Transforming Sustainability Development Education in Malaysian Schools through Greening Activities

Abstract

 This article aims to evaluate the practice ofsustainability among Malaysian Secondary Schools involved in the SustainableSchools Program Environmental Award (SLAAS). The research attempts to identifythe SLAAS effects on teachers’ and students’ behaviors after direct involvementwith the activities of the program. The cluster sampling technique was used inselecting the school samples and the respondents were then also selectedthrough simple random sampling among upper secondary pupils. A questionnairesurvey was administered for 247 teachers and 447 pupils, to evaluate the aftereffects of the SLAAS. Document analysis was employed to identify the greeningactivities that were carried out in the schools involved. The results showedthat the schools’ involvement in SLAAS had some transformative effect on theschools especially on greening activities and also on sustainable behaviorwithin the school compound. Based on the correlation analysis, it showed thatthere was a significant correlation between the knowledge about SLAAS programand the behavior of the teachers and similarly, it was also found that thesignificant correlation between the knowledge of the SLAAS and the behavior ofthe pupils post SLAAS. Hence SLAAS must be continuously deployed in schooloutdoor activities on greening efforts to educate pupils to sustainenvironmental quality. It is suggested that teachers should play the role modelof sustainability, not only for the pupils but also for the public.