Global Warming Through the Eyes of Filipino

Secondary Students in Tacloban City, Philippines 1*

Mary Jean P. Yanger

ABSTRACT

This study was conducted to investigate the understanding of global warming of first-
year high school students taking Integrated Science in Tacloban City, Leyte, Philippines.
A 30-item questionnaire with a reliability coefficient value of ρKR20=0.8132 was
administered to randomly chosen sample of 360 student-respondents from five public
secondary schools. It was revealed that 3.89 % of the respondents got high scores
(18-23), 54, 44  got moderate scores (12 -17), 32.78  obtained low scores (7-11) and
8.89  got very low scores (1-6), with a mean of 11.95. Moreover, respondents' age, sex,
and economic status showed a positive relationship to their understanding of global
warming. Consequently, the older the respondent and the higher the family income,
the higher is the understanding of global warming. On the whole, the female had a
higher score than the male participants.

Keywords: Freshmen secondary students, global warming, understanding, Tacloban

City.

INTRODUCTION was estimated at US $864 million (McPherson,

Worldwide, the Philippines is the country
that is most vulnerable to the impacts of climate
change particularly typhoons, which always pose
a constant threat to the people of this country.
Historical data show that this country is visited
by an average of 20 typhoons a year(ADRC, n.d).
One of these typhoons that entered the record
books and made the threat devastatingly real was
Typhoon Haiyan which packed winds reaching
380 kilometers per hour (kph.)(Brown, 2013)
when it made a landfall in the Philippines on
November 8, 2013, passing directly over Tacloban
City, the research locale of this study. The total
number of deaths caused by this typhoon reached
6, 293 with 1, 991 missing. Property damage
Counahan,& Hill, 2015).
According to experts, typhoons are
significantly related to global warming and
climate change (Anthes et al., 2006; Schiemeier,
2013; Vidal & Carrington, 2013). Placing this
phenomenon in a broader context requires
looking into the essentiality of knowing global
warming which is increasingly becoming
significant (Boyes&Stanisstreet, 2011) due
to the rising level of greenhouse gases that
increases the earth’s average surface temperature
which, in turn, causes the melting of massive
icebergs (Aydin, 2010). The warming is caused
by the unceasing increase of carbon dioxide
(CO2) in the atmosphere (Cox, Betts, Jones,
Spall&Totterdell, 2010).This gas is reported to

