Environmental Awareness as a Predictor of Sustainable Development Practices: A Correlational Study Among Tertiary Students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54536/ajiri.v5i3.8383Keywords:
Beed Students, Descriptive-Correlational Research, Education, Environmental Awareness, Sustainable DevelopmentAbstract
The correlational aspect of this study will try to explore the predictive value of environmental awareness on the sustainability practices done by tertiary level students. Specifically, this study aims to find out the relationship between the levels of environmental awareness of BEED students in one higher educational institution in Mindanao. This study is guided by the theories on Sustainable Development, Social Cognitive Theory, Moral Norm Activation Theory, and Value-Belief-Norm Theory. It will attempt to look into the relationship between the levels of environmental awareness and sustainability practices like waste management, energy conservation, climate change, pollution control, tree planting, and proper waste disposal. The researcher will adopt a descriptive-correlational research design where 153 respondents will be chosen via universal sampling. Data will be collected through survey questionnaires and statistical analysis such as mean and standard deviation will be used to analyze levels of awareness and practices while the predictor of behaviors will be tested through inferential statistics. In particular, the purpose of the study is to investigate the level of environmental awareness and sustainability behaviors among students, assess the importance of the connection between these constructs, and establish what specific factors of environmental awareness have the highest predictive power regarding sustainability behaviors. The expected outcome of the research will contribute significantly to the understanding of how environmental awareness can facilitate environmentally responsible behavior, as well as enhance environmental education and sustainability programs in academic institutions of higher learning.
Downloads
References
Alas, D. K., & Korutürk, K. (2024). Exploring the impact of values education on sustainable environmental awareness and behavior among eighth-grade students. Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 16(21), Article 9302. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16219302
Andalan, A. J., Prado, F. A. M., Ortiz, S. M. B., Daras, A. R. G., Pausal, F. L. G., Casan, K. E., & Decena, J. T., III. (2025). Environmental awareness and sustainable development practices of accountanatcy, business, and management students in Tacurong National Highschool. ResearchGate. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.35211.40488
Cañas, R. J. C., & Zoleta, J. M. R. (2024). Investigation of environmental attitudes: Implications to sustainable campus waste management. American Journal of Environment and Climate, 3(2), 25–33. https://doi.org/10.54536/ajec.v3i2.2788
Dar, N. A., Tali, T. A., Ganie, B. A., Sofi, M. A., Sofi, S. R., Khan, N. A., Najmi, A. M., Fir, A., & Ahmad, S. N. (2023). Statistical methods used in medical research and cancer registries: A review. Journal of Radiation and Cancer Research, 14(3), 111–115 https://doi.org/10.4103/jrcr.jrcr_36_22
Eleccion, M. J. M., Gallo, L. G. C., Nanud, M. N. D., & Baluyos, G. R. (2025). The mediating role of environmental awareness in the relationship between science literacy and sustainable practices. International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 9(9). https://doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2025.909000324
Erfanian, S., Maleknia, R., & Khedrizadeh, M. (2024). Application of social cognitive theory to determine shaping factors of environmental intention and behaviors of ecotourists in forest areas. Frontiers, 7, Article 1489170. https://doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2024.1489170
Escatron, M. J. E., Adlaon, M. S., Flores, D. K. G., & Escatron, R. A. (2023). Environmental awareness and practices of the selected public senior high school in Surigao city, Philippines: A case study. Cognizance Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies. https://doi.org/10.47760/cognizance.2023.v03i08.028
Fadly, D., & Setyawan, D. (2026). Mapping research on environmental awareness: A systematic literature review (2000–2025). Journal of Scientific Research, Education, and Technology, 5(1), 538–552. https://doi.org/10.58526/jsret.v5i1.1040
García-Salirrosas, J. P., Acevedo-Duque, A., & Müller-Pérez, J. (2023). Influence of environmental awareness on the willingness to pay for green products in a developing country. Frontiers, 14, 1282383. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1282383
Getzler, Y. D., & Mathers, R. T. (2022). Sustainable polymers: Our evolving understanding. Accounts of Chemical Research Publications, 55(14), 1869-1878. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.accounts.2c00194
Hong, Y., Al Mamun, A., Masukujjaman, M., & Yang, Q. (2024). Significance of the environmental value-belief-norm model and its relationship to green consumption among Chinese youth. ScienceDirect, 146, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmrv.2023.10.002
Javanmardi, E., Liu, S., & Xie, N. (2023). Exploring the challenges to sustainable development from the perspective of grey systems theory. Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 11(2), 70. https://doi.org/10.3390/systems11020070
Kopp, E., & Tafese, M. B. (2025). Education for sustainable development: analyzing research trends in higher education for sustainable development goals through bibliometric analysis. Springer Nature Link, 5(1), Article 711. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-024-00711-7
