Amalan kelestarian alam sekitar dalam kalangan guru prasekolah (Environmental sustainability practices among preschool teachers)

Abstract

Pendidikan alam sekitar bukanlah sekadar ilmu pengetahuan yang perlu disampaikan, tetapi dijadikan sebagai suatu gaya hidup yang lengkap. Walaupun terdapat tindakan undang-undang serta inovasi teknologi untuk menyelesaikan masalah berkaitan alam sekitar, namun masih kurang memberikan kesan memandangkan masalah yang timbul ini berakar umbi daripada sikap dan tingkah laku manusia. Kajian kes ini bertujuan meninjau tahap amalan kelestarian alam sekitar guru prasekolah Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia di daerah Kanowit, Sarawak. Dua objektif utama kajian ini ialah untuk mengenal pasti tahap amalan kelestarian alam sekitar guru prasekolah, serta membuat perbandingan terhadap amalan kelestarian alam sekitar guru prasekolah semasa di rumah dan di tempat kerja. Responden kajian melibatkan semua guru prasekolah Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia di daerah Kanowit, Sarawak seramai 40 orang guru prasekolah. Data dikumpul menggunakan borang soal selidik dan dianalisis berdasarkan peratusan kekerapan amalan kelestarian bagi lima kategori amalan kelestarian alam sekitar iaitu amalan 3R (reduce, reuse, recycle), amalan penggunaan produk mesra alam, amalan penggunaan tenaga, amalan penjimatan air dan amalan kemudahan pengangkutan. Hasil kajian mendapati kekerapan amalan kelestarian alam sekitar guru prasekolah rendah belum mencapai tahap memuaskan. Selain itu, perbandingan antara amalan kelestarian alam sekitar guru semasa di rumah dan di sekolah didapati mempunyai perbezaan peratusan yang kecil. Oleh itu, usaha melestarikan alam sekitar melalui pendidikan memerlukan lebih penekanan kepada amalan yang konsisten dan berterusan. Usaha yang bermula seawal peringkat prasekolah merupakan salah satu pelaburan terbaik yang mampu membentuk sebuah masyarakat lestari pada masa hadapan.

Kata kunci: alam sekitar, amalan kelestarian alam sekitar, guru prasekolah, pendidikan alam sekitar, pendidikan awal kanak-kanak, prasekolah

Environmental education is not just a science that needs to be taught but is a complete lifestyle. Although there have been prosecutions and technological innovations to solve the environmental problems, but the results are less effective as the problems is rooted in human attitude and behavior. This case study aimed at assessing the environmental sustainability practices among the preschool teachers of the Ministry of Education in Kanowit district, Sarawak. The two main objectives of the study were to identify the level of environmental sustainability practices of preschool teachers and also to compare the environmental sustainability practices of preschool teachers at home and at work. The research respondents involved all preschool teachers of the Ministry of Education in Kanowit, which were 40 preschool teachers. The data were collected using a questionnaire and analyzed based on the percentage of frequency the sustainability practices for the 5 categories of environmental sustainability practices namely 3R (reduce, reuse, recycle) practices, environmental friendly products practices, energy consumption practices, water saving practices and transportation facilities practices. The finding showed that the frequency of environmental sustainability practices of preschool teachers is low and at the unsatisfactory level. In addition, there were only slight percentage differences between the environmental sustainability practices of preschool teachers at home and at school. Therefore, the preservation of the environment through education requires more emphasis on consistent and continuous practice. Efforts that start as early as preschool are one of the best investments that can shape a sustainable society in the future.

Keywords: environment, environmental sustainability practice, preschool teachers, environmental education, early childhood education, preschool