British Journal of Education, Society & Behavioural Science 20(2): 1-12, 2017; Article no.BJESBS.31946 ISSN: 2278-0998 SCIENCEDOMAIN international www.sciencedomain.org Using Appreciative Inquiry, Community Theatre and Collaborative Engagement to Improve Environmental Sanitation Habits of People in Ibarapa, Oyo State, Nigeria Adetoro Rasheed Adenrele 1*, Oladapo Oludare Samuel 2 2 and Ogundele Adeolu Tunde 1Department of Social Studies, Federal College of Education, P.M.B. 2096, Abeokuta, Nigeria. 2Department of Geography, Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, Lanlate, Nigeria. Authors’ Contributions This work was carried out in collaboration between all authors sponsored by TetFund, Nigeria. Author ARA designed the study, searched and managed the literature, performed the statistical analysis, wrote the protocol and wrote the first draft of the manuscript. Authors OOS and OAT managed the analyses of the study. All authors performed the field work, read and approved the final manuscript. Article Information DOI: 10.9734/BJESBS/2017/31946 Editor(s): (1) Vlasta Hus, Department of Elementary Teacher Education, University of Maribor, Slovenia. Reviewers: (1) Harshad Tandel, Veer Narmad South Gujarat University, Surat, India. (2) Dodo Juliet Dingtsen, University of Jos, jos, Nigeria. (3) Ludgleydson Fernandes De Araújo, Universidade Federal do Piauí, Brazil. Complete Peer review History: http://www.sciencedomain.org/review-history/18429 Received 31 st January 2017 Accepted 15 th March 2017 Original Research Article st Published 31 March 2017 ABSTRACT The poor state of environmental sanitation in Ibarapa East Local Government area of Oyo State was worrisome. A three-phase intervention measures adopted for this study were appreciative inquiry questionnaire, awareness creation with community theatre and collaborative engagements with a review of the intervention measures that lasted for six months. Simple percentages and t-test statistics were used to analyse the questionnaire items. The post-field intervention results on the effect of the community theatre and collaborative intervention measures on environmental sanitation habits proved significant with t (2.145) = 5.276, P<0.05 and t (2.145) =4.031, P<0.05 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ *Corresponding author: E-mail: [email protected]; Adetoro et al.; BJESBS, 20(2): 1-12, 2017; Article no.BJESBS.31946 respectively. It was therefore recommended that while appreciative inquiry is desirable to re- awaken peoples’ sense of situation analysis on environmental sanitation, the community theatre is needed to fire their imagination and thought in the right direction while collaborative engagements using participant models would motivate the people into action. Keywords: Appreciative inquiry; community theatre; collaborative engagement; environmental sanitation habits. 1. INTRODUCTION habits of the people of Ibarapa East Local Government Area of Oyo State towards good It is generally observed that one of the pervasive and sustainable environmental sanitation. challenges facing most poverty ridden nations of the world is environmental abuse. Nigeria is 1.1 Objectives of the Project ranked as 134 out of 178 nations in environmental friendliness ranking in the world Consequently, the objectives of this project were: with a score of 39.20% in 2014 and 3.73% ten – year change [1]. The commonest environmental • To use appreciative inquiry to increase the abuse in Nigeria and elsewhere is environmental awareness of the people of Ibarapa East pollution through poor environmental sanitation Local Government Area of Oyo State on habits. This is noticeable in communities poor environmental sanitation in their comprising of Eruwa, Lanlate, Maya, Agasa, locality. Akolu, Apanpa, Okele, Owewe and Obaseeku in • To stage community theatre on the need to Ibarapa East Local Government Area of Oyo change the peoples’ attitude towards good State, Nigeria. According to Ogundele [2], the environmental hygiene in the communities. outcrops, bushes and rivers near residential • To use collaborative engagements to areas in the communities were greatly abused by promote good sanitation habits in order to turning them into dumpsites for refuse and achieve 2030 Sustainable Development human excreta. Goals (SDGs) of: (a) ensuring healthy living and well-being, Ogundele’s findings further revealed that 56% of (b) ensuring sustainable management of the sewage in the communities were disposed sanitation for all, and into the bush around residential areas. More of (c) make cities and human settlements the findings revealed that there was “leissez – inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable faire” attitude on the part of the people towards [3], in