SCIENCE CONCEPT SKILLS

AND
ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS
OF JHS STUDENTS

PEREZ, RIDJIL, P.

2022
 Chapter 2

Review of Related Literature

This chapter is a discussion of the literatures and the

results of other related researches to which the present study is

related or has some bearing or similarity. This gave the author

enough background in understanding the study.

Chapter 2 is divided into 3 parts namely: (1) Independent

variable 1; (2) Independent variable 2; (3) Dependent variable;

and (4) Synthesis.

The first part, science concept skills of junior high school

related literature’s. Learning of science is a process of

construction and reconstruction of previously held personal

theories. It is a process of continually refining existing

knowledge and constructing concepts in intricate organized

networks that are unique to each child and that provide

explanatory and predictive power and have used input from outside

sources (Martin, 2009).

Furthermore, Panoy (2013) cited that the goal of

science education is to develop students’ skills and enables

individuals and to apply those skills in everyday lives. These

skills affect the personal, social, and global life of

individuals. Science Process Skills are necessary tool to produce

scientific information, to perform scientific research and to

solve problems.

Skills refer to specific activities or tasks that a

student can proficiently do e.g. skills in coloring, language

skills. Skills can be clustered together to form specific

competencies. De Guzman (2007) iterated that it is important to

recognize a student’s ability in order that the program of study

can be so designed as to optimize his/her innate abilities.

According to the study of Hairida (2016) she found

that grade 7 student of experiment group’s inquiry skills and

critical thinking score after the treatment, is higher than

control group. It concludes that science learning by using

inquiry-based with authentic assessment is effective to develop

students’ inquiry skills and critical thinking.

The second part literature shows a similar

understanding, students need to be supported with a proper

environmental education and this can be more effective if

environmental knowledge is provided with scientific facts that

lies under the health of environmental systems and environmental

problem (Hudson, 2001; Klosterman, 2010; Ryder, 2001). Also,

environmental education needs to be equipped with experience,

field trips, hands-on activities that help develop students’

understanding, awareness and dispositions about environment

(Barazza & Walford, 2002; Klosterman, 2010; Uitto, Juuti,

Lavonen, Byman, & Meisalo, 2011).

Environmental awareness helps social groups and

individuals become aware of the environment. Enger and Smith

(2013) presume environmental awareness as the science which helps

people attain the value, skills, and knowledge required to live

sustainably. The awareness towards the environment plays an

integral role in building people’s awareness towards the

environment, making them responsible beings to their

surroundings. It may also be defined as the ability to understand

environmental issues and respective actions one needs to take to

reach the good practice for realizing a sustainable environment.

Hanisch et al. (2014) explain that environmental awareness is

very important for environmental management as well as the

protection of the living organism. Agarwal (2018) states that

environmental sustainability may be achieved when environmental

awareness is performed in an integrated manner by all elements of

the people, such as the scientists, engineers, and other

communities. Wan et al. (2014) argue that one with a higher

education tends to have a better understanding and awareness of

the environment, compared to one with lower education. Meanwhile,

Pena et al. (2018) found that local issues would be more

influential in the construction of pro-environmental behavior

than the regional or national issues would be. The integration of

environmental issues in one area can improve education and be

translated to positive environmental behavior. Environmental

awareness is necessary for improving life quality where it can

help achieve a life in harmony.

In the Philippines, studies focused on the environmental

awareness and practices of high school students as basis for

disaster preparedness program (Marpa & Juele, 2016), level of

awareness and extent of practices in green technology of college

students (Gonzaga, 2016), and the environmental awareness of the

graduating college students (Garcia & Luansing, 2016). The

findings is consistent with the study of Singh (2015) which

concluded that the undergraduate students possessed a good

average level of environmental awareness. The results of the

study, however oppose the findings of Sahu, Roy, Monika &

Rajkiran (2015) which found out that the overall level of

awareness was found to be average. Number of students with high

level of awareness is found to be extremely low whereas number of

students with low level of awareness is found to be fairly high.

In the research of (Arba’at Hassana, Tajul Ariffin

Noordina, Suriati Sulaiman) showed that secondary school students

had “high level” of environmental awareness in the concept of

sustainable development. Li and Chen (2014) regarded

environmental awareness as the formation of cognition in the

memory through the process of sensory stimulation, notice,

identification, and perception. Cui, Hoje, and Velasquez (2015)

defined environmental awareness as the emotional attitudes

towards the environment and environmental value, leading students

emotionally and conceptually to respect the environment, concern

about the environment, and to further correctly treat the

environment. Morrison, Roderick, and Parton (2015) regarded

environmental awareness as the public perceiving the

understanding of the entire environment and the related problems.

Environmental awareness referred to people’s understanding and

awareness of the environment and the related issues (such as

waste disposal, noise and air pollution, water pollution, soil

pollution, ozone layer destruction, greenhouse effect, and acid

rain) (Brehma, Eisenhauerb, & Stedman, 2013). The so-called

environmental awareness, also called “environmental

consciousness”, referred to the concerns and comprehension of

environmental problems (Ramkissoon, Smith, & Weiler, 2013),

meaning that an individual could be aware of the existence of

problems and cultivate the perception, appreciation, and

exploration of the environment through the interaction with the

environment and the cultivation of aesthetics (Gifford & Nilsson,

2014). Environmental awareness was the process of people storing,

understanding, and reassembling environmental stimulation. In

this case, environmental awareness was the process of people

storing, understanding, and reassembling environmental

stimulation. It involved in the elements in the environment as

well as the involved events, the emotion of individuals and

groups, and the symbolic meanings (Hirsh, 2014). The assessment

of students’ environmental awareness is also examined in the

literature. Hausbeck, Milbrath and Enright (1992) studied with

3200 students from 30 secondary schools to evaluate levels of

students on environmental knowledge, awareness and concern, and

found that though the scores of students on environmental

knowledge was low, they had higher scores on environmental

awareness and concern. Thomas (2018) stated that environmental

based activities can be used to teach environmental values

carried out by schools and learning processes for professional

and instructional leadership; inform pedagogical strategies;

response in the context of communication among student

individuals and emphasize the human relations to protect the

environment. also in the study of (Danielraja, R,2019) results

indicated that there was a significant difference in the mean

scores of Environmental awareness between the students belonging

to science group and arts group, there existed significant

difference in the mean scores of Environmental awareness between

the students belonging to science group and vocational group,

there existed no significant difference in the mean scores of

Environmental awareness between the students belonging to

vocational group and arts group. There existed no significant

difference in the mean scores of Environmental awareness between

the students in terms of gender and in terms of types of

institution. Kuhlthau & Todd (2007) stated that in the inquiry

strategy, knowledge can be built by the students, so that they

are able to carry out independent learning in science-related

issues. Guided inquiry learning model is ideal for science

subjects, and some studies have shown that this method is

effective to improve student learning outcomes (Abdi, 2014). One

of the learning strategies that develop curiosity and scientific

thinking of students is inquiry learning. Inquiry learning is a

method that refers to the students’ activities that develop

knowledge (Oguz-Unver & Arabacioglu, 2011). This learning method

can help students develop critical thinking skills and construct

knowledge as if they are real scientists (Corlu & Corlu, 2012)

Synthesis, summarizes the literature reviewed in the

study. Studies reveal that science concept skills are necessary

to investigate the environmental problem and with support and

proper learning science concepts they can give solution to the

environmental problem, learning science is must to take care of

our environment and give importance. Environmental awareness also

basis for preparedness and give much focus on the possible happen

due to global warming and natural disaster, learning with science

and environmental issues really helpful to alleviate life.