THE ROLE OF BIOLOGY EDUCATION IN PROMOTING ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY AND SUSTAINABILITY PRACTICES IN CROSS RIVER STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study examined the role of Biology Education in promoting environmental literacy and sustainability practices in Cross River State, Nigeria. Two specific objectives, two research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. It was conducted in Cross River State, Nigeria. A total of 55 Biology Educators from two public universities in Cross River State, Nigeria was studied. The universities were University of Calabar (UNICAL) and Cross River State University of Technology (UNICROSS). The instrument for data collection was structured questionnaire. The instrument was face validated by three experts. Cronbach alpha reliability method was used to determine the internal consistency of the instrument and it yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.85. Data collection was carried out by the researcher and three research assistants. Data analysis was carried out using mean, standard deviation and t-test statistics. The mean scores for environmental issues was (2.66-3.26). With the decision rule of 2.50 and above to be accepted, while items with mean score less than 2.50 were rejected.  Standard deviation to each item ranged from 0.52-0.99. Also, the decision rule for t-test analysis was that any hypothesis with p-value less than 0.05 level of significance was rejected. Therefore, there is no significant differences in the mean responses of university of Calabar Biology educators and University of Cross River Biology Educators on the current environmental issues facing Cross River State. The results identified sixteen (16) environmental issues facing Cross River State to include: illegal logging of forest trees, water and soil pollution from agricultural runoff and industrial waste, among others. The findings also revealed fourteen (14) roles of Biology Education in promoting environmental literacy and sustainability practices in Cross River State which are: educating students about the importance of protecting species and ecosystems, providing students with hands-on-experiences in local ecosystems to understand biodiversity, among others. Based on the findings, the study concluded that Biology Education is not just an academic subject but a vital tool for fostering a generation capable of tackling the pressing environmental challenges faced by Cross River State and beyond. The study recommended among others that there is need to revise the Biology Education curriculum to include more comprehensive contents on environmental issues and sustainability practices relevant to Cross River State.