Vol. 10(12), pp. 1646-1650, 23 June, 2015 DOI: 10.5897/ERR2015.2304 Article Number: ACC94C353605 Educational Research and Reviews ISSN 1990-3839 Copyright © 2015 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article http://www.academicjournals.org/ERR

Full Length Research Paper

The development of knowledge and awareness of environmental laws and participation in environmental conservation of probationers

Somchai Wanlu*, Adisak Singseewo and Paitool Suksringarm

Department of Environmental Education, Faculty of Environment and Resource Studies, Mahasarakham University, Kantarawichai District, Maha Sarakham 44150, .

Received 20 May, 2015; Accepted 11 June, 2015

This research aimed to develop knowledge and awareness about environmental laws and participation in environmental conservation of probationers in MahaSarakham Province, Thailand. This study was divided into 3 stages. State 1 was the development of a training manual and construction of training evaluation instruments which consisted of a questionnaire on environmental laws, a questionnaire on awareness about environmental laws, and questionnaire about participation in environmental conservation. Stage 2 was the try-out of the training manual and the determination of the instrument qualities with 30 probationers. Stage 3 was the evaluation of the implementation of the developed training manual with 55 purposive and voluntary probationers for 3 days. The findings revealed that the training manual had an effectiveness index of 0.2889. The experimental group showed gains in knowledge and awareness about environmental laws and participation in environmental conservation from before participating in the training session (p <.001). Also, they indicated more knowledge of environmental laws and participation in environmental conservation than the control group probationers (p<.001). However, the two groups did not indicate different awareness about environmental laws (p=.146). In addition, the probationers with different did not show different knowledge, awareness and participation (p=.789). The statistical interaction of age and training experience were not found to be significant (p=.850).

Key words: Awareness, participation, conservation, environmental laws, probationers.

INTRODUCTION

At present, environmental problems are considered as Veeravatnanond, 2012) or operation such as destructive problems both quantitative and qualitative, in deforestation (ONEP, 2015). Lack of forest will lead to terms of biological and economic and social environments drought and irregular raining season which can change (Veeravatnanond, 2012; ONEP, 2015). The main cause the community life. Environmental problems are mainly of the problems is human action (Singseewo, 2011; caused by overconsumption, poor environmental

*Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected].

Authors agree that this article remain permanently open access under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 International License

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behaviors, lack of knowledge and skills, lack of reporting to the probation officials. As a judge, therefore, environmental ethics (Thathong, 2005; Wongchantra, the author is interested in holding a training session 2008), inefficient environmental management (Chaisa et about environmental laws for the probationers in order to al., 2010 ; Sriharuksa et al., 2011) and imbalance of develop their knowledge and awareness of environmental nature itself (Veeravatnanond, 2003; Pleampongsarn, laws and participation in an environmental conservation. 2006). With the belief that education could help solve environmental problems, environmetal education refers to organized efforts to harmonize the learning process with Objectives human-environment interactions. It could also refer to propagation methodology for education students and To develop a training manual for building knowledge of people about environment, wlth an attempt to develop the environmental laws, awareness of environmental laws, quality of environment that human can get benefits from and participation in an environmental conservation of (Pleampongsarn, 2006, Singseewo, 2011, probationers and to compare the results of using the Veeravatnanond, 2012). Environmental education aims at developed training manual with the probationers as a producing a citizenry that has knowledge concerning whole and as classified according to age. biological environment and its associated problems, aware of how to help people solve those problems, and be motivated to work toward their solution (Stapp, 1969). METHODOLOGY To get effective reduction of impacts on environments at the beginning, the usage of environmental laws is a This research was an Quasi-Experimental Pretest-Posttest with social measure for solving than for prevention (Chaihan, Control Group Design which was divided into 3 stages.