Ibarapa East Local Government dumping of refuse with 28.25% burning their Area of Oyo State. waste within their residential environment, 26.68% disposing their waste in unkempt 1.2 Hypotheses dumpsites/landfills while 45.07% disposing theirs indiscriminately in both drainage/open space and 1. There is no significant difference between streams/rivers [2]. the pre and post-attitude of the people of Ibarapa towards environmental sanitation. Although the attendant consequences of these 2. There is no significant difference between unwholesome lackadaisical attitude in the pre and post-impact of community environmental abuse has not been well theatre on Ibarapa peoples’ environment documented but Ogundele reported that wide habits. outbreak of diseases like typhoid fever, 3. There is no significant difference between dysentery, diarrhea, cholera, yaws etc. had been pre and post-impact of collaborative recorded in the recent past. Nevertheless, his engagements on Ibarapa peoples’ findings revealed that poor environmental environmental habits. sanitation attitude is apparent in the communities due to lack of peoples’ mobilization, consultation and involvement in environmental sanitation and 2. LITERATURE REVIEW waste management programmes. This is why the application of appreciative inquiry, community Environmental sanitation refers to good and theatre and collaborative engagements were sustainable living within the environment. necessary to positively change the attitude/ Referring to the Federal Republic of Nigeria [4] 2 Adetoro et al.; BJESBS, 20(2): 1-12, 2017; Article no.BJESBS.31946 on Environmental Sanitation (ES) policy, ES can Mmom [7] noted the need for interventions to be defined as the principles and practice of reduce peoples’ exposure to diseases by effecting healthful and hygienic conditions in the providing a clean environment in which to live environment to promote public health and well and break the cycle of diseases. Therefore welfare, improve quality of life and ensure a Ikeke [9] calls for environmental reorientation and sustainable environment. practical efforts to eliminate dirty environment that has provided breeding ground for WHO as noted by Ogundele [2], Owoeye and mosquitoes, germs and other life-threatening Adedeji [5] observed a strong relationship organisms in Nigeria. This also necessitates between health and the environment such that cross-cutting environmental education for socio- the quality of an environment has great impact environmental changes to make people develop on the health status of the individual within the competencies, values, attitudes and capacities environment. Earlier Nwankwo as cited by as regards values of environmental respect [10]. Anunonwu et al. [6] has revealed that the This is why Dakwa [11] suggests ‘Education for objective of ES is to create and maintain an Sustainable Development’ (ESD) to promote environment that will promote good health and multi-stakeholder social learning for sustainable prevent diseases. This is why the global attention future. on environmental issues for the past two decades according to Owoeye and Adedeji [5] is Two theories were used to guide the application “Green Agenda” which involves issues like the of appreciative inquiry, community theatre and ozone layer depletion, global warming, and the collaborative engagements in this project. These ‘Brown Agenda” such as inadequate water are Situation Awareness (SA) and Participant supply, sanitation, drainage, solid waste Modelling (PM) theories. According to Endsley services, poor urban and industrial waste [12]: Situation awareness is the perception of management as well as air pollution. elements in the environment within a volume of time and space, the comprehension of their Researchers have proved that the ES problem in meaning, and the projection of their status in the Nigeria needs both a change in behaviour and near future. Indeed a person’s perception of the collaborative engagement efforts [2,7,8]. relevant elements in the environment as Supporting Mansaray, Ajiboye and Adu; Anijaobi- determined by his/her senses forms the basis for Idem et al. [8] suggested public environmental his or her SA. Then action selection and education and active involvement of people in performance will proceed from SA. This process, improving sanitation in Nigeria. Mmom and according to Stanton, Chambers and Piggott [13] Situation Awareness Perception of Comprehension Projection Element in the of current of future Performance of Environment situation status Decision Action Level 2 Level 2 Level 1 Level 3 Using abilities, experience and training for information processing (memory and mental models) Fig. 1. Situation awareness adapted from Endsley [12] 3 Adetoro et al.; BJESBS, 20(2):