Effects of STS Program on Environmental Education

STS 프로그램이 중학생들의 환경 문제에 대한 태도와 학업 성취도에 미치는 효과

The development of science and technology not only improved the quality of life of human being, but also brought about environmental problems. Consequently, consensus has been established that early environmental education for youngsters is critical for the preservation of clean environment. A conventional way of teaching has not been very effective for changing their attitude and behavior regarding environmental problems. STS program, which has been one of the major trend in science education, intends to teach science through everyday experience rather than knowledge. This study purports to examine the effectiveness of STS program on environmental problems compared to conventional teaching method. Six week program was developed and applied to subchapter 'Environmental Pollutions & Our Lives' of 3rd grade middle school science text book. The results of this study can be summarized as follows. 1. STS program was significantly effective in changing students' attitude(p<.001). It was effective not only changing their thinking but also changing their behavior. 2. There was no difference between the STS program and conventional teaching method in improving students' knowledge(p>.05). 3. The correlation between the level of knowledge achievement and the attitude on environment was very low(r=.0564,p>.05).