Abstract:

Environmental Education (EE) plays a significant role in enhancing the preparedness of the vulnerable populations in coastal communities. This research study investigated the effectiveness of the EE program in preparing the Badjao community for environmental hazards. It also compared the level of effectiveness of the EE program betweenin-school and out-of-school children living in the vulnerable coastal area of Palawan, Philippines. A developmental-descriptive-evaluative method was used including an assessment toolkit developed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). Results of the study show that the inclusion of EE program is effective in preparing the Badjao community for environmental hazards as it significantly increased their awareness and understanding of the EE concepts after the implementation of the said program. There is a significant difference in the level of effectiveness of the program of the in-school and out-of-school children between their pre-test and post-test scores that could be explained by higher environmental knowledge acquired through education. The in-school children consistently scored the highest among the computed indicators of environmental awareness and understanding, indicating the importance of present educational experience to the effectiveness of EE program implementation. Overall, the results demonstrate that the EE program prepares the Badjao community for better understanding of the environment relevant to their vulnerable condition and situation. The results can facilitate informed vulnerability reduction campaigns/programs in areas where the Badjao communities live.

Keywords:

Environmental education, vulnerable populations, coastal communities, environmental awareness.