1
Faculty, College of Education, Eastern Visayas State University, Prism Volume 21 Issue 1, (Jan. - June 2016)
Tacloban City, Leyte, Philippines
*ajen_06@yahoo.com
 44
constitute 63 percent of the greenhouse gases
that warms the earth (May & Caron, 2009).The
atmospheric CO2 intensity had amplified from
288 parts per million (ppm) before the modern
age started to 373 ppm in 2002 (Mosteiro, 2012).
The earth’s average surface temperature had
gone up by 0.6 degrees Celsius during the 20th
century. However, a different view was presented
pointing to chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and not
greenhouse gases as the cause of global warming
(Lu, 2013).
The adverse consequences of global warming
include: (a) a large percentage (20 to 30) of
plant and animal species is at risk of extinction,
(b) coasts will be exposed to increasing risks
including coastal erosion, (c) increase in floods
every year due to the rise of the sea level, (d) the
health status of millions of people will deteriorate
as indicated by an increase in malnutrition,
disease and deaths due to heightened weather
disturbances (Houghton et al., 1996; Zhang,
Douglas,& Leatherman, 2004; Epstein, 2000;
Thomas et al., 2004), and (e) effects on the
physiology, distribution and phenology of species
(Hughes, 2000).
In the light of the existence of global warming
whereby the Philippines and other countries
face negative consequences and impacts, the
contribution of the education system to reducing
global warming has generated considerable
interest, studies, and actions (Cetin&Nisanci,
2010; Coertjens, Boeve-de Pauw, De Maeyer,& Van
Petegem, 2010). Consequently, the importance of
trying out approaches that will enhance the ability
and willingness of students to apply scientific
knowledge to their lives has come to the forefront
in efforts to mitigate global warming. There is a
perceived need for approaches in the education
system that will enhance the ability of countries
to face the challenge of future uncertainties in the
environmental, economic and political spheres.
Thus, appropriate responses are needed so that
Global warming
effective educational infrastructure and relevant
knowledge and skills are made available to
students (Bangay& Blum, 2010). In particular, it
would be timely to improve the school science
curriculum because it is no longer responsive to
meet the interests and aspirations of the youth. It
has also been recognized that there is a need to
link science education, economic globalization,
increasing production and unlimited expansion
(Hodson, 2003).
While the importance of environmental
education has been recognized and promoted
( Venkataraman, 2008),there are many
misconceptions about global warming that have
been observed and, thus, need to be corrected
(Meadows &Weisenmeyer, 1999). These
misconceptions include: (a) confusion related
to the depletion of the ozone layer and its link
to the greenhouse effect and pollution of the
atmosphere (Boyes&Stanisstreet, 1994; Taber &
Taylor, 2009); (b) confusion on global warming’s
causes and effects with those of the depletion
of the ozone layer (Boyes&Stanisstreet, 1992,
1994; Pekel&Ozay, 2005; Leiserowitz, Smith,&
Marlon, 2011); (c) there is a link between the
greenhouse effect and health, specifically on the
incidence of heart attacks and food poisoning
(Boyes&Stanisstreet, 2001); (d) a decrease
in the use of power from nuclear plants will
diminish global warming (Boyes, Stanisstreet,&
Daniel, 2004); (e) students know CO2 as the
only greenhouse gas (Punter, Ochandro-Pardo,&
Garcia, 2011); and (f ) the use of lead-free gasoline
reduces global warming (Boyes&Stanisstreet,
1992).
The existence of the misconceptions can
be linked to the behavior of students and the
actions they take to help solve environmental
problems such as global warming. Schools have
a critical role by way of subjects taught involving
issues about the environment and by encouraging
students to care for their surroundings (Taber
Yanger
& Taylor, 2009). However, knowledge on
environmental problems does not always lead
to a willingness to take a pro-environment
action (Kilinc, Boyes,&Stanisstreet, 2011). Also,
the degree of willingness exceeded the extent
to which students believed in the usefulness of
the activity (Boyes, Skamp,&Stanisstreet, 2009).
Moreover, knowledge of global warming can be
transformed into a pro-environment behavior,
but such an expected correlation may at times,
not even exist (Negev, Sagy, Garb, Salzberg,&
Tal, 2008). This fact could be partly traced to
the inadequacy of understanding on the part of
student-teachers (Ratinen, 2013).
Based on the above-mentioned studies,
the education system has to undergo substantial
changes to address the need to enhance
understanding by relating these to pro-
environment action. It is, therefore, imperative
to determine how students can be encouraged
to willingly act and contribute to the reduction
of global warming (Skamp, Boyes&Stanisstreet,
2009). In this regard, strengthening environmental
education can be effective in improving student
behavior and making them pro-environment
(Rodríguez, Boyes&Stanisstreet, 2010). As
aptly stated by UNESCO, education is a major
component of the global response to problems
posed by climate change. Education helps the
youth understand global warming and address
its impact by promoting changes in behavior and
attitudes (UNESCO, n.d.).It will also improve
their vigilance and responsibility for stalling the
increasing problem posed by global warming
(Sah, Bellad&Angolkar, 2015).
These efforts to improve different aspects
of the education system to fill existing gaps
can include: (a) developing theory-based
learning materials that would foster a thorough
understanding of the greenhouse effect and
global warming (Reinfried,Aeschbacher&Rotter
mann, 2012); (b) crafting a curricula for tertiary
45
science designed to enhance knowledge and
understanding of pre-service teachers (Boon,
2010); (c) involving students in hands-on
activities or using appropriate visual aids (Taber
& Taylor, 2009); (d) instilling students with skills
in problem-solving, creative thinking and new
values through learning methodologies which
encourage participation and experimentation
(UNESCO, n.d. ); (e) beginning early the exposure
of students to major problems pervading the
environment before misconceptions become
virtually permanent thereby affecting behavior
and attitudes (Boyes&Stanisstreet, 1993); and
(f ) investigating further of the correlation of
factors like income level (Torgler, Garcia-Valiñas&
Macintyre, 2008), gender ( Yilmaz, Boone &
Andersen, 2004), and age (Taber & Taylor, 2009)
to the understanding of global warming as a
means of determining appropriate interventions.
Going to the locale of this study, it is noted
that public schools in Tacloban City undertake
activities which support environmental protection
such as trainings that focus on solid waste
management, planting of Philippine indigenous
trees like Narra, Molave, Philippine Teak, Acacia
and Kamagong, recycling, entrepreneurship,
clean-up drive within and outside the school
premises, reusing and reducing waste generation
and establishing a school-based award system
for students’ exemplary environmental action.
Memorandum Order No.25 s. 2007 of the
Department of Education identified these
activities.
Complementing the activities cited earlier,
the Department of Education issued Memorandum
No. 38 s. 2012 directing the conduct of the Youth
for Environment Summer Camp, in partnership
with Department of Environment and Natural
Resources. This camp intended to impart
environmental principles to pupils and students.
Thus, there is a need to assess students’
understanding of global warming in Tacloban
 46 Global warming