2003). The measures used for punishment of those Stage 1: The development of a training manual and evaluation offenders are merely ineffective because a small number instruments. of those offenders sentenced in the prison are convinced not to behave against the environmental laws. The prison 1. The researcher developed a training manual by studying of sentence for a majority of offenders does not make them various laws related to environments from government documents convinced and needed to be self-adjusted and make one- and interviewing judges, public prosecutors attorneys and probation officials. This information was used for developing activities of a self to be social advantages. The concept of aprobation lecture on environmental laws and environmental conservation, of the offender is recommended by some authorities. This small group discussion for brain storming in solving environmental concept is based on a new rationale or reason that the problems, and activity forest planting and garbage disposal. strong punishment of the offender is not a positive 2. The researcher developed three instruments for assessing the effectiveness and is not a means to help the offender outcomes of the training session which included (1) a questionnaire on convince his/her action or make him/her afraid of the knowledge of environmental laws in the form of yes-no type with 24 items; a 5-rating-scale questionnaire about awareness of environmental laws. The probation, therefore, is a method of conditioned laws with 23 items; and (3) a 4 - rating scale questionnaire about law extension for the offender in which the offender still participation in environmental, conservation with 21 items These normally lives in the community under the investigating instruments were rated as appropriateness by s experts. and monitoring by probation officials appointed by the court. The probation is not a type of mercy but it has an Stage 2 : The try-out of the training manual and training evaluation objective of making the offender correcting one – self by instruments The researcher tried out the developed training manual with 30 community influence rather than imprisonment. The probationers who were voluntarily and purposively selected for 3 probationer must know and understand what to conduct days. The three instruments were administered to the participants, according to conditions of good behavior or to a premise 30 min each at the end of the training session. The knowledge to behave well in the future as the court’s instruction. If questionnaires were scored as yes given a score of 1 and no given the court orders the offender to work for social benefits a score of 0. The awareness questionnaires were scored as such as tree planting, he of she have to know and strongly agreed given a score 5, agreed a score of 4, uncertain a score of 3, disagreed a score of 2, and strongly disagreed a score understand how to plant the tree and take care of of 1. The participation questionnaires were scored as always environment conservation. practice given a score of 4, frequent practice a score of 3, sometime Since the offenders must show themselves to the practice a score of 2, and never practice a score of 1. All scores of probation officials on the day, as assigned by the count, these instruments were calculated for the qualities in terms of item for receiving advice or suggestions for adjusting their discrimination using the item-total correlation which was found behaviors appropriate for living as good citizens of the between .70 and .89 (significant at .05 : .05r 38 = .296) ; and internal reliabilities using the Cronbach’ s alpha coefficient found between society, they should have a good chance to participating .724 - .983. in protection of environments as other normal people do. These offenders should learn about environmental Stage 3 : The evaluation of the training outcomes conservation by attending a training session at the time of The researcher voluntarily and purposively selected 109 probationers in

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MahaSarakham Province, Thailand, as participants of the study. They environmental conservation (p=.798) (Table 1). were randomly assigned to an experimental group of 54 probationers 4. The statistical interactions of age with training who participated in the 3-day training session using the developed experience on the three mentioned dependent variables training manual; and a control group of 55 probationers who did not participate in the training session. Before the training session, the two were not found to be significant (p = .850) (Table 1). groups of probationers were tested using the knowledge questionnaire, the awareness questionnaire and the participation questionnaire. In addition, the first two questionnaires were immediately Discussion administered to the two groups at the end of a 3 - day training session. Only the participation questionnaires were administered to the two groups after 1 month of the termination of the training session- The first finding of the study revealed that the called delayed posttest. probationers who participated in the training session had All scores receiving from the awareness questionnaire and the increased their knowledge and awareness of environmental participation questionnaire were calculated for finding means and laws and participation in environmental conservation before standard deviation and the researcher set the mean intervals for participating in the training session. It was supported by some interpretation as below. related research findings which found that the people who

