POSITIVE ATTITUDE TOWARDS ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION: THE ROLE OF PRIMARY EDUCATION IN KENYA

Abstract

This study was carried out with 276 standard eight pupils in eleven primary schools in the rural town of Narok in Kenya’s Narok County. It evaluated their attitude towards environmental conservation. A descriptive research design was used and data was collected using the Pupils’ Environmental Education Attitude Questionnaire (PEEAQ). Data analysis included tabulation of percentages. The study found that most pupils had positive attitude regarding environmental education, environmental conservation, interdependence between man and other organisms, conservation of natural resources, management of solid wastes and protection of forest lands. This data was used to explore ways by which environmental education (EE) in primary education might capitalize on pupil attitude, and hence progress towards protection of local environment; and how this might occur through primary school pupils being nurtured into the role of informed decision-makers and action-takers. The authors recommended that EE implementations in primary education to be contextualized so as to inculcate environmental attitudes and values that provoke learners to think about local environmental issues and make decisions regarding protecting their local environment. Keywords: Environmental conservation, attitude towards environmental conservation, environmental education