Social Media Usage Patterns and Environmental Awareness Levels Among Pre-Service Teachers

Social media has emerged as a low-cost and high-reach communication tool in the 21st century. Globally, platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and WhatsApp are widely used for information sharing, interaction, and engagement among students and teachers. The present study aimed to examine the level of environmental awareness among pre-service teachers through social media. A quantitative research methodology with a descriptive survey design was employed. The sample consisted of 313 pre-service teachers enrolled in B.Ed. programmes in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. Data were collected using a self-constructed Environmental Awareness through Social Media Scale based on a five-point Likert format. Descriptive statistics such as mean, standard deviation, and skewness were used for data analysis. The findings revealed that pre-service teachers demonstrated moderate to high levels of social media usage and environmental awareness. The study further indicated that social media serves as an effective tool for promoting environmental awareness and encouraging environmentally responsible behaviour among teacher trainees.

Social Media, Environmental Awareness, Pre-Service Teachers, Environmental Challenges

1. Scholtz, B., Burger, C., & Zita, M. (2016). A social media environmental awareness campaign to promote sustainable practices in educational environments. In J. Marx Gómez, M. Sonnenschein, U. Vogel, A. Winter, B. Rapp, & N. Giesen (Eds.), Advances and new trends in environmental and energyinformatics(pp.355–372).Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-23 455-7_19 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Thanya, R., & Suganthan, C. (2023). Environmental behaviour and climate change promotion impact via social media platforms: A review. Environment and Ecology Research, 11(5), 760–767. https://doi.org/10.13189/eer.2023.110506 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. De Leo, F., Gravili, G., & Miglietta, P. P. (2016). Social media and environmental sustainability: An overview of European countries. International Journal of Business and Management, 11(6), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.5539/ijbm.v11n6p [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Mourlam, D. (2014). Social media and education: Perceptions and need for support. i-manager's Journal on School Educational Technology, 9(3), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.26634/jet.9.3.2712 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Petrović, N., Petrović, D., Jeremić, V., Milenković, N., & Ćirović, M. (2012). Possible educational use of Facebook in higher environmental education. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Information Communication Technologies in Education (ICICTE 2012) (pp. 355–362). [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Roshandel Arbatani, T., Labafi, S., & Robati, M. (2016). Effects of social media on the environmental protection behaviour of the public (Case study: Protecting Zayandeh-Rood River environment). International Journal of EnvironmentalResearch, 10(2),237–244. https://doi.org/10.22059/IJER.2016.605 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Simionescu, M., Horváthová, Z., Kovshun, N., & Kushnir, N. (2020). Social media, sustainability, and environmental protection in sustainable education. E3S Web of Conferences, 208, Article 09002.https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202020809002 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Siddiqui, A., Momineen, F. U., Amin, S., & Khan, S. (2023). The role of social media campaigns in raising awareness about smog (climate change) and encouraging sustainable behaviors. Qlantic Journal of Social Sciences, 4(4), 60–73. https://doi.org/10.55737/qjss.610701686. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Rezaei, A., Ahmadi, S., & Karimi, H. (2022). The role of online social networks in university students' environmentally responsible behavior. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, 23(5), 1045–1069. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-05-2020-0168. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Mallick, R., & Bajpai, S. P. (2019). Impact of social media on environmental awareness. In Information and communication technologies for agriculture—Theme 1: Solar energy and climate change (pp. 140–154). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-5291-8.ch00 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• Assessment of the Role of Artificial Intelligence in Repositioning TVET for Economic Development in Nigeria
• Teachers’ Use of Assure Model Instructional Design on Learners’ Problem Solving Efficacy in Secondary Schools in Bungoma County, Kenya
• “E-Booksan Ang Kaalaman”: Development, Validation, and Utilization of Electronic Book in Academic Performance of Grade 9 Students in Social Studies
• Analyzing EFL University Students’ Academic Speaking Skills Through Self-Recorded Video Presentation
• Major Findings of The Study on Total Quality Management in Teachers’ Education Institutions (TEIs) In Assam – An Evaluative Study