Investigation of Energy Literacy, Practices of Saving and Rational Use of Electricity in Students of Fifth Grade of Primary Schools

Abstract

The use of energy is one of the most important anthropogenic environmental issues of our century, as from its production, disposal and use there are many negative effects on the biotic and abiotic elements of the ecosphere. Reducing the environmental impact of the use of matter and energy is a key educational issue. Students are the future adult citizens, who will make decisions for themselves and their fellow human beings. For these key reasons, Primary Education plays an important role in raising environmental awareness and shaping the behaviours of critical children, who need to be oriented towards a sustainable future through their energy literacy, in the context of sustainability education. The purpose of this study is to capture and highlight the basic knowledge, perceptions and daily practical functions of children in the use of direct-visible or otherwise functional energy, which is perceived in children relatively easily, directly and quickly and then their correlation of the findings on the effectiveness of children's taught energy literacy in their school education. The sample of the study consisted of 132 students of 5th grade of 3 Primary Schools in the city of Rhodes. The data collection was done using a structured and anonymous questionnaire and the questions were mainly closed type. Issues of anonymity and ethics were observed. Data were analyzed using the statistical program SPSS 25. The results of the study reveal lack of knowledge and misunderstandings in matters of forms and sources of energy, in the view of oil by several children wrongly as a Renewable Energy Source, in the knowledge of the unit of measurement of electricity, in the type of main energy sources in Greece and Solar energy as a form applied in Greece, a country with more than 300 days of sunshine per year. The concepts of energy efficiency and climate change also indicate the need for retraining, while carbon dioxide emissions are wrongly linked to the use of solar energy. Regarding the individual practices of energy austerity, saving and rational use of energy, they seem to be at a fairly satisfactory level compared to knowledge. In particular, children state that they reduce electricity as they turn off most electrical appliances after use, they turn off the lights in places they do not use while the use of energy-saving lamps seems to prevail. In cases where heating is needed due to cold weather, children state that they prefer to wear more clothes than to increase the heating degrees of the thermostat, while, when ventilating the premises, they turn off the heating (or cooling) sources, contributing significantly to the energy and environmental economy. Undoubtedly, there is still, albeit to a limited extent, the possibility of further improving them for a small number of students. The results briefly show significant misunderstandings in matters of knowledge and deficient energy behaviour regarding the use and reduction of energy by a small number of children. The need arises for the retraining of children in an active exp...

SolVis: A pilot study to facilitate understanding of real-time solar energy production through energy visualizations in learning environments

“…While eco-literacy stems from the ecological field, it is a concept also extending into the broader humanities [8] focusing on the principles and conditions of building sustainable human societies within and with the natural environments, through environmental education and a reconstruction of educational systems [9,10]. Reducing our current societies' dependency on fossil energy, thus limiting the environmental impact of energy production and consumption, is a key environmental and educational issue, calling for the energy education of future citizens [4].…”

“…The current understanding of energy systems limits both individual and systemic behaviour change; establishing energy literacy has the potential to influence energy consumption behaviours of children and adults [18,19]. Furthermore, it is not enough to learn about energy through theoretical knowledge transfer of statistics and numbers; there is a need for experimental, place-based educational approaches, triggering curiosity and awareness, and strengthening the engagement and participation of children [3,4]. Following the belief that knowledge and understanding is better established through the facilitation of self-learning -as opposed to a traditional education process supporting the transferring of facts from teacher to learner [20] -pupils should be actively engaged in their own learning and encouraged to integrate with knowledge on their own terms.…”

“…Focusing on learning environments for the expansion of small-scale solar production is making effective use of existing built structures while also providing the opportunity to build energy awareness and environmental stewardship in present and future citizens already at an early age. [3,4] Increased knowledge and understanding of energy systems through environmental education, is a crucial step in the process of enabling children, i.e., the future citizen adults, to build more sustainable and resource responsible communities and societies [5,6]. Indirectly learning from local energy systems, such as solar panels on the own property, is of high pedagogical value, as it can be easier to absorb local, place-based knowledge production that fosters place-attachment and highlights relations between actions and outcomes [3,7].…”

“…As they are the future adult citizens, it is essential to actively engage children in the transition towards and the development of more sustainable and equitable future societies [3,4]. There is a need to establish and promote ecological literacy [8], or eco-literacy [9,10] i.e., the understanding of natural ecosystems and the conditions and principles of creating sustainable human communities and societies within and in balance with such systems.…”

“…There is a need to establish and promote ecological literacy [8], or eco-literacy [9,10] i.e., the understanding of natural ecosystems and the conditions and principles of creating sustainable human communities and societies within and in balance with such systems. This paper pays special attention to the promotion and development of energy literacy [11], i.e., the understanding of what energy is, how it is produced, stored, measured, and used; key knowledge in reducing the environmental impact of energy consumption [4]. Energy is intangible, abstract, and difficult to grasp for non-experts, which calls for methods and tools for simplified communication of energy systems to children [12].…”