Assessing Parents Perception of Environmental Awareness

Abstract

It is inevitable to avoid from the influences of some adversities to arise in the ecosystem as "environmental risks" on our lives. The present study aims to determine the level of perception of parents on environmental awareness and environmental protection and to raise awareness on the environmental value and protection. In the present study, the questionnaires were administered to the parents of two private kindergarten students in Ki{dotless}zi{dotless}ltoprak-Erenköy districts on the Asian side of Istanbul as well as the parents of first and second grade students of a private primary school in Umraniye district on the Asian side of Istanbul. The parents of these first and second grade students and the kindergarten students were asked to fill in these questionnaires. A questionnaire prepared by the researchers and consisting of 76 questions was administered to the parents of the kindergarten students in order to measure their parents' environmental perception, 12 of which were prepared to measure the demographic characteristics and 64 of which were prepared for the perception measurement. In the study, the relations between the socio-economic and demographic characteristics of the parents and their environmental perceptions were tried to be found out. Moreover, to what extent the parents put into practice what they know was analyzed so that it can be shown how the information acquired affects the behavior acquisition. In line with the findings obtained, the fact that the awareness of the parents themselves on environment and ecosystem should be improved so that they can transfer the proper actions and approaches they have internalized to their children was found out. Emphasizing the environmental education in every part of the life and providing this education through non-governmental organizations and the experts and the efficiency of the media in this regard were among the results. In addition, the environmental awareness studies should begin during childhood for the sustainability of the environmental awareness education and the media studies should be heavily focused on so that the socio-cultural behavior changes could be ensured in the society and the social media studies should be made. © SGEM2013 All Rights Reserved by the International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference SGEM.