The paper was presented at World Conference on Educational Sciences (WCES) at Bahcesehir University, Istanbul, Turkey (February 2-6, 2011)

1. The Infusion of Environmental Education
(EE) in Chemistry Teaching and Students’
Awareness and Attitudes Towards
Environment in Malaysia
ARBA’AT HASSAN (PhD) Southern Illinois University, USA
MOHD ZAID ISMAIL (MSc) Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)

2. INTRODUCTION
 The increasing of environmental problems has
arisen many unanswered questions about
environmental education (EE) program
including EE through school’s curriculum.
 The EE in most schools is still dissatisfied and
practiced only through cross curriculum
(Scoffham 2000)
 Miles et al. (2006) found that the teachers’
belief and degree to infuse EE in schools were
still low besides having limited knowledge in
the field.

3. INTRODUCTION
 Mohammad Zohir (2009) found the aim of
introducing EE in schools was to inculcate
environmental knowledge, awareness, positive
attitudes and behavior in long term.
 Taylor et al. (2003) reported that teachers in
primary and secondary schools had limited
knowledge and understanding about sustainable
development and its goals.
 Jekayinfa & Yusuf (2005) found majority teachers
in Nigeria infused EE in their teaching. They
found no significant difference between teachers
of different gender and school locations in infusing
EE.

4. INTRODUCTION
 Mohammad Zohir (2009) conducted a study about
the infusion of EE in Geography to 340 teachers
in Kedah found knowledge on environmental
concepts was high. Majority of them had positive
attitudes but not seriously planned to infuse EE in
their teaching.
 There was no specific study to find out
relationship between the infusion of EE in
curriculum and students’ awareness and attitudes
towards environment.
 Therefore, this study was to identify this
relationship and students’ level of knowledge,
attitudes and teaching practices of EE among
chemistry teachers in Terengganu, Malaysia.

5. AIM OF STUDY
 This study was to identify the relationship
between the infusion of EE in Chemistry
teaching and students’ awareness and
atitudes towards environment.

6. METHODOLOGY
 Quantitative study
 Samples: 127 secondary schools teachers
and 367
students in chemistry in
Terengganu,
Malaysia.
 Data analysis :
 Descriptive (frequency, percentage, mean and
standard deviation)
 Inferential (t-test and Pearson Correlation)

7. RESULTS
A. DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS
Table 1: Knowledge about environmental
Item concepts mean SD Mean
N
Interpretatio
n
Biodiversity 127 3.64 1.021 High
Ozone layer 127 4.26 0.607 High
Environmental pollution 127 4.46 0.546 High
Recycle 127 4.31 0.626 High
Acid rain 127 4.39 0.606 High
Waste product 127 4.15 0.605 High
Sustainable development 127 3.17 1.001 Moderate
Biodegradable polymers 127 3.69 1.029 High
Ecosystems 127 4.14 0.687 High
Renewable energy 127 4.22 0.689 High

8. RESULTS
Table 2: Attitudes towards environmental
Item educationmean SD Interpretatio
N
n
Take course 127 4.03 0.872 High
Provide opportunity to students 127 4.18 0.635 High
Taught as a single subject 127 3,60 1.122 High
Help students to inculcate sensitivity and 127 4.38 0.562 High
practice positive attitudes towards
environment 127 4.24 0.614 High
Help students the best way of solving
problems skills 127 4.14 0.639 High
Help students the best way of decision
making skills

9. RESULTS
Table 3: Teaching practices in infusing
environmental education
Item N Mean SD Interpretatio
n
General practices among teachers 127 4.19 0.331 High
Teaching planning 127 4.02 0.638 High
Teaching methods 127 3.40 0.645 Moderate
Assessment methods 127 3.67 0.551 High

