Factor Affecting on Public Awareness Concerning University Environment ^†

Abstract

Human activities are recognized as an increasingly significant effect on the Earth’s environment. Environmental protection is any activity to maintain the quality of environmental media on individual, organizational or governmental levels, for the benefit of both the natural environment and humans. Environmental protection is the primary concern of the future of humanity. Public awareness of the environment is the ability to understand the surrounding world, including understandings to all the changes occurring in the environment, understanding of cause-and-effect relationships between the quality of the environment and human behavior, and a sense of responsibility of preserving them to next generations. The future will be powered by concerning public awareness discipline, giving students and graduates insights into most aspects of the human world to environment and the social sciences. The knowledge of Environmental public awareness acquired during school education and then systematically improved in adulthood, is an essential factor in quickening the environmental awareness of an individual. This study is to determine the factors that affecting the public awareness on university environment of 100 undergraduate students. The overall opinions showed that the students’ public awareness was high level. Furthermore, the key factors that influences on public awareness concerning university environment are knowledge and daily behavior.This investigation will shed light on the public awareness on university environment. Moreover, the students’ feedback showed the highly positive attitude in concerning environment.

1. Introduction

Public environmental awareness is a primary concern of the future of humanity. It is one of the most important indicators for representing national civilization. It reflects many aspects of environmental situations, such as people’s knowledge, behaviors, and individuals’ attitude towards sustainable society [1]. All information is benefit for educators, environmentalists, government officials in planning for social sustainable development.

Environmental problems are becoming increasingly serious in the world, also Thailand. The industrial discharge, water pollution, and garbage causes for environmental regarding in our community. Public awareness encouragement is essential for ensuring effective environment improvement and Protection [2]. Protecting our environment is the most important section of implementing a sustainable development strategy. Government, private enterprises, and every person, all should join and cooperate with each other to make the environmental quality improvement.

Clugston [3] pointed that environmental education is a life-long process and can create environmentally concerned and responsible society. Moreover, higher education community is one of the major actors in environmental education and development. Higher education intend to raise responsible and competent individuals with knowledge, skills, and attitudes for who will contribute an improvement environment and solve the environment problems and preventions. Environmental protection is any activity to maintain the quality of environmental media on individual, organizational or governmental levels, for the benefit of both the natural environment and humans. Environmental protection is the knowledge of Environmental public awareness acquired during school education and then systematically improved in adulthood, is an essential factor in quickening the environmental awareness of an individual. Pooley & O’Connor [4] indicated that environmental education programmes have essentially focused on increasing environment knowledge to change environmental behavior. Furthermore, Kraus [5] believes that attitude is the most important determinant for behavior and address the attitude (affective domain) rather than knowledge (cognition).

Young people are a sector of special interest, given the numerous strenuous and opportunities to access education. It will create a powerful challenge to change or prevail the environmental problem. If the undergraduates understand the surrounding world, including understandings to all the changes occurring in the environment, understanding of cause-and-effect relationships between the quality of the environment and human behaviour, and a sense of responsibility of preserving them to next generations. The future will be powered by concerning public awareness discipline, giving students and graduates insights into most aspects of the human world to environment and the social sciences. Human activities are recognized as an increasingly significant effect on the Earth’s environment.

Therefore, the study of factor affecting on public awareness concerning university environment is very useful information for promoting public environmental awareness to the next generations.

2. Research Objectives

(1)

to investigate the students’ opinion in public awareness on university environment.

(2)

to determine the factors that affecting the public awareness on university environment.

3. Research Methodology

(1)

Study site

The study area was in Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University (SSRU), located in the Dusit Palace, with 27,776 students [6].

(2)

Material

The questionnaire design was based on the students’ demographics and the public environmental awareness concerning university environment in knowledge, daily behavior, and attitude.

(3)

Data Collection

The study was conducted the data from randomly 100 undergraduates at Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University with willing to participate the research. The survey was made from 19–23 March 2018.

(4)

Data Analysis

Quantitative analysis was used to determine the students’ opinion and Independent T-test and Pearson correlation was used to determined the factors that affecting the public awareness on university environment.

4. Results

The results found that the most important environment issue at SSRU was waste disposal as shown in

Table 1. Frequency of important environment issues in SSRU.

Environmental Issues	Frequency	Percentage
Waste Disposal	58	58.00
Noise problem	22	22.00
Bad smell	15	15.00
Water Pollution	10	10.00
Air pollution	5	5.00
Total	100	100.00

.

Another important finding gained from environment knowledge and daily behaviours indicated how much the students are concerned or not concerned by (1) not concerned at all, (2) somewhat concerned, (3) concerned, and (4) very concerned. The finding was shown in

Table 2. Mean and standard deviation of environmental knowledge and daily behaviours.

Environmental Issues	Mean	Standard Deviation	Assessment
Daily behaviours	2.75	0.58	Somewhat concerned
Public behaviors	2.21	0.67	Somewhat concerned
Knowledge of environment	3.72	0.67	Concerned
Significant of environment protection	3.64	0.57	Concerned
Importance of environment protection	3.46	1.27	Concerned

.

The students’ opinion in public awareness concerning university environment pointed how the students feel in each item by (1) strongly disagree, (2) disagree, (3) agree, and (4) strongly agree. The result illustrated in

Table 3. Mean and standard deviation of students’ attitude.

Environmental Issues	Mean	Standard Deviation	Assessment
Everyone should do they best to protect their environment as long as their life.	3.45	0.51	agree
Environment education should be part of every school curriculum.	3.71	0.48	agree
It is impossible that people must concern the public environmental awareness.	2.36	1.07	disagree
I am willing to reduce the waste.	3.48	0.67	agree
I will participate and support the government environmental policy.	3.25	0.79	agree

.

In addition, the research found that gender revealed no significant relationship between gender and public awareness on environmental university concern. On the other hand, there is statistically significant relationship in public awareness on concerning in university environment among knowledge and daily behaviors as shown in

Table 4. Comparison mean between Public awareness and Gender.

Gender	N	Mean	Standard Deviation	df	t	Sig.
Male	58	3.47	0.79	98	0.958	0.342
Female	42	3.38	0.61

and

Table 5. Correlation analysis between Public awareness among Knowledge of environment and Daily behaviors.

Variables	N	Correlation coefficient	Sig.
Knowledge of environment	100	0.68	0.034
Daily behaviors	100	0.41	0.013

.

5. Conclusions

The study indicates that the students in SSRU are realized and concerned in public awareness on university environment in high level. The overall opinions showed that the students’ public awareness was advanced state. Furthermore, the key factors that influences on public awareness concerning university environment are knowledge and daily behavior.

This investigation will shed light on the public awareness on university environment. Moreover, the students’ feedback showed the positive attitude in concerning environment.