Awareness participated in the training using the manual on waste mean interval meaning disposal showed gains in their knowledge-understanding and 4.51-5.00 strongly agree participation in waste management before participation in the 3.51-4.50 agree training session (Meaungprom, 2008) and the members of 2.51-2.50 uncertain subdistrict organization had increased their awareness and 1.51-2.50 disagree practices of natural resources and environments before the 1.00-1.50 strongly disagree Participation training (Traithip, 2008; Salaibat, 2011). It might be due to mean interval meaning this training session had some effective activities such as 3.51-4.00 always small group discussion and practical activities which 2.51-3.50 frequent could develop the probationers’ knowledge and awareness of 1.51-250 sometime environmental laws and finally changed their participating 1.00-1.50 never behaviors in environmental conservation (Buphawal, For testing hypotheses, the paired t-test and the F-test (Two-way 2012). This was relevant to the belief in the concepts of MANCOVA and ANCOVA) were employed. In addition, the human behavior changes which stated that the assumptions of MANCOVA and ANCOVA in terms of correlation knowledge and awareness and valuing may result in between the dependent variables, homogeneity of variance, behavioral changes (Schwartz, 1974) and the perception homogeneity of regression slope, and homogeneity of variance - of acquisition of environmental behavior as an ultimate covariance matrices were tested and found the data met the requirement of these assumptions. goal of the educational process has maintained a strong hold in the environmental education community (Chawla, 1999; Marcinkowski, 2004). Finding The second finding found that the probationers who participated in the training session showed more The findings of the study were found as follows. knowledge of environmental laws and participating behaviors in environmental conservation than did those 1. The experimental group probationers as a whole and probationers who did not attend the training session. It as classified according to age (20 years or below and was supported by the research finding which showed that over 20 years) showed gains in knowledge of environmental the people who participated in training using the manual laws, awareness of environmental laws, and participation in on waste disposal had more knowledge and under- environmental conservation from before participating in standing and participation in waste management than the training session (p <.001). those people who did not attend the training 2. The probationers with training experience (experimental (Meaungprom, 2008; Chaihan, 2003). This might be group) and those without training experience showed different because the probationers who attended the training could knowledge of environmental laws, and different participation have more understanding of detailed knowledge of forest in environmental conservation (p ≤ .001) (Tables 1 and 2), planting and waste disposal resulting in a public mind and in favor of the former. However, the two groups did not consciousness of having participating conservation indicate different awareness of environmental laws (p = behaviors in everyday life. .789). However, the probationers who attended and those 3. The probationers with different ages did not evidence who did not attend the training session did not indicate differences in knowledge of environmental laws, aware- awareness of environmental laws differently. This might ness of environmental laws and participation in be due to some knowledge of environmental laws and

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Table 1 Comparisons of knowledge, awareness and participation in environmental conservation of the experimental group and the control group with different ages (Two-way MANCOVA).

Error Patial Eta Source of Variation Wilk' s Lamba Value F Hypothesis df P df Squared Pretest knowledge .452 .452 40.460 3 100 <.001 * .187 Pretest awareness .813 .813 7.680 3 100 .657 .016 Pretest participation .984 .984 .539 3 100 .105 .059 Group .942 .942 2.102 3 100 <.007 * .535 Age .990 .990 .338 3 100 .798 .010 Interaction .992 .992 .265 3 100 .850 .008

*Statistically significant at the .05.

Table2. Comparisons of knowledge, awareness and participation of the experimental group and the control group (Univariate Test One - way ANCOVA).

Dependent Source of Patial Eta SS df MS F p Variable Variation Squared Pretest 82.853 1 82.853 26.337 <.001* .199 Knowledge Group 311.895 1 311.895 99.143 <.001* .483 Error 333.465 106 3.146

Pretest .341 1 .341 .726 .396 .007 Awareness Group 1.008 1 1.008 2.148 .146 .020 Error 49.760 106 .469

Pretest .572 1 .572 3.128 .080 .029 Participation Group 7.178 1 7.778 42.182 <.001* .285 Error 19.395 106 .183

*Statistically significant at the .05.

people who were captured by the policemen due to illegal Recommendation behaviors against the environmental laws could be publicized via the social media such as television, news This research valued the probationers who could live reports, and newspapers Both groups, therefore, could normally in a society. They could have public mind as develop equal awareness of environmental laws. good citizens to cooperatively participate in conserving The last finding showed that the probationers aged 20 natural resources and environments. The methodology of years or below and those aged over 20 years did not this research may be applied or adapted to be show differences in knowledge and awareness of implemented with other probationers across the country. environmental laws and participating conservation Also, this methodology could be applied to children and behaviors was supported by the research findings that youth probationers by providing activities appropriate to the members of subdistrict organization with different the abilities of the participants. ages did no have different knowledge, awareness and practices of conservation of national resources and environments (Meaungprom, 2008 ; Hunchaisri, 2010 ; Conflict of Interests Sunthonchai, 2010 ; Jansamood. 2010 ; Sriharuksa. 2011). This might be due to both groups could receive The authors have not declared any conflict of interests. knowledge and build awareness of environmental laws from daily news on violations of the environmental laws. REFERENCES Both knowledge and awareness may be inadequate for changes of participating conservation behaviors. Buphawal C (2012). Model Development for Enhancing Moral Virtues

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