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Jethro J. Arsenio Jodylyn M. Quijano-Arsenio
Jethro J. ArsenioJodylyn M. Quijano-Arsenio
Background of the StudyFor the past five years the
De La Salle Philippines (DLSP) through the Lasallian Institute for the Environment (LIFE) and the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC), has sponsored an annual Ecology Camp or Ecocamp .
8 of the 17 affiliated schools have been sending Ecocamp participants.
Significance of the Study• Not only to the school administrators of De
La Salle Philippines but for other HEIs which are planning to incorporate environmental awareness in their curriculum.
• School administrators of these participating campuses will have basis in crafting school policies that would further strengthen environmental awareness and concerns.
• The results of this study are very interesting since environmental issues are important for most young people
Literature ReviewAccording to Alkin (2004 as cited in Leeuw &
Furubo, 2008) the conduct of evaluation will give four benefits. First, it produces relevant knowledge that would help make better decisions. Second, it provides assurance and make things under control. Third, it produces information that confirms rather than questions policies and lastly, it breeds evaluation system.
The ultimate goal of environmental education whether it is formal or non-formal is to create awareness (Shobeiri, Omidvar and Prahallada, 2007) and this can be done by employing different tactics such as nature camps and seminars (Rider, 2005, as cited in Özden, 2008).
SampleTarget population was the students and
teachers/facilitators who participated in the four-day Ecocamp 2009 in De la Salle Canlubang (DLS-C), Canlubang, Laguna last May 5-8, 2009.
A total of 50 students and 10 facilitators attended and received the questionnaire but retrieval rate was 88% only.
Measures• The first part of the questionnaire consisted
of the profile of the respondents.• The second part of the questionnaire
measured the level of awareness of students in environmental principles and ecological concepts.
• The third part of the questionnaire asked the students and facilitators about their lifestyle affecting plants, animals and other life forms including other ecosystem components such as air, land, water, and energy.
• The last part of the questionnaire used five point Likert scale to ask students’ over-all satisfaction of the four days nature camp.
Table 1: Profile of the Ecocamp Participants and Facilitators
STUDENTS FACILITATORS
Campus De La Salle University De La Salle Araneta University De La Salle University-Dasma De La Salle Canlubang DLS Health Sciences Institute De La Salle Lipa University of St. La SalleGender Female MaleFirst time to attend Yes NoMembership in envi org Yes No
7895762
2717
395
1133
%15.9118.1820.4511.3615.9113.644.55
61.3638.64
88.6411.36
25.0075.00
2 4121
73 55
64
%20.00
40.0010.0020.0010.00
70.0030.00
50.0050.00
60.0040.00
Campus. De La Salle University-Dasmariñas has the highest number of student participants with 20.45%. The campus with the least number of student participants came from University of St. La Salle in Bacolod due to its remoteness from the camp venue.
Gender. Female facilitators was overrepresented (70 %) with male facilitators comprising 30% only.
Attendance in environmental camp. Majority of the students (88.64%) attended the environmental camp for the first time. Half of the facilitators have already experienced attending nature camp.
Membership in environmental organization. Three quarters of the students are not members of any environmental organization.
Table 1: Profile of the Ecocamp Participants and FacilitatorsSTUDENTS FACILITATORS
Sources of Info Outdoor experiences University courses Visit to places Books, tv, news, media Rel’p. with animals
Student’s Age Facilitators 17 below 30 18 30-34 19 35-39 20 40-44 Above 20
312516409
7151165
N=44
%25.6220.6613.2233.067.44
15.8134.0925.0013.6411.36
85671
5131
N=10
29.6318.5222.2225.933.70
50.0010.0030.0010.00
Sources of information. Results show that the top sources of information among students are books, tv, news and media with 33.06%. On the other hand, facilitators’ main source of information is outdoor experiences (29.63%).
Age. The mean age is 18.70. Fifty percent of the facilitators in the camp are less than 30 years old.
Table 2: Comparison of the Students and Facilitators’ Lifestyles towards Different Dimensions
DIMENSIONS
STUDENTS FACILITATORS
Weighted Mean
Description
Weighted Mean
Description
A. Plants, animals and other life forms
3.78 Very Often 4.14 Very Often
B. Air 3.88 Very Often 3.84 Very Often
C. Land 3.42 Very Often 4.34 Always
D. Water 3.90 Very Often 4.36 Always
E. Energy 4.09 Very Often 4.44 Always
Overall Weighted Mean
3.81 Very Often 4.22 Always
The highest average weighted mean shown for the students is in energy (4.09) followed by their lifestyle affecting air (3.88), plants, animals & other forms (3.78), and lastly, land (3.42).
The facilitators’ lifestyle always demonstrates concern to the environment. The average weighted mean in land (4.34), water (4.36) and energy (4.44) falls within the bracket of 4.20-5.
