Environmental Awareness, Academic Performance and Motivation

Environmental education in school curriculum is an integral part with the ultimate objective being development of pro environmental behavior among the students. The school teaches about environment, the expected outcome being higher level of environmental awareness. The factors related to such behavior varies from external factors like demography, culture, economic conditions to internal factors like values , belief, locus of control and of course motivation. Both extrinsic and motivation within a continuum are determining factors in this respect with amotivation signifying indifference towards environmental issues. Though external regulation as extrinsic motivation has its impact on pro environmental behavior of the students, yet introjected level of motivation emerges as the strongest indicator of environment related behavior.

The author has retired from the post of Professor in the department of education of the University of Calcutta. She is mainly interested in researches on environmental education and 12 research scholars have been working or completed their theses under her supervision. She has published some 35 research articles and attended several seminars.