10. RESULTS
Table 4: obstacles in infusing environmental
item education N Mean SD Interpretatio
n
Insufficient time to make preparation 127 3.90 0.853 High
Insufficient time in classroom teaching 127 4.03 0.796 High
Lack of teaching materials 127 3.49 0.805 Moderate
Lack of support from school’s authorities 127 2.94 1.086 Moderate
Lack of knowledge about environmental 127 3.00 0.864 Moderate
issues 127 3.14 0.814 Moderate
Lack of knowledge to teach EE 127 3.54 0.982 High
Big class size 127 4.39 0.724 High
Teaching give more focus on examination 127 3.20 0.926 Moderate
EE is not related to the topics that I’m
supposed to teach 127 2.77 0.875 Moderate
Environmental issues are difficult to teach 127 3.59 0.971 High
I’m not interested to teach EE 127 3.02 0.934 Moderate
Difficulty in assessing students’
performance

11. RESULTS
B. INFERENTIAL STATISTICS
Table 5: t-test of knowledge about EE concepts by
gender
Gender No Mean SD t-value p-level
Male 52 4.03 0.482 -0.201 0.841 (n.s)
Female 75 4.05 0.504
P=0.05; n.s=not significant
Table 6: t-test of knowledge about EE concepts by
school location
School No Mean SD t-value p-level
location
Urban 58 4.02 0.464 -0.400 0.690 (n.s)
Rural 69 4.06 0.519
P=0.05; n.s= not significant

12. RESULTS
Table 7 : t-test of teachers’ attitudes towards EE
by gender
Gender No Mean SD t-value p-level
Male 52 4.12 0.473 0.361 0.719 (n.s)
Female 75 4.08 0.533
P=0.05; n.s= not significant
Table 8: t-test of teachers’s attitudes towards EE
by school location
School No Mean SD t-value p-level
location
Urban 58 4.06 0.482 -0.720 0.473 (n.s)
Rural 69 4.13 0.530
P=0.05; n.s= not significant

13. RESULTS
Table 9: t-test of teaching practices in infusing
EE by gender
Gender No Mean SD t-value p-level
Male 52 3.74 0.457 -0.915 0.362 (n.s)
Female 75 3.81 0.397
P=0.05; n.s= not significant
Table 10: t-test of teaching practices in infusing
EE byt school location
School No Mean SD t-value p-level
location
Urban 58 3.74 0.393 -1.072 0.286 (n.s)
Rural 69 3.82 0.445
P=0.05; n.s= not significant

14. RESULTS
Table 11: Relationship in chemistry teaching and
students’ awareness
Relationship between Infusion of EE p-level
variables
Students’ awareness r = 0.006 0.950 (n.s)
P=0.001; n.s= not significant
Table 12: Relationship in chemistry teaching and
students’ attitudes
Relationship between Infusion in EE p-level
variables
Students’ attitudes r = 0.021 0.817 (n.s)
P=0.001; n.s= not significant

15. DISCUSSION
 Findings showed that the level of knowlege about
EE concepts among chemistry teachers was high
but some of them didn’t know about the concept
of sustainable development.
 This concept might be new and never been used
in teaching by chemistry teachers.
 These findings supported Taylor et al. (2003) who
found most teachers in primary and secondary
schools had limited knowledge and understanding
about sustainable development concepts and the
goals.

16. DISCUSSION
 Most chemistry teachers knew terminology
about environmetal pollution which they used
often as most chemical substances could
harm environment if not disposed properly.
 Aram & Manahan (1995) study stated that
chemical substances must be managed
systematically because they could pollute
environment.

17. FINDINGS
 Findings from t-test showed no significant
difference between male and female teachers in
urban and rural schools about EE concepts.
 The result might be teachers received same
exposure through their experience during studying
in university.
 This is in line with Hanunah (2004) findings to pre-
service teachers in Keningau Teachers’ College,
Sabah. However, it showed opposite finding from
some researchers (Vlahov & Treagust 1998;
Gambro & Switzsky 1999; Kuhlemeir et al. 1999).

