Environmental Literacy of Students in Iranian Eco-Villages

Document Type : Original Research

Authors
Department of Agricultural Extension and Education, Faculty of Agriculture, Razi University, Kermanshah, Islamic Republic of Iran.
Abstract
Environmental Literacy (EL) is recognized as a fundamental component in directing individuals' environmental preservation behavior. This descriptive-correlation research was conducted with the main objective of explaining the environmental literacy of eco-villages’ students. Data were collected from 175 high school students, selected through census, living in eco-villages in western Iran (n= 175). Findings showed that students' EL was moderate. Three dimensions of EL, including knowledge, attitude, and behavior, were higher in students living in developed Eco-villages than in developing and less developed Eco-villages. Gender, father's job, field of study, and level of Eco-village development had a significant effect on students' EL. However, the effect of educational level and participation in environmental training courses was insignificant. The results of stepwise regressions revealed that the number of years of parents’ education religiosity, study hours per week, and satisfaction with living in rural areas explain 49% of the variance of students' environmental literacy.

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