THE ROLE OF EDUCATIONAL MEDIA IN DEVELOPING AWARENESS OF SOME GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS OF MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS

Fouda, Fouda M. E. H.; Abd El-Fattah, Mohamed A.; Mohamed, Ahmed A.

doi:10.21608/jes.2025.369474.1990

THE ROLE OF EDUCATIONAL MEDIA IN DEVELOPING AWARENESS OF SOME GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS OF MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Faculty of Graduate Studies and Environmental Researchs, Ain Shams University

² Faculty of Education, Ain Shams University

³ Faculty of Graduate Studies for Childhood, Ain Shams University

10.21608/jes.2025.369474.1990

Abstract

This research aims to identify the role of educational media in developing awareness of some global environmental problems among middle school students, in light of the increasing environmental challenges globally and locally, which now threaten human health and the balance of ecosystems. This research comes in response to recent international reports that emphasize the shortcomings of traditional education in preparing students to confront environmental issues, such as the UNESCO report (2021), which confirmed that school curricula alone are not sufficient to achieve comprehensive and effective environmental awareness. The research belonged to the descriptive approach, where a questionnaire was used that was prepared and scientifically judged. The tool included multiple scales to measure the extent of students' awareness of global environmental problems, their participation in educational media activities, and their attitudes towards environmental issues. The research results showed that educational media activities, especially school journalism, contributed effectively to developing students' awareness of environmental issues. The most topics covered by educational media in schools were: pollution of all kinds (air, water, soil) Followed by climate change and waste, it was also found that there is a strong direct relationship between students' participation in environmental workshops and seminars implemented by educational media, and their high level of environmental awareness. The results also showed that there are statistically significant differences in the level of environmental awareness between students participating and not participating in educational media activities, while no clear differences appeared between genders or the environment (rural/urban). The results confirmed that there is a deficiency in integrating educational media into global environmental events in an organized manner, and that most media professionals lack the necessary environmental preparation. The research concluded with a set of recommendations, most notably: activating the role of educational media in environmental awareness, training specialists on environmental and climate change issues, integrating environmental issues into the annual educational media plan, and developing school programs and initiatives directed towards global environmental issues.

Keywords