Authors : Prayoon Wongchantra , Pairoj Boujai , Winyoo Sata and Prasat Neungchalerm
Abstract: Environmental problems were made by human beings because they lack environmental ethics. The sustainable solving of environmental problems must rely on a teaching process using an environmental ethics infusion method. The purposes of this research were to study knowledge of environment and environmental ethics through an environmental education teaching process using ethics infusion for undergraduate students, to compare knowledge of environment and environmental ethics of the experimental group and the control group and to compare knowledge of environment and environmental ethics of the group of students with different sexes. The sample consisted of 64th years undergraduate students majoring in environmental technology, the Faculty of Environment and Resource Studies at Mahasarakham university; selected by simple random sampling technique. They were assigned to an experimental group of 30 students who learned using ethics infusion method and the control group of 30 students who learned using the traditional method. The instruments for the study included 4 lessons plans on environment for 4 weeks of teaching, an achievement test and a test on environmental ethics. The collected data were analyzed by the uses of a mean, a standard deviation and the F-test (one-way ANOVA). The major findings revealed the following: The experimental group students and the control group students showed their environmental knowledge at 69. 00 and 60. 75% of the total score. In addition, the first group indicated their environmental ethics at the level 4 (ethics for goodness) and the latter group at level 3 (ethics for society). The experimental group students showed environmental knowledge as a whole and environmental ethics as a whole and in 4 topics: forest, water resource, rubbish and global warmth more than did the control group students (p<0.05). The female students in the experimental group indicated environmental knowledge and environmental ethics more than did the male students (p<0.05). In conclusion, environmental education teaching process using ethics infusion could develop the students environmental knowledge and environmental ethics at a high level which were greater than the control group. Therefore, the teachers should be supported to implement it in teaching environmental education at the undergraduate level.
Prayoon Wongchantra , Pairoj Boujai , Winyoo Sata and Prasat Neungchalerm , 2008. A Development of Environmental Education Teaching Process by Using Ethics Infusion for Undergraduate Students. Pakistan Journal of Social Sciences, 5: 941-944.