Evaluating environmental literacy among Surrey BC secondary students

Abstract

For decades, environmental education (EE) has been underrepresented in the education system, particularly at the secondary school level. By using a survey, this project sought an understanding of the environmental behaviours, attitudes, opinions, and knowledge of 93 Grade 12 students from five secondary schools in the Surrey School District in British Columbia (BC). The participants completed the survey approximately two years after studying Science 10, their last required science course. The BC Science 10 curriculum and the BC Science 10 textbook were referenced extensively to develop the survey. The results indicated that, although the sample population performed well on some of the knowledge-based items, the participants demonstrated deficiencies regarding some environmental and ecological concepts. This project also highlighted important elements in the history of EE and offers insights into the challenges of developing a survey to assess environmental literacy and the complexities of integrating EE into the secondary curriculum.