City, Philippines. Specifically, this study attempts Table 1. Profile of the respondents
to: Variable F %
Age
1. Determine the environment- related organi- 11-13 307 85.4
zation activities of the respondents; 14-16 51 14.0
17-19 2 0.60
2. Verify the level of knowledge of student- re-
Gender
spondents in global warming; and
Male 129 35.8
3. Determine the relationship between the pro- Female 231 64.2
file variables and knowledge of global warm- Socio-Economic Status (SES)
ing. Parents’ monthly income in 320 88.9
Philippine pesos (Php)100-10,099
METHODOLOGY (US$ 2.28-230.62) — Low Income
10,100-20,099 (230.64-458.98) — 30 8.33
This study was conducted in 2010, three Lower Middle Income
years before Typhoon Haiyan struck Tacloban City. 20,100-30,099 (459-687.34) - 6 1.66
Data were collected from 360 freshmen students Middle Income
randomly selected from five (5) purposively 30,100-40,099 (687.37-915.71) – 0 0.00
chosen public secondary schools in Tacloban Higher-middle Income
City, Leyte, Philippines as follows: Eastern Visayas 40,100-50,099 (915.73- 1144.07)- 4 1.11
State University Integrated Laboratory School, a High Income
special science school; Philippine Science High
School; and three national high schools, Leyte fall within the P 10,100– 50,099 monthly income
National High School, San Jose National High bracket.
School, and Sagkahan National High School. The A researcher-made survey instrument served
national government’s Department of Education as the primary tool for gathering the data of
supervises these public secondary schools. The the study which consisted of 30 questions with
teachers are employees of this Department. multiple choice answers used as an inventory of
They follow the same curriculum which is the knowledge related to the nature, causes, effects
Basic Education Curriculum (BEC). The Slovin’s of global warming and consequent mitigating
formula was used to determine the number of actions.
respondents from 3,595 total student population A draft of the questionnaire was presented
of the five secondary schools. to science experts at the Leyte Normal University,
Table 1 presents the respondents’ profile as Tacloban City, the Philippines for further analysis
to their age, sex, socio-economic status (SES), and of questions and consequent improvement. The
parents’ monthly income. revised draft was pilot tested to 150 first-year
The students’ ages range from 11 to 19 years students in Marasbaras National High School in
old. Most of them (85.4%) are 11-13 years old. Tacloban City who were not respondents in this
Majority are female 231 (64.2%). A large number study. Item analyses of the results determined the
(320) of the parents receive monthly income of difficulty level of the items in the inventory and to
P 10,099, and below, only a few of them (8.33%) provide for revisions towards improvement. The
 Yanger
reliability index of the inventory was ascertained
through Kuder and Richardson Formula 20 with a
ρKR20 value of 0.8132.
To facilitate the smooth conduct of the survey,
the researcher wrote a formal letter- request to the
Tacloban City Schools Division Superintendent
seeking to field the questionnaires. After approval,
copies of the letter-request were delivered to five
secondary school principals in the participating
schools. The researcher administered the
survey instrument herself with the help of the
class advisers. The respondents answered the
questionnaires immediately after the researcher
distributed them.
MEASURES
Dependent variable
Understanding of global warming. The
respondents’ understanding of global warming
was measured using 30 researcher-made multiple
choice questions. The book of May and Caron
(2009) and researches conducted by Ricci, Flyn,
and Bellaby (2006), Uitto, Juuti, Lavonen, and
Meisalo(2004) and Jarette (2013) guided the
crafting of the questions. The answers were
evaluated whether they were correct or wrong.
The scores of the respondents were summed up,
and the mean was computed to determine the
average score. The categories of the scores are:
“Very high ( VL),” High (H), Moderate (M), Low
(L) and Very Low ( VL).”
Independent variables
Sex was coded as “Male=1” and
“Female=2”. Age in years was coded as follows:
“11-13 = 1”, “14-16= 2” and “17- 19 = 3”. The
socio-economic status was measured based on
parents’ monthly income in Philippine pesos
(Php) and coded as follows: “100-10,099 = 1”,
47
“10,100-20,099 = 2”, “20,100-30,099 = 3”,
“30,100-40,099 =4” and “40,100-50,099 =5”.
RESULTS
When asked as to what organization the
respondents belong, the majority of the students
(98.32%) stated that they did not belong to any
organization. Figure 1 shows this finding.
The community groups or organizations
that the students belong are: altar boys (0.56%),
Sabang Youth (a village youth group) (0.56%) and
Children’s Choir (0.56%). Altar boys are recruited
for activities such as assisting the priest in the
celebration of the mass in Catholic churches.
Sabang refers to an area near the public market
of Tacloban City where teenage members have
organized themselves into a group called “Sabang
Youth” which engages in activities like holding
sports tournaments. These data show that students
are not involved in any organization–based
community activity that promotes environmental
conservation.
Knowledge of Respondents Related to Global
Warming
Among the items included in the
inventory are the following: (a) What is global
warming? (b) What is greenhouse effect? (c) What
are greenhouse gases? (d) What are the natural
and anthropogenic factors that contribute to
the formation of greenhouse gases? (e)How do
greenhouse gases accelerate global warming? (f )
What are the effects of global warming on human
health, agriculture and marine ecosystem? (g)
What changes occur in the climate as a result of
global warming? And (h) What are the ways to
minimize the impact of global warming?
Figure 2 shows the scores of the respondents
in the knowledge inventory about global warming.
The results reveal that no student participants
 48
Figure 1. Membership in Organizations, in Percent
had a perfect score. The highest scores obtained
are within the range of 18-23, out of the 30 items
in the knowledge inventory. Only 14 (3.89%)
students got these scores. The majority of the
students (54.44%) garnered scores within the
range of 12-17. A large number of students
(118 or 32.78%) obtained the scores within the
range of 7-11 and a small number (32 or 8.89%)
obtained the scores within 1-6. Taken as a whole,
the students showed a “low” level knowledge in
global warming supported by the mean of 11.95
and standard deviation of 3.95
Mean:11.95 (L)
S.D.:3.95
Legend:
Range of Scores Interpretation
24-30 Very High Level ( VHL)
18-23 High Level (HL)
12-17 Moderate (M)
7-11 Low Level (LL)
1-6 Very Low Level ( VLL)
Global warming
Association between Students’ Profile
Variables and Global Warming Indicators
Table 2 reveals the correlation analysis between
the profile variables of the students and their
knowledge of global warming. It can be gleaned
that all selected personal characteristics of the
students posted a significant relationship with
their knowledge on global warming. This finding
is manifested by the following: Pearson Chi-square
values on age which stood at 240.8, sex which
reached 70.89 and parents’ income which stood
at 966.5. All of these are higher than the critical
values of age which are 124.342 at df equals to 96,
sex which is 26.30 at df = 16 and parent’s income
which is 124.3 at df = 395.5. To determine the
degree of correlation, the values for Cramer’s V
are: age is .335, sex is .446 and income is .681.
These indicate a significant association between
the student profile variables and knowledge on
global warming.
DISCUSSION
This study assessed the level of understanding
on global warming of first-year secondary students
in Tacloban City, Philippines and determined the
Yanger 49

