Developing eco-sensitive citizens requires pro-environmental attitudes from childhood, with tailored educational strategies. This study examines how school libraries can facilitate environmental education on the Bolgoda ecosystem, a sensitive natural freshwater lake system in the Western Province of Sri Lanka. A self-developed questionnaire, with ethical review committee and school authority approvals, was administered to secondary students selected by stratified random sampling to explore their environmental knowledge, information-seeking behaviours, and preferred learning methods. The records of 841 respondents were analysed using descriptive statistics and Chi-Square tests, where the composition was 58.8% male and 41.2% female, with a mean age of 16 years. Of these students, 5.5% had read about Bolgoda, and merely 2.1% had formally studied it through information sources; 74.3% had heard, 28.1% had seen related media, and 19% had visited. Their average score on a detailed ecosystem knowledge scale was 2.53/10 (SD = 2.17, 95% CI [2.38, 2.68]), with over a quarter (27.4%) showing no knowledge. Students were interested in recreational aspects (78.4%) with minimal concern for critical environmental indicators (28.2%). Despite 80% of respondents identifying school libraries as potential venues for environmental education and 60% visiting them at least monthly, 65.4% preferred practical learning through environmental excursions. Analysis of active engagement methods using the Chi-Square test showed significant associations with environmental knowledge (visual media: p = 0.014; lake visitation: p = 0.011), in contrast to passive methods (hearing: p = 0.165; reading: p = 0.165; formal study: p = 0.800). This disparity highlights a fundamental mismatch between traditional information delivery methods and students' learning preferences. Hence, it is recommended to revisit environmental education strategies to integrate practical learning approaches with the involvement of school libraries.

Authors:
Thushari Seneviratne, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka
Asanka Gunawardana, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Chulantha Jayawardena, University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
Upali Chandrasekara, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka

About the Presenter(s)
Ms. Thushari Seneviratne serves as the Deputy Librarian at the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, and is currently pursuing her PhD in Environmental Informatics at the Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/thushari-seneviratne-555323295/

Connect on ResearchGate
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Thushari-Seneviratne?ev=hdr_xprf

Additional website of interest
https://uom.lk/lib/mrs-tm-seneviratne

See this presentation on the full schedule – Friday Schedule

Bookmark