade level. Data were gathered from 40 students through the administration of an interview questionnaire along with pictures concerning questions in the questionnaire. Results demonstrated that most of the participants who held positive attitudes reflected anthropocentric attitudes toward water, paper, and electricity consumption, reusing, and playground preferences whereas ecocentric attitudes toward plants, bugs, and other animals. Besides, half and slightly more than half of the participants with positive attitudes expressed ecocentric attitudes toward residence preferences and environmental pollution, respectively while nearly half of the participants with positive attitudes expressed anthropocentric attitudes toward the mentioned issues. It was also found that with the exception of one environmental issue, participants’ attitudes toward environmental issues were not significantly associated with their gender. Additionally, no relation was found between participants’ environmental attitudes and their grade level.

Keywords

Anthropocentric attitude, Ecocentric attitude, Gender, Grade level, Primary school students

İlkokul öğrencilerinin çevresel tutumlarının ekosentrik ve antroposentrik bakış açılarına göre incelenmesi

Abstract

Bu çalışma (i) ilkokul öğrencilerinin çevresel konulara yönelik tutumlarını ekosentrizm ve antroposentrizm bakış açılarına dayalı olarak belirlemeyi ve (ii) öğrencilerin çevresel konulara yönelik tutumlarını (yani, ekosentrik ve antroposentrik) cinsiyet ve sınıf düzeyine ilişkin olarak incelemeyi amaçlamıştır. Veriler, bir görüşme formu ve formda yer alan sorularla ilgili resimler uygulanarak 40 öğrenciden toplanmıştır. Sonuçlar, olumlu tutuma sahip katılımcıların çoğunun su, kağıt ve elektrik tüketimi, yeniden kullanım ve oyun alanı tercihlerine yönelik antroposentrik tutumları yansıtırken bitkiler, böcekler ve diğer hayvanlara yönelik ekosentrik tutumları yansıttığını göstermiştir. Bununla birlikte, olumlu tutum sergileyen katılımcıların yarısı ve yarısından biraz fazlası sırasıyla konut tercihleri ve çevre kirliliğine yönelik ekosentrik tutumlar açıklarken, olumlu tutum sergileyen katılımcıların yaklaşık yarısı, bahsedilen konulara karşı antroposentrik tutumlar ifade etmiştir. Ayrıca, bir çevresel konu dışında, katılımcıların çevresel konulara yönelik tutumlarının cinsiyetleriyle anlamlı olarak ilişkili olmadığı da bulunmuştur. İlaveten, katılımcıların çevresel tutumları ile sınıf düzeyleri arasında bir ilişki bulunmamıştır.

Keywords

Antroposentrik tutum, Cinsiyet, Ekosentrik tutum, İlkokul öğrencileri, Sınıf düzeyi

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