Secondary school students’ environmental competencies and their gender, social background, and performance in science

Abstract

Environmental responsibility, environmental awareness and positive environmental behaviours are crucial for the protection of the environment and the sustainability of future generations. However, no such studies have been carried out on secondary students in Malta. This study aimed to determine whether such factors, namely student gender and their economic, social and cultural status (ESCS) influence their attitudes and behaviours towards environmental issues. Also, no studies have specifically investigated the relationship between the impact of academic performance of science on awareness and attitudes towards the environment in Malta. This is a notable research gap given the importance of science education in promoting pro-environmental behaviours among students. Identifying these relationships and barriers is crucial for the development of effective policies and programmes that promote environmental sustainability and equity while also facilitating collaboration across different communities in Malta. This study uses quantitative methods and applies descriptive statistics, inferential statistics, χ test, t-test and correlation between relevant variablesto analyse data from the 2018 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA). Attitudes towards the environment and environmental awareness were found to be highly positive in students from Malta. On the contrary, respondents’ engagement in pro-environmental activities was found to be low. Female students expressed significantly stronger environmental responsibility and more confidence in discussing specific environmental issues. Varied outcomes have been observed between gender and students’ engagement in environmentally sustainable activities. Students with high ESCS showed stronger environmental responsibility and environmental awareness. On the other hand, the effect of ESCS on students’ involvement in environmentally sustainable activities gave varied results. Students’ attitudes towards the environment and their perceived knowledge of climate change issues were found to be significantly higher in students who performed better in science, but these students were also found to be less active in environmentally sustainable activities than their counterparts.