Abstract :
The aim of this study is to determine whether there is difference between the eco-schools and the non-certified schools in terms of their students’ sustainability consciousness, and to examine the effects of green flag, one of the prizes in Eco-school Project, on students’ SC. A total of 1165 students from 15 secondary schools (five non-certified schools, five eco-schools, five eco-schools with green flag) in one of the biggest cities in Turkey voluntarily participated in the study. The types of groups were formed using purposive sampling method, from those groups then, the selection of the schools to participate in the study was made by random sampling method. In order to collect the data, Sustainability Conscioussness Questionaire (SCQ) was conducted. For data analysis, Kruskal - Wallis test was conducted. Afterwards, Mann Whitney U Test was used in order to determine between which groups the difference is. In addition, the number, mean and standard deviation values of the variables were presented on tables.The results demonstrated that SC levels of the eco-school (ES) and Eco-schools with Green Flag (ESGF) students are higher than the students at NCS. The results also showed that ES and ESGF students expressed that they learned the concept of SC at the school while the students at NCS learned it on the internet. In addition, results demonstrated that at the attitude, and behavioral factors, and also at the total grades of the scale, ES and ESGF students had higher grades, and that the green flag practice had a significant effect on students’ SC grades to make a difference on behalf of the eco-schools. In addition, the eco-school project and especially the implementation of the green flag reward increase students awareness of sustainability. Therefore, dissemination of similar projects is an important factor for the development of students attitudes and awareness towards the environment.
NaturalLanguageKeyword :
Eco , school , sustainability consciousness , environmental education , environmental consciousness , sustainability
