Environmental Literacy, Interest and Engagement in Environmental Activities: A Shared Understanding for Undergraduates

Abstract

Purpose: The study aims to examine the extent of environmental literacy, interest in environmental issues and engagement of environmental activities of the undergraduates in Sri Lanka believing that understanding the level of environmental literacy will lead to influence attitudinal changes and actions of undergraduates towards the environment.  Design: A self-administered structured questionnaire was utilised to collect data from Bachelor of Commerce undergraduates in state universities of Sri Lanka. The descriptive analysis and the multiple regression analysis were used to examine the extend and the relationship among the constructs. Findings: Based on the descriptive analysis, there was low level of environmental literacy among the selected undergraduates in this study. The overall level of interest in environmental issues and level of engagement in environmental activities were moderate. The multiple regression analysis indicated that environmental literacy, as well as environmental interest, were significant predictors for environmental engagement.  Originality and Implications: The results facilitate to recommend that B.Com degree programme should be integrated with environmental areas where such knowledge could lead to promote interest and action towards the environmental activities.