Perception of environmental health and social responsibility education by university students

Abstract

Being inherited from 20th century and having increasingly negative effect on our lives, environmental problem had became inevitable part of our life. However employmentand development-related issues had led several governments to defer the subject. Countries including United States, China, India, Brazil, Turkey and Australia are not eager against international environmental regulations. Private sectors of several third world countries may threat governments and non-governmental organization to cease their business activities or to shift their investments to other countries due to fear that efforts and expenditures made for environment, which is in fact a corporate social responsibility subject, will adversely affect their competitive advantages. Concurrently, as non-governmental organizations of said countries regard the issue such that it is not substantial subject of present time, principal problem of present age is development, responsibility of this problem should be undertaken by developed countries as due to very nature of the problem, the matter is arising from activities of developed countries, said organizations are avoid from encouraging companies and governments for being active on environmental issues. A similar approach related to present subject can be also observed in attitudes of EU member states against membership process of candidate states. Member States are not very willing to follow environmental regulations although they are very sensitive about implementing Copenhagen criteria against candidate states and even Member States provide a transition period for candidates on those topics. Environmental problem is such complex that it cannot be resolved by ordinary solutions. It requires problem solvers to have a vision on this subject as well as corporate approaches and policies to undertake a mission for creating a focus in relation with implementing the vision. Ability to create a common environmental awareness throughout the community is related with cultural transformation. Most effective tool for cultural transformation is education. Aim of this study is to reveal changes in social responsibility perceptions of university students on environmental health and policies caused by the course titled "Environmental Health and Environmental Responsibility". In the study, focus group discussion work method among qualitative research methods will be used and resultant findings are supported by observation findings. In the study, 10 focus groups, each consisting of five students and one moderator, are used; factors with effect on environmental awareness of students are observed. © SGEM2010 All Rights Reserved by the International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference SGEM Published by STEF92 Technology Ltd.