Table 3: ANOVA Results of the Overall Lifestyles of Students as to Gender, First-timer in Camp and Membership in Environmental Organization
IV DummyVar.
Mean Std.Dev.
F p
Gender Male (0)Female
3.82063.7867
.54855
.43831.051 .822
Participa-tion
>1 (= 0)First-time (= 1)
4.13603.7567
.29475
.482222.916 .095
Member-ship
Non-Member (= 0)
Member (= 1)
3.7452
3.9636
.47389
.47344
1.754 .192
According to the results of one-way ANOVA in Table 3, friendly lifestyles towards plants, air, land, water, and energy have no significant difference between male and female, those who are first-time and not to attend nature camp, and those who are members and non-members of environmental organizations.
Table 4: Students’ Awareness of Basic Environmental Principles and Ecological Concepts
% of students with
QUESTIONS Correct answer
Incorrect answer
1. An environmentally sustainable society meets the current needs of its people for food, clean water, clean air, shelter, and other basic resources without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.
84.09 15.91
2. Life on earth is sustained by the energy from the sun.
90.91 9.09
3. The tragedy of commons explain that resources that are freely available to everyone can be depleted or degraded.
93.18 6.82
Table 4: Students’ Awareness of Basic Environmental Principles and Ecological Concepts
% of students with
QUESTIONS Correct answer
Incorrect answer
4. When a physical or chemical change occurs, atoms are created or destroyed.
36.36 63.645. Heat is lost by infrared and heat radiation.
43.18 56.826. Examples of non-biodegradable pollutants are Mercury and Arsenic. These are chemicals that cannot be broken down by natural processes.
75.00 25.00
7. Habitat is a community of different species interacting with one another and with their physical environment of matter and energy.
20.45 79.55
Table 4: Students’Awareness of Basic Environmental Principles and Ecological Concepts
% of students with
QUESTIONS Correct answer
Incorrect answer
8. Endemic species are wild species with so few individual survivors that these soon will become extinct.
25.00 75.00
9. Biotic or living biological components include plants, animals and microbes.
100.00 0.0010. Omnivores feed on both plants and animals.
95.45 4.5511. Biomass is a community of geographical extent characterized by a distinctive landscape based on the life forms of the climax dominants.
20.45 79.55
12. Each species in an ecosystem fills a unique ecological role called its ecological niche.
95.45 4.55
Table 4: Students’ Awareness of Basic Environmental Principles and Ecological Concepts
% of students with
QUESTIONS Correct answer
Incorrect answer
13. Saltwater and freshwater aquatic life zones cover almost ¾ of the earth’s surface.
97.73 2.27
14. Plant use carbon dioxide in the production of protein and many other compounds.
11.36 88.64
15. Organic farming is a practice in which no chemical are employed for weed or insect control and the only fertilizers used are organic matter such as manure and crushed limestone or other rocks.
93.18 6.82
The Cronbach alpha was computed as .5477
Above 75% of them answered correctly nine out of 15 questions. These are question numbers 1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 10, 12, 13 and 15.
Less than 50% of the total number of respondents answered correctly questions number 4, 5, 7, 8, 11, 14.
TABLE 5: Results of Evaluation on Over-all Organization of Ecocamp
Weightedmean
Description
1. I enjoyed the campsite. 4.39 SA2. There are enough facilities like bathroom.
4.05 WA
3. Camp discipline policies are reasonable and well-defined.
4.25 SA
4. I feel secured with the medical and security arrangements.
4.41 SA
5. Activities are within the Ecocamp’s theme.
4.59 SA
TABLE 5: Results of Evaluation on Over-all Organization of Ecocamp
Weightedmean
Description
6. There are enough activities that taught me new concepts related to environment.
4.55 SA
7. The resource persons are knowledgeable and effective speakers.
4.48 SA
8. There is enough free time and I used it productively.
4.05 WA
9. The facilitators are helpful. They address promptly our needs.
4.61 SA
10. Meals are balanced and are served on time.
4.43 SA
Average Weighted Mean 4.38 SA
It depicts the satisfaction rating of camp participants in the overall aspects of the Ecocamp. Except the provision of enough facilities like bathroom and use of their free time.
Notably, they gave the highest rating (4.61) to the facilitators whom they found very helpful and always available.
1. There must be at least one environmental organization in the campus.
2. Selection criteria be developed for the Ecocamp participants.
3. Exposure to different places through field trips and investigatory project.
4. Continuous acquisition of latest environmental science books and subscription to international and local journals and magazines.
5. The people behind Ecocamp should not only be knowledgeable about environmental principles and problems but they must be the ones who enjoy working with students because they could serve as their mentors and inspirations.
6. For further study, it is recommended that pretest and posttest be conducted among Ecocamp participants to better gauge the input of Ecocamp to them.
