Research of student ecological intention development level

Abstract

© Foundation Environmental Protection & Research-FEPR. The study relevance: The present stage of education development is characterized by the development of ecological consciousness of young people which becomes more and more important and relevant. Particularly, the development of ecological intention as a structural component of ecological consciousness is of particular importance. The purpose of the study: based on the study of theoretical and methodological foundations and approaches in understanding the specifics of the individual’s ecological consciousness development, to identify the features of the development of ecological intentions of students for sustainable development of Man and Nature. The study methods: the leading method for the study of this problem is the experimental method. Within the study of the environmental intentions of students, we used an experiment with students of various faculties (law, chemical-biological, electrical engineering) where the students of the 1st, 3d, 5th courses participated. Results: the article presents a thorough and detailed analysis of the concepts of ecological consciousness and ecological intention. As a result of the experiment it is revealed that students of chemical-biological and electrical engineering faculty can better offer options for solving environmental problems than students of the faculty of law; among the students of 3 courses, regardless of the faculty, there is a clear tendency to reduce the indicators of environmental consciousness and environmental intentions, which may be due to the increasing load in educational activities. The difference in indicators of ecological consciousness and ecological intention between the faculty of law and electrical engineering is insignificant, but in qualitative terms there are certain differences: students of the faculty of law, although not fully are aware of some aspects of nature, but, nevertheless, are ready to perform environmentally beneficial actions. Students of the faculty of electrical engineering have the opposite situation: despite the better awareness of environmental problems and the ability to offer better solutions in this regard, they have a low level of readiness for environmental action in terms of personal participation. Practical significance: the data obtained in the work can be used in education to build effective educational programs for the development of environmental consciousness; in practical psychology, environmental psychology, as well as for the further theoretical development of this issue.