Evaluating Changes in Ecological Consciousness of University Students with the NEP Scale: The Effects of Studying Geography Using Landscape Photography

Abstract

This study examined how studying Geography and using personal landscape photography impact university-level Physical Geography students’ ecological perspectives. A survey, employing the New Environmental Paradigm (NEP), was conducted on 77 History undergraduates at the semester’s start and end. The results showed a significant shift toward more ecologically-minded views in all students, particularly those incorporating their own photos. NEP, using a five-point Likert scale, enabled efficient analysis. The study of Physical Geography positively influenced students’ environmental attitudes, with landscape photography enhancing this effect. Therefore, adding personal landscape photos to a public repository can effectively raise environmental consciousness among university students.