18. FINDINGS
 Teachers showed positive attitudes especially
about helping students to inculcate sensitivity
of environment and agreed to attend courses.
 These findings supported Ozden (2008) study
on pre-service teachers in Turkey who took
Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Science and
Technology. They revealed positive attitudes
towards environment.
 However, some teachers diagreed about
making EE as a single subject.

19. FINDINGS
 Hanunah (2004) agreed that making EE as a
single subject would intefere the existing
curriculum as it was already crowded.
 In contrast, Puk & Behm (2003) disagreed and
said that results from their study to Science
and Geography teachers in Canada showed
the failure of infusion model.
 Most teachers only gave less time to teach
ecology concept.

20. FINDINGS
 The t-test findings showed no significant
difference on attitudes of teachers with
different gender and school location.
 They supported Jekayinfa & Yusuf (2005)
study on 200 Nigerian teachers who found no
significant on attitudes between teachers of
different gender and school location.
 Ozden (2008) found opposite findings where
female teachers got positive attitudes to all
dimension of EE as compared to males.

21. FINDINGS
 Findings from teachers showed practices
among them were high as most of them
infused EE in their teaching.
 They planned their teaching but totally
depended on curriculum specification and
textbook provided by Ministry of Education.

22. FINDINGS
 Findings also showed teachers gave less
emphasize on students’ engagement in
solving environmental issues.
 This statement supported Hudson (2001) who
found students in the USA must involve in
national service as a part of ‘learning-by-doing’
to produce excellence learning outcomes.
 The paradigm of EE in the 21th century should
be shifted from awareness to action.

23. FINDINGS
 Finding also found teachers did not practiced
outdoor learning which was most suitable on
EE teaching method.
 Tekzos et al. (2010) study showed opposite
findings on chemistry teachers in Turkey (most
teachers focused more on field work in
infusing EE).
 Through fieldwork activities, students gained
direct experience from environment and at the
same time improved their awareness.

24. FINDINGS
 Teachers used traditional assesment by
observing their students during activities.
 Teachers should use authentic assesment by
asking students to produce porfolio about
environment.
 Feuer & Fulton (1993) said porfolio is
students’ learning outcome carried out
systematically in certain period of time.

25. FINDINGS
 Findings about obstacles in infusing EE
supported by Puk & Behm (2003) showed
most teachers agreed that teaching focused
on examination was the main obstacle, hence,
teachers got less time to infuse EE.
 Findings also showed high awareness and
attitudes among students.
 The finding supported Suriati (2009) study
which revealed high environmental awareness
among Form 4 and 5 students in Bandar Baru
Bangi, Malaysia.

26. FINDINGS
 The main findings showed no relationship betweeen the
infusion of EE and students’ awareness and attitudes towards
ennvironment.
 These findings described that infusion of EE did not affect
students’ awareness and attitudes but there were other
factors influencing them.
 Ozden (2008) listed few factors influencing awareness among
students (e.g.: outdoors activities and media [newspaper,
magazine, internet and so on]).
 The result also indicated that students did not get more input
from infusion practices in chemistry because the content was
so limited and the timetable was already crowded.
 Ajiboye & Silo (2008) found the infusion of EE in classroom
in Botswana gave less outcomes as the existing timetable
was already enough besides limited time.

27. IMPLICATION
 the infusion of EE cross curriculum should be
value added in increasingly promote students’
awareness and attitudes towards environment.
 Therefore, the EE subject is recommeded be
using more topics related to environment or
making it a separate subject in the existing
national education curriculum.

28. RECOMMENDATION
 Researcher proposed qualitative study by
interviewing teachers and students or making this
as a case study.
 Study can also be conducted to all schools in
Malaysia involving other subjects like Biology, and
Physics, instead of Chemistry. Future study
should also consider other factors like sosio-
economy status, roles of media and geographical
background.
 Other suggestion is to the stakeholders to review
the curriculum of environmenta education to make
it relevant for the 21st century.