THE EFFECT OF ‘WHY FOREST IS IMPORTANT’ ACTIVITIES ON STUDENTS’ ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY AND ETHICS IN NAN PROVINCE

Abstract

The objectives of this research were to study the effects of ‘why forest is important’ activities on environmental literacy and ethics, as well as to provide guidelines for using these activities effectively. The sample group consisted of 104 lower secondary school students from four volunteer schools in Nan province. The study employed a mixed-method research approach. A one group pretest-posttest design was used for the quantitative research. Data were collected using an environmental literacy test and environmental ethics questionnaire. The statistics used for data analysis included mean, standard deviation, and paired-sample t-test. Qualitative data were collected using semi-structured interview protocol and analyzed by thematic analysis. The results showed that students’ average scores for environmental literacy and ethics after participating in the activities were statistically significantly higher than before, at the .05 level. Qualitative data indicated that students improved their environmental literacy, although it remained incomplete, and their environmental ethics tends towards ecocentrism. Therefore, these activities could be implemented in schools to promote environmental literacy and ethics for forest conservation. Guidelines for successfully implementing the activities include emphasizing team teaching, organizing student into mixed-grade groups, alternating activities as needed, adjusting locations appropriately, providing opportunities for students to express their opinions and to engage in hands-on practice, allocating sufficient time for students to complete their tasks at school, stimulating thinking with questions, and providing clear guidance on interview procedures.