One of the most worrisome environmental challenges today is climate change, and, in particular, global warming (Suyatna & Rosidin, 2017). In recent years, awareness about environmental issues has increased among the general public around the world, and, consequently, also in the State of Israel. Issues like depletion of natural resources, air pollution, reduction of the ozone layer, the greenhouse effect and more are topics for discussion. Examining student knowledge, beliefs, and willingness to act on issues related to the environment and sustainability has become an issue in educational frameworks (Klongyut, Singseewo & Suksringarm, 2015). The current international United Nations programmes like Sustainable Development Goals (especially goal 4 “for Quality Education”) (United Nations, 2016) and the UNESCO Programme ESDfor2030 (UNESCO, 2020) point to crucial importance of a sustainable future. In the past decade, environmental education – both formal and informal – has been expanding in all educational institutions in Israel, from kindergarten to higher education (Tal, 2009). One of the goals of environmental education is to persuade people to behave in a pro-environmental manner (Kılınç, Boyes & Stanisstreet, 2011). In the age of climate crisis, global inequalities and austerity measures, it is crucial to empower people not only to change their thinking but also to change their actions. The development of action competence (Breiting & Mogensen, 1999) or shaping competence (de Haan, 2006; Rauch & Steiner, 2013) of the pupils is still a main goal of environmental education for sustainability.
The connection of Israel’s Arab community to the environment is influenced by its traditional lifestyle. Some aspects of this lifestyle are environmentally sound, such as economical and chemical-free farming, consuming products from home or local production although fewer young people maintain this traditional lifestyle. Generally speaking, the Arab public is perceived as having low environmental awareness, both by the community itself and by others (Bendas-Jacob, Donitz and Reznikowski, 2012). On the one hand, ongoing development and use of the land’s natural resources by the Jewish majority politicizes issues of the environment, while on the other hand, the environment is seen as a global, non-political issue that must be pursued for the common good.
To get an insight in the environmental beliefs of students as well as taking into account their different cultural background, the Academic Arab College of Education conducted a quantitative study in 2019. The purpose of this study was to examine students’ beliefs about the efficacy of specific actions in mitigating global warming, as well as to measure and describe their willingness to engage in pro-environmental activities on behalf of the environment. The study also aimed to determine whether there is a relationship between “belief in the utility of action” and the “degree of willingness to act” in students and to ascertain whether the relationship between the two is affected by such variables as gender and sector. The results of the study may serve as a basis for planning pro-environmental educational intervention among students and educators.
The research questions that guided the present study included the following:
- To what extent do students believe that various pro-environmental actions can mitigate global warming? (Belief in the utility of action)
- To what extent are students willing to adopt these actions? (Willingness to act)
- Is there a connection between students beliefs in the utility of action and the degree of their willingness to engage in environmental activity?
- Are there differences between Jewish students and Arab students in their beliefs about the utility of action and their willingness to engage in pro-environmental activity?
- Are there differences between boys and girls in their beliefs about the utility of action and their willingness to engage in pro-environmental activity?