Sources of children's environmental knowledge and their perceptions about the environment.

There are many ways children in Malaysia learn about the environment. They are thought about environment through subjects in school, co-curricular activities held at the school and other parties particularly parents and family members who are closest to them, the media, NGOs and government agencies. Hence, this study was conducted to identify the sources of the children's environmental knowledge and their perceptions about the environment. Data were collected in November 4-14, 2014, i.e. at the end of second term of school session. A total of 480 pupils from four primary schools in three states was selected as respondents. Two instruments were used in the study, first was using questionnaires to determine the sources of pupils' knowledge about environment; and second using visual technique, i.e. drawings about the environment drawn by respondents to determine their perceptions about the environment based on the knowledge they acquired from school and other sources. The results showed that pupils generate knowledge about the environment mostly from classroom (98.3%), most of the components drawn in their drawings are biotic (97.3%), and their perception of a clean environment (96.3%) dominates the number of drawings. Based on this study, it can be concluded that the majority of pupils obtained their knowledge about the environment from the classroom. Hence, the students' hold perception that the environment has clean and safe characteristics. This study showed that the importance for close engagement process especially with teachers are the important factors to ensure that the children knowledge about the environment is futher enhanced and have a significant impact. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]