Examination of middle school students' awareness levels towards recycling

In this study, the aim was to determine the awareness levels of middle school students regarding recycling by administering a 30-item multiple-choice questionnaire and identifying differences in awareness among the students. The research was conducted during the 2023–2024 academic year with the participation of 500 students from grades 6, 7, and 8 studying in middle schools affiliated with the Directorate of National Education in Diyarbakır. The study was carried out solely in middle schools. In this study, which aimed to examine middle school students' awareness levels regarding recycling, the general survey method was employed. As a data collection tool, a questionnaire titled "Examination of Middle School Students' Awareness Levels Regarding Recycling" was used. The questionnaires were administered through face-to-face meetings with students, during which the purpose and content of the survey were explained. Awareness levels were analyzed based on various variables such as gender, grade level, and parental education level. Following the normality test, it was concluded that the data did not show a normal distribution; therefore, non-parametric tests were used. The questionnaires completed by the students were collected and analyzed using the SPSS data analysis program. Although female students were found to have higher awareness levels than male students in terms of gender, this difference was not statistically significant. It was found that parental education level did not have a direct effect on awareness but could have indirect influences. In the analyses based on grade level, 8th-grade students were found to have higher awareness levels. Regarding sources of information, no significant differences were found among various channels (such as school, internet, television, etc.) that provide recycling information to students. This suggests that the way the information is presented and its content might play a role in how students perceive it.Finally, students who knew the meanings of recycling symbols were found to have higher awareness levels than those who did not, suggesting that symbols may have an influence on recycling awareness.