Beliefs, attitudes, intentions and locality: the impact of different teaching approaches on the ecological affinity of Indonesian secondary school students

• Published in: International research in geographical and environmental education Vol. 18; no. 3; pp. 157 - 169
• Main Authors: Kusmawan, Udan, O'Toole, John Mitchell, Reynolds, Ruth, Bourke, Sid
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group 01-08-2009; Routledge
• Subjects: activity; Beliefs; Comparative analysis; Ecology; Environmental Education; Foreign Countries; Indonesia; Instructional Effectiveness; Intention; Intermode Differences; Interviews; locality; Multidimensional Scaling; School Location; Science Curriculum; Science education; Secondary education; Secondary School Students; Student Attitudes; Student Surveys; Students; Surveys; sustainability; Teaching Methods; values; Indonesia
• ISSN: 1038-2046; 1747-7611
• DOI: 10.1080/10382040903053927

This paper describes an investigation of the interaction between teaching method and school locality in aligning student environmental beliefs, attitudes and intentions. Data for this study were collected from 236 adolescent upper secondary school students and chemistry teachers in Indonesia who were completing environmental topics from the local science curriculum. Analysis of surveys and interviews revealed a complex relationship between the beliefs, attitudes, and intentions exhibited by students and the location of the schools they attended. More active learning approaches seemed to promote cohesion between beliefs, attitudes and intentions, with participation in community issues having a greater impact on student ecological affinity than field research projects. The results of the study are discussed with regard to the concept of environmental citizenship whereby participating in local environmental issues can enhance strategies to create democratic and responsible citizens.