Kumar, J. (2024). An analysis of sustainable consumption practices among students. ResearchGate. ISBN 978-81-951591-6-1
Laheri, V. K., Lim, W. M., Arya, P. K., & Kumar, S. (2024). A multidimensional lens of environmental consciousness: Towards an environmentally conscious theory of planned behavior. Journal of Consumer Marketing, 41(3), 281–297. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCM-03-2023-5875
Liao, C. H. (2025). The role of media in shaping pro-environmental behaviors: Integrating media system dependency theory and norm activation theory. Frontiers, 16, Article 1520537. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1520537
Masongsong, J. R. (2024). Environmental awareness and participation among college students of Mindoro State University–Calapan City Campus. American Journal of Environment and Climate, 3(1), 25–29. https://doi.org/10.54536/ajec.v3i1.2389
Mursa, R. A., Patterson, C., McErlean, G., & Halcomb, E. (2025). How many is enough? Justifying sample size in descriptive quantitative research. Nurse Researcher, 33(2), 35–40. https://doi.org/10.7748/nr.2025.e1958
Muyed, G. M. M. D. D., Mallik, S. K., & Datta, D. (2025). Environmental awareness and youth engagement in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. American Journal of Environmental Economics, 4(1), 185–191. https://doi.org/10.54536/ajee.v4i1.5780
Nguyen, H.-A. T., Osman, Z., Serrano, J., Suhandoko, A. D. J., & Intaratat, K. (2025). Determinants of environmental awareness toward the green living behaviour of students: The role of family, university, and social environmental factors in Hanoi, Vietnam. Paradigm reference-global.com, 13(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.2478/environ-2025-0001
Nombera-Aznaran, N., Guevara-Lazo, D., Fernandez-Guzman, D., & Taype-Rondán, A. (2024). Statistical characteristics of analytical studies published in Peruvian medical journals from 2021 to 2022: A methodological study. PLOS One, 19(7), e0306334. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0306334
Sargın, S., & Dursun, Y. (2024). The effect of environmental ethics awareness, ecological intelligence and the love of nature on sustainable consumption behavior. Gazi Journal of Economics & Business, 10(2), 290-313. https://doi.org/10.30855/gjeb.2024.10.2.007
Schwartz, S. (1977). Normative influences on altruism. ScienceDirect, 10, 221–279. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(08)60358-5
Si, W., Jiang, C., & Meng, L. (2022). The relationship between environmental awareness, habitat quality, and community residents’ pro-environmental behavior—Mediated effects model analysis based on social capital. Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 19, 13253. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192013253
Shrestha, R., Kadel, R., Shakya, S., Nyachhyon, N., & Mishra, B. K. (2025). Awareness and understanding of climate change for environmental sustainability using a mixed-method approach: A study in the Kathmandu Valley. Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 17(7), 2819. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17072819
Tayco, A. D. (2025). An analysis of the relationship between environmental awareness and sustainable development practices among senior high school students in Tablas Island, Romblon. International Knowledge Sharing Platform, 15(5). https://doi.org/10.7176/JEES/15-5-01
Toledo, M. & Lingon, M. (2024). Environmental Awareness and Sustainable Development Practices of Senior High School Students. International Journal of Advances in Education, Social Sciences and Innovation, 3(1), 79-84. eISSN-3028-1156
Torroba-Díaz, M., Bajo-Sanjuán, A., Callejón Gil, Á. M., Rosales-Pérez, A., & López Marfil, L. (2023). Environmental behavior of university students. Emerald insight, 24(7), 1489-1506. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-07-2022-0226
Velempini, K. (2025). Assessing the role of environmental education practices towards the attainment of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI), 17(5), Article 2043. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17052043
Wardhana, A., (2022). Environmental awareness, sustainable consumption and green behavior among undergraduate students. Review of Integrative Business and Economics Research, 11(1), 242–252. ISSN: 2304-1013
Wang, K., & Zhang, L. (2021). The impact of ecological civilization theory on university students’ pro-environmental behavior: An application of knowledge-attitude-practice theoretical model. Frontiers, 12, 681409. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.681409
WisdomLib. (2021). Significance of universal sampling method. Wisdom Library. https://www.wisdomlib.org/concept/universal-sampling-method.
World Commission on Environment and Development. (1987). Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development: Our common future. Oxford University Press. ISBN: 978-0192820808
Yildirim, M. S., Elkoca, A., Gökçay, G., Yilmaz, D. A., & Yıldız, M. (2025). The relationship between environmental literacy, ecological footprint awareness, and environmental behavior in adults. Springer Nature Link, 25(1), 551. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-21340-3
Zhai, S. (2023). Analysis, evaluation, and reformulation of social cognitive theory. Pediatric Nursing, 49(5), 227–232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedn.2023.07.011
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 C. V. Bañes, J. A. Florida, B. M. Faustino, E. S. Kong

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.



