Exploring the impact of educational background, spiritual beliefs, and media exposure on environmental knowledge and attitudes

Source abstract

This research investigates the concurrent influence of educational background, spiritual beliefs, and media exposure on the environmental knowledge and attitudes. Utilizing a non-experimental, quantitative methodology, data were collected through structured questionnaires from 297 high school students at MAN Pangkep, Indonesia, a non-environmentally focused institution. The analysis used structural equation modeling to test the relationships between the studied variables. Results indicate significant positive correlations between educational background and both environmental knowledge and attitudes. Similarly, spiritual beliefs significantly influenced environmental attitudes, suggesting that integrating environmental stewardship into religious education could enhance commitment to environmental conservation. However, the influence of media exposure on environmental knowledge was not significant, highlighting the need for media to not only disseminate information but also to engage and form knowledge effectively. These findings underscore the importance of holistic educational approaches that incorporate environmental education into curricula to equip students with the necessary knowledge and attitudes to tackle environmental.