An Inventory of Central Wisconsin Students' Environmental Attitudes and Knowledge

Abstract

In the Spring of 1979, over nine hundred sophomore and senior central Wisconsin students were administered an Environmental Knowledge and Attitudes Inventory. Participants were chosen by both random selection and representative school groupings from twenty-nine high schools. The purpose of the inventory was to determine the current environmental knowledge and attitudes of central Wisconsin school children. Such base line knowledge can be useful for environmental curriculum development or in the future, as a reference tool. Results of the survey indicate that central Wisconsin school children scored environmental knowledge items similarly with students from across the United States. Central Wisconsin students scored highest among the conceptual type items. Males scored somewhat higher on factual variables than females. Twelfth graders scored significantly higher than tenth graders on knowledge variables. Most students possessed favorable attitudes toward the environment. The most serious problems were perceived to be natural resource type problems.