Environmental Education, a Way to Introduce and Improve Urban Environmental Pollution

Background: In this study, high school students in Tehran were selected to investigate the role of environmental education in the prevention and control of pollution. Objectives: In this regard, 10 high schools from different areas of Tehran City were used to implement an Environmental Education (EE) intervention program. Patients and Methods: The students of 5 high schools (first group) were trained by the paper-based guidebook and students of other 5 high schools (second group) trained by a teacher (EE expert). This study has been designed as a quasi-experimental pretest/posttest design with comparison groups. The impact on the participant’s environmental literacy was assessed by measuring a number of environmental literacy components, including knowledge, attitude, values, and concerns as well as behavioral intention/behavior. The results were presented in a bipolar 5-point Likert response format, with an "undecided" category. Relationships among variables were examined using the general linear model formulation with subsequent ANOVA analyses. Results: Results for the participants show a significant increase in the scores of knowledge and attitude about air pollution. Educational program and training tools had no effect on the concern indexes, values, and behavior toward air pollution. Review of the score changes toward waste component, shows that posttest scores (in comparison with pretest ones) increases in 4 indicators of knowledge, attitude, concern, and behavior, however the value index did not change so much. Conclusions: We can conclude that educational program can be used to convey the knowledge of the environment and in this regard, its implementation is necessary.