Examining the Effects of Ecoliteracy on Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behavior through Adiwiyata Environmental Education for Indonesian Students

Abstract

The school is an educational institution that develops students’ potential by improving the character of the educational process throughout the learning environment, including the environmentally conscious character. However, student behaviors have not reflected their concern for the environment. One of the Indonesian Ministry of Environment’s efforts to increase students’ environmental awareness involves the Environmental Excellence Program, consisting of the Adiwiyata Program. This study aims to analyze the impact of the Environmental Excellence Program on students’ ecoliteracy in schools with Adiwiyata and non-Adiwiyata programs. The respondents were students from an Adiwiyata-based school (MTsN I Pesisir Selatan) and a non-Adiwiyata school (SMP Negeri 3 Painan) with a total of 40 students from each school, and the instrument used was the Nurhasan Syah Ecoliteracy Inventory (NSEI). Research data were analyzed using a descriptive approach and regression correlational tests. Meanwhile, the component in the Adiwiyata Program is the creation of a school based on environmental culture, which produces a generation that is ecoliterate in knowledge, attitudes, and behavior. The result showed that there is a relationship between knowledge and attitudes toward student behavior both inside and outside the school as well as significant differences between Adiwiyata-based schools and non-Adiwiyata-based schools in terms of students’ knowledge, attitudes, and behavior. Therefore, the Adiwiyata Program has an effect on increasing the ecoliteracy in students.