ENVIRONMENTAL LITERACY AND PRO-ENVIRONMENTAL BEHAVIOR AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS: A NARRATIVE REVIEW OF ENVIRONMENTAL KNOWLEDGE, ENVIRONMENTAL ATTITUDES, ACTION COMPETENCE, AND PRO-ENVIRONMENTAL BEHAVIORAL PRACTICES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35631/IJMOE.831108Keywords:
Action Competence, Environmental Literacy, Environmental Knowledge, Environmental Attitudes, Pro-Environmental BehaviorAbstract
Environmental literacy is essential for secondary school students to understand environmental issues and engage in pro-environmental behavior. Students need to develop relevant environmental knowledge, environmental attitudes, action competence, and behavioral practices to respond to current and future environmental challenges. However, there is a gap between students’ environmental awareness and their actual environmental behavior. Previous research has shown that environmental knowledge and positive attitudes do not always lead to meaningful and sustained pro-environmental action. Hence, this research aims to explore environmental literacy and pro-environmental behavior among secondary school students. This research reviewed previous studies identified from Web of Science, Scopus, ERIC, and Google Scholar. The following keywords were used to search articles from academic journals: environmental literacy, environmental knowledge, environmental attitudes, action competence, environmental behavior, pro-environmental behavior, secondary school students, and environmental education. This study used a narrative review to explore environmental literacy and pro-environmental behavior among secondary school students. The review included 55 academic articles. Based on the thematic analysis, the findings were grouped into environmental knowledge, environmental attitudes, action competence, and pro-environmental behavioral practices and showed that environmental knowledge provides a cognitive foundation, while positive attitudes alone do not necessarily translate into action. Action competence helps bridge this gap, whereas behavioral practices are associated with individual, social, and contextual conditions. Action-oriented approaches, including outdoor education, citizen science, and service learning, may further support the translation of environmental knowledge into pro-environmental behavior. This research recommends that schools integrate environmental knowledge with practical experience and meaningful participation through action-oriented environmental projects, outdoor activities, community engagement, citizen science, and school sustainability initiatives, thereby preparing environmentally literate students to translate environmental knowledge and attitudes into responsible environmental action.
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