Environmental Awareness Among University Students at King Faisal University: College of Law and Arts - A Statistical Study

Abstract

This study assessed the level of environmental awareness among students of the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Arts (Geography) at King Faisal University through its cognitive, skill-based, and emotional dimensions. The research examined students’ environmental knowledge, awareness of environmental laws, participation in environmental activities, and concern for environmental issues. It was hypothesized that students would demonstrate a high level of environmental awareness, with Geography students and female students exhibiting higher levels than their counterparts.  Data was collected using a questionnaire developed in accordance with King Faisal University’s research ethics guidelines. The instrument measured environmental awareness across three dimensions: cognitive, skill-based, and emotional. Data was analyzed using SPSS. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha, and normality testing indicated that the data did not meet parametric assumptions. Consequently, nonparametric statistical tests were employed, including the Mann–Whitney U test and the Kruskal–Walli’s test.  The findings revealed comparable levels of environmental awareness across the three dimensions, with no statistically significant differences among the cognitive, skill-based, and emotional dimensions. Although Geography students obtained slightly higher mean ranks than Law students, these differences were not statistically significant. Similarly, no statistically significant differences were found according to gender. Overall, the results indicate that students demonstrated similar levels of environmental awareness regardless of academic specialization or gender.