Investigation of high school and university students environmental risk perceptions and behavior towards sustainable environmental

This study was conducted to reveal the relationship between high school and university students' environmental risks and behaviors towards sustainable environment. In this study, one of the descriptive research models, relational survey model was used. The population of the study consists of university students studying in Siirt University in the fall semester of 2017-2018 academic year and students studying in Siirt city center and high schools affiliated to provincial Directorate of National Education. The sample of this study consisted of 835 students, 379 high school students and 456 university students selected form this universe "Appropriate Sampling "method. In the study, risk Environmental risk perception scale developed by Slimak and Dietz (2006) and adapted to Turkish by Altunoğlu and Atav (2009) was used to determine the environmental risk perceptions of the students who participated in the study as a data collection tool. In order to determine students' attitudes towards sustainable environment Attitude scale towards sustainable environment developed by Afacan and Demirci Güler (2011) was used. Descriptive statistics (arithmetic mean and standard deviation), independent sampling t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used in the analysis of the data obtained in the study. In addition, Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient test was used to determine the relationship between environmental risk perceptions and attitudes towards sustainable environment. SPSS 17.0 statistical package program was used to analyze all data. When the findings of the study were examined, it was determined that the environmental risk perceptions of high school students and university students and their behaviors towards sustainable environment were high, however, it was found that there was a moderate positive relationship between high school and university students' perceptions of environmental risk and their attitudes towards sustainable environment. In addition, there was no significant difference between high school and university students 'education level, parents' education level, income level, environment education course variables, and environmental risk perceptions and behaviors towards sustainable environment.