Abstract

This study aims to examine the degree to which scores received by fourth graders in Turkey on the environmental attitudes scale is reflected in their environmental awareness (with respect to practice, behaviors), and to identify the correlation between attitudes and behaviors. Case study design was used to collect data in the study. Observation and questionnaire techniques were used as the data collection instruments. The sample of the study consisted of 15 students selected among the fourth graders attending elementary schools in Agri province of Turkey in the 2015-2016 academic year. The Attitudes Toward the Environment Scale (ATES), developed by Yasaroglu (2012), was used to measure students’ attitudes toward the environment. The reliability of the scale was examined by Yasaroglu (2012) using Cronbach’s alpha internal consistency coefficient, which is reported to be 0.84. Observations were made to measure students’ environmental awareness by using the video recording technique. On the other hand, Spearman’s Correlation analysis was used for data analysis. The relationship between students’ scores on the attitude scale and their scores for environmental awareness, assigned on the basis of the observations made, was found weak, as indicated by the correlation between the two (Spearman’s rho (r)=0.075). An important finding was that even though students received satisfactory scores on the ATES scale, a sizable number of them failed to reflect these attitudes in their practices or behaviors, which would indicate environmental awareness.

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