Multimedia Information Package in Developing Environmental Awareness among Student Teachers at Secondary Level

Multimedia Information Package in Developing Environmental   Awareness among Student Teachers at Secondary Level

   Introduction

            The relationship between man and his environment is inevitable but complex. Human welfare depends to a large extend on physical environment which determines many aspects of his life. Environmental education has now been characterized by the development of explicit and implicit interconnection, with human health science and technology, and the environmental, economic, social issues and problems of society. It is generally accepted that increased concern for environmental quality and fear of severe deterioration of human health and quality of human life caused by dramatic decline in environmental quality gave impetus for synthesis leading to environmental education. Every individual has the right to seek a healthy environment to live in. It makes the environmental awareness and environmental education internationally imperative.

                Considering the importance of environmental education for creating environmental awareness and responsibilities towards environmental protection for ecological balance, in the NPE 1986 and 1992 of India, it is stated. “There is paramount need to create a consciousness of the environment. It must permeate all ages and all sections of society beginning with the child. Environmental consciousness should inform teaching in schools and colleges. This aspect will be integrated in the entire educational process. The chief objectives of environmental education are that “individuals and social groups should acquire awareness and knowledge, develop attitudes, skills and abilities and participate in solving real life problems with a practical bias. The perspective should be integrated, inter disciplinary and holistic in character.”          

  Need and Significance of the Study

            Environmental conditions of the present world are worse and the problems related to environment results largely from ignorance and unawareness. The trends of continuous misuse of the environment can be overcome only by creating environmental awareness among people. Even though the academic community including curriculum planners, educationalists and teachers are quite aware of the need of the development of environmental awareness at every level, it has been neglected till recently in our educational system. Unfortunately our present method of teaching environmental science demands rote memorization of concepts, facts and principles and through this traditional method of teaching the objectives of environmental education are not realized. Therefore we are in need of new strategies and technologies for developing environmental awareness which will help to accomplish definite goals.

                            Hence to realize the need for maximizing environmental awareness, the investigator decided to prepare a multimedia information package for developing environmental awareness among student teachers at secondary level. The study also throws light into the various environmental problems like greenhouse effect, acid rain, depletion of ozone layer, loss of biodiversity, problems of solid waste, various types of pollution, unwise management of natural resourses, deforestation etc. Hence the importance of the study.

   Statement of the Problem          

 ‘Multimedia Information Package in Developing Environmental Awareness among Student Teachers at   Secondary Level’

 Hypothesis

        Multimedia Information Package is very effective in developing Environmental awareness among student teachers at secondary level.

   Objectives

1.     To find out the Environmental awareness of student teachers at secondary level.

2.      To test the effectiveness of the prepared Multimedia Information package in developing Environmental awareness among student teachers at secondary level.

  Methodology 

  Sample

                  Sample chosen for the present study consisted of 100 student teachers in age group of 20 – 30 years studying in University College of Teacher Education, Kudamaloor. The college offers a heterogeneous student teacher population and it was assumed that a randomly chosen sample from that college would truly represent the student teacher population. The technique of sampling used was stratified random sampling in which student teachers from 7 optional subjects were selected. (English, Malayalam, Hindi, Physical Science, Social Science, Mathematics and Natural Science).

    

    Tools

            1.   Questionnaire to test Environmental awareness.

            2.   Multimedia Information Package on Environmental Education.

   Procedure & Design

                 The method adopted for the present study was experimental method. The investigator took 100 student teachers at secondary level and personally administered the tools of the study. Since one of the objectives of the present study was to test the awareness of the student teachers on various aspects related to Environment, the questionnaire was first distributed among the respondents and all necessary instructions and ample time were given to fill the questionnaire. The CD-ROM on the information package was presented before the respondents and along with this; proper explanation was given by the investigator herself. A detailed reading material on different aspects of the environment such as biodiversity, greenhouse effect, pollution, waste management & plastic use, land use & deforestation, environmental movements etc.  was so supplied in order to supplement the slide show. Charts, posters photographs, video tapes and audio tapes on major environmental issues were also shown to the respondents.  The awareness programme lasted for three days. After completing the awareness programme the same questionnaire was again given the groups, to know whether there is any development in their Environmental awareness. The response sheets were collected back. The data thus obtained were analysed using appropriate statistical techniques. Every precaution was taken to make the study as reliable and valid as possible.                                

Results & Discussions

                       The percentage of respondents who gave different responses to questions before and after the administration of Multimedia Information Package was used for the analysis of data. The results obtained on the analysis of data along with their interpretations are as follows:

Awareness of student teachers before and after Environmental awareness programme

               Two sets of scores were obtained regarding the awareness of student teachers on various aspects of the Environment. The first set of data pertaining to their awareness before the educational programme (referred as pre-test scores) and the second set of data on the extend of awareness of the target group after awareness programme (referred as post-test scores). The results obtained on the analysis are given in the following table.

                Awareness of Student teachers about Environmental aspects before

                                      and after Educational programme

Content	Pre-test (n = 100)	Post-test (n = 100)
Biodiversity	77	100
Greenhouse effect	89	100
Pollution	84	98
Waste management & Plastic use	79	100
Land use & Deforestation	82	100
Environmental movements	71	96
Total	482	594

               

                           From the above table it was clear that the awareness of student teachers about various aspects of environmental science were not very high in the initial stage. But after the awareness programme on all aspects pertaining to, a great majority of the student teachers at secondary level increased their awareness upto cent percent irrespective of their optional subjects.   

 Conclusion

                   The Multimedia Information Package was found to be very effective in developing awareness about various aspects of environmental science among student teachers at secondary level irrespective of their optional subject.

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