Impact of Colombian schools on the level of environmental awareness of students

Abstract

Environmental problems worldwide tend to become increasingly worse. In this sense, this study aims to determine if the teaching methods of Colombian schools are related to the level of environmental awareness of their students. For the development of this study, data for Colombia from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) for the year 2015 were used. The statistical estimation was carried out using a logistic regression model. The sample was made up of 7,299 students at the secondary education level in Colombia (grades, tenth and eleventh). The results showed that environmental problems such as water scarcity, extinction of animals, plants, and deforestation, can be easily explained by most of the students. However, another large proportion of students are not very familiar with problems related to nuclear waste, genetically modified organisms or greenhouse gas emissions. It was also found that female students, in general terms, present a lower level of environmental awareness compared to their counterpart. It is concluded that the students’ disposition towards the environment motivates their participation in initiatives aimed at improving the conditions of the planet.