Awareness, Attitude and Practice of School Students towards Household Waste

The article Awareness, Attitude and Practice of School Students towards Household Waste Management by Licy, Raghavan and Kamath (2013) seeks to determine if there is sufficient awareness among high school and higher secondary school students regarding household waste management. The authors cite the various ways people contribute to the waste levels in the environment before going into the study itself. They argue that without a sufficient education, there is no way that individuals can practice proper waste management. The research article is most likely targeted at educationists and policy makers. This is the group that can most easily implement any changes in the education system. Eventually, the article creates a clear cut research and succeeds in determining the nature of the situation and the way forward.

Data was collected by the use of a questionnaire. The questionnaires were given to a sample of 300 students selected randomly from a total population of 1000 students. The data obtained was further split into two categories. The first group comprised of high school students while the second group comprised of higher secondary school students. The categorization shows a good selection of an institution. The data was then analyzed using the t-test distribution. This method stands out as the most suitable especially in cases where two groups are being tested and compared.

Various findings were made from this study. First, it was noted that more high school students were aware and practiced good environment conservation measures than higher secondary students. They were also more willing to learn about environment conservation. Both groups lacked sufficient information about e-waste management. In this regard, the authors argue that the higher student involvement in environment conservation events had contributed. Higher education students on the other hand did both gave too much time to their studies and was not provided with relevant information about environment conservation.

Licy, Raghavan and Kamath (2013) also note that bad practices were still prevalent in the area of study. They note that while only a small population accepted to have participated in bad waste decomposing practices, over 90 % claimed to see waste decomposed on the roadways on their way to school. This, they argue, is evidence that there is still a lot to be done in regard to environment conservation. This fear is echoed by Ifegbesan (2010)

According to Licy, Raghavan and Kamath (2013), the study showed that there was need to employ more intense awareness exercises specifically targeting families as a whole and higher school students. The study shows that there is a high likelihood that the lack of proper education should be integrated into the education system to educate students about proper waste management practices specifically and environment conservation as a whole. Something that Roman (2008) agrees with.

Limitations

The study is intended for Kerala. It may not be able to give a deeper understanding of the issue at hand in regard to other areas. It only puts its attention on the population of Kerala area. With this regard, while it may serve to increase the awareness of environment conservation issues as well champion for action in the Kerala area, it may be meaningless in other areas.

Second, the selection of the sample was not sufficiently random. While the selection inside the school was randomized, it is probable that the school that was used was not randomized. Since it was not randomized, issues like awareness may not have been representative in the Kerala area. It may be probable for example, that the lack of awareness was unique to the school from which the sample was selected. Furthermore, the lack of information on the selection of the school was either intentional or careless. Either way, it largely compromises the findings of the report.

Another limitation is in the use of the survey. The selected students may have provided information that was untrue. While it is probable that the students had been required to provide only true information, several factors may have contributed to their contributing information that would have given a positive picture of the students and the school. There was no way to verify the information that was contained in the research.

Observations

The article by Licy, Raghavan and Kamath (2013) has been carefully structured and researched. It has also provided information that may be applied both in Kerala and elsewhere. However, it also has some limitations. Its relevance in other regions is limited. Second, the survey questionnaires are not verifiable and therefore may not provide true information. Third, there is no information to show that the school was randomly selected.

Conclusion

People worldwide are becoming more aware of the impacts of their actions on the environment. Kerala has not been left out either. In their article Awareness, Attitude and Practice of School Students towards Household Waste Management, Licy, Raghavan and Kamath (2013) study the awareness attitude and practice of high school and higher secondary school students on waste management. The results show a need for education in all levels of learning so that all people can be more aware of the role they can play in their environment.

References

Roman, H. T. (2008). Increase Awareness of Garbage and Recycling. Tech Directions, 68(5), 19.

Ifegbesan, A. (2010). Exploring Secondary School Students’ Understanding and Practices of Waste Management in Ogun State, Nigeria. International Journal Of Environmental And Science Education, 5(2), 201-215.

Licy, C., Raghavan, V., & Kamath, S. (2013). Awareness, Attitude and Practice of School Students towards Household Waste Management. Journal Of Environment, 2(6), 147–150.