Environmental education (EE) is a life- long, multidisciplinary education aims to develop world population awareness, knowledge, skills, attitudes and motivation towards the solutions of current environmental problems (Tbilisi Declaration, 1978) Students needs to be specially trained in environmental action to gain problem solving skills and must know what he or she can do to help (Moseley, 2000). In this respect, Environmental literacy (EL), a basic functional education for all people, motivates to cope with environmental needs and contribute to sustainable development (UNESCO, 1997). Most of recent research in the field of EE has been focused on assessing specific components of environmental literacy through different age groups, such as college students, adults and young students (e.g. Robinson & Crowther 2001, Negev, Sagy, Garb, Salzberg, & Tal, 2008). Many of these studies, researchers have attempted to identify the role socio-demographic variables play in improving environmental literacy (Chu, Lee, Ko, Shin, Lee, Min, &. Kang, 2007; Negev et al., 2008; Makki, Abd-El-Khalick & BouJaoude, 2003). For example, In Chu et al.`s (2007) study, young students’ gender, the source of their environmental information and schooling of parents were found to be affecting all dimensions of environmental literacy, namely, knowledge, attitude, behaviour, and skills. They concluded that, compared to boys, girls have more responsible behaviour towards the environment. Educational background of the father found to be greatly influential on students’ attitude and knowledge. In Negev et al.’ (2008) research with Grade 6 and 12 Israeli students, ethnic and socioeconomic properties was found to be moderately related to environmental literacy. A study of Lebanese high school students (Grade 10 and 11) by Makki, Abd-El-Khalick and BouJaoude (2003) revealed that students had favourable environmental attitudes yet lacked in their environmental knowledge base. Environmental knowledge was found to be correlated with education level of parent, as well as to students' attitude toward environment, affect, beliefs, and behavioural commitments.

            In accord with the reform movements in science curricula around the world, science education was grounded on a constructivist approach and developing scientifically and environmentally literate persons became one of the important goals of the Turkish science education (Ministry of National Education [MNE], 2005). To achieve this goal, environmental education was deeply infused into newly developed curriculum. These curricular additions necessitate a research study to assess the environmental literacy of students, especially 8^th-graders who are at the end of their middle school education. Meanwhile, they are the first groups of students educated with the revised science curriculum. Thus, uncovering the students’ level of environmental literacy could provide science educators in national and international level with information about the prevailing situation and also strengthen the efforts for promoting environmentally literate citizens.

With this in mind, following questions were investigated:

1. What is the environmental literacy (i.e. environmental knowledge, attitude, responsibility, and concern) of the 8^th grade Turkish students?

2.      What is the effect of gender, parent’s education levels, parent’s work status, and source of environmental information on 8^th grade students’ environmental literacy?

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