Determining the Size of the Carbon Footprints of Secondary School Students

Abstract

A large part of the environmental problem, which is defined as the ecological footprint, is the carbon footprint. As a matter of fact, the consumption activities of the individual have many destructive and permanent effects on nature. In this research, it is aimed to determine the size of the carbon footprint, which is an important component of the ecological footprint of secondary school students, and to evaluate their views on the carbon footprint. The research is carried out with mixed method in accordance with its purpose and content. The quantitative sample group of the research consists of 750 students in total, studying at secondary schools in the Western Black Sea Region in the 2022-2023 academic year, with the maximum diversity sampling. The qualitative study group consists of 20 secondary school students randomly selected from the students participating in the quantitative part. In the research, “Carbon footprint calculation questionnaire” developed by Ertekin (2012) and “Semi-structured interview form” developed by researchers were used as data collection tools. As a result of the research, it is seen that the carbon footprints of the students are moderate. In addition, it was determined that the class level and family income status were effective on the carbon footprint size of the students. It is seen that the results obtained from the qualitative data support the quantitative results.

Keywords

• carbon footprint
• sustainability
• secondary school studies