University of Malta. Euro-Mediterranean Centre for Educational Research
Abstract
The aim of this study is to investigate second stage primary school (6th,
7th and 8th year) students’ knowledge levels about three important environmental
topics, namely, the greenhouse effect, the ozone layer and acid rain. The study was
carried out with 204 6th, 7th and 8th year students (11-14 year olds) in Turkey. A 25-
item scale developed by Khalid (1999) was used as a data collection instrument. The
instrument was adapted to the Turkish language and culture, was validated and its
reliability co-efficiency was determined. The results of the study showed that 6th, 7th
and 8th year students have a very low level of knowledge about the greenhouse effect,
the ozone layer and acid rain. The results of this study can be used by experts of
environmental education to focus on starting the teaching of environmental topics
– like greenhouse effect, ozone layer and acid rain – thoroughly from the primary
school to develop more environmentally sensitive citizens.peer-reviewe
