Ortaokul Öğrencilerinin Çevre Mühendisliği Bilgi Düzeyleri

Abstract

One of the purposes of STEM education is to create awareness in the students about different engineering careers and guide them towards these careers. The aim of this study was to identify the knowledge levels of middle-school students on environmental engineering (EEKL) and to compare their knowledge level with the grade and gender variables. The sample of the study which was carried out in the 2017-2018 academic year consists of 335 students who were receiving education at public middle-school in the located in Demirci district of the city of Manisa. The descriptive survey model was used in the study with the purpose of identifying the existing EEKL of the students in the sample of the study without giving them any training or carrying out any applications. The "Environmental Engineering Knowledge Test", which consisted of three factors, and whose adaptation into Turkish and validity and reliability studies conducted by the authors was used as a data collection tool. In the research, the rules stated in the directives of higher education institutions scientific research and publication ethics were followed. In the analysis of the data, the independent groups t-test, one way variance analysis (ANOVA) were used. As a result of the study, it was determined that the students had middle level knowledge on environmental engineering and that there was a significant difference between the knowledge level of female and male students in the favor of the female students. It was found that as the grade level increased, EEKL increased and that there was a significant difference between the knowledge level of fifth grade students and the other grades. It was found that the effect of gender on EEKL was small and the effect of grade level on EEKL was medium. In the light of the obtained findings, it is suggested to give place to science, engineering and entrepreneurship applications about environmental engineering at early ages at school and environments outside schools.