The effectiveness of a recycling project on natural science learner’s perceptions, attitudes and the understanding of scientific knowledge of recycling

Abstract

The last few decades have seen increased calls for integrated waste management practices which could lessen the impact of global warming and other environment degrading practices. As part of these efforts, recycling has become of great importance in society especially in relation to environment management. It has become an important means of reducing the increasing amounts of waste being sent to landfills. Schools have also been identified as a major contributor towards waste production. In this instance, schools have been shown to produce large quantities of solid waste. Consequently, school-based waste management practices such as recycling, which could be integrated into the curriculum are being adopted by various schools. The extent to which learners have a scientific understanding of recycling as a consequence of participating in related projects, however, has not been investigated, primarily in rural schools. Additionally, the impact of these projects on learners attitudes towards recycling in under-resourced schools is not well understood. In light of this therefore, the aim of the present study was to determine the effectiveness of a small scale recycling project on natural science learners’ perception, attitudes and understanding of scientific knowledge of recycling. The study also explored the extent to which recycling-related content is integrated is integrated into natural sciences curriculum. The study followed a sequential mixed method approach. A total number of 150 Grade 7 learners participated in this quasi-experimental design study where 55 learners were randomly assigned into the control group and 95 into the experimental group. Data were collected using a semistructured questionnaire. The Natural Sciences CAPS curriculum was analysed to determine the integration of recycling-related content. Results shown that some aspects of recycling content are integrated into the curriculum, even though gaps were identified. This content is integrated into other topics rather than as a standalone topic. It was also found that students generally understand the importance of recycling. However, this understanding is relatively low. There were no differences between students from both groups (the control group and experimental group). Additionally, participating in the recycling project did not lead to improved understanding of recycling among the students. Results also showed that learners in both groups had positive attitude towards recycling even though there was no significant difference between experimental group students’ attitudes prior and post the recycling project. However, students’ attitudes in the control group improved significantly even though they did not participate in the recycling project. Similarly, students in both groups generally had positive perceptions towards recycling with learners in the control group reporting greater positive perception of recycling than learners in the control group post the recycling project. Based on these results, the author suggests suggest that efforts be made to explore strategies for improving learners undertstanding of recycling.