Figure 2. Percent distribution of scores obtained by respondents

Table 2. Correlation analysis between the students profile variables and their knowledge level on
global warming.
Variable VL L M H VH Pearson df Critical Cramer’s
(n=32) (n=118) (n=196 (n=14) X2 Chi-Square Value V
(n=0)
Age
11-13 31 109 165 2 0
14-16 1 9 31 10 0 240.8 96 124.3 .335
17-19 0 0 0 2 0
Sex
Male 12 51 62 4 0 70.89 16 26.30 .446
Female 20 67 134 10 0
SES (Income)
Low 15 115 190 0 0
Below average 17 3 6 4 0 966.5 395.5 124.3 .681
Average 0 0 0 6 0
Above average 0 0 0 0 0
High 0 0 0 4 0

relationship between the participants’ profile and
knowledge of global warming. The membership
of students in environment-related organization
was also studied. Achieving these objectives will
produce inputs to ways of enhancing the
effectiveness of integrated science subjects in
improving such knowledge.
Consequently, the results reveal that their
level of understanding of global warming is
low and there is a positive correlation between
 50
age, gender and family income level and the
understanding of global warming. That is, the
older students, females, and students coming
from higher income families show higher levels
of understanding on global warming. Moreover,
membership of secondary school students in
environment-related organizations is virtually nil.
As noted earlier, when it comes to gender,
females have higher levels of understanding
on global warming than males. This situation
means that any intervention that will promote
understanding of global warming will have to take
into account female students who may be relied
upon to take the lead in class activities to upgrade
knowledge on global warming. An alternative
approach would be, to encourage learning by
making the males and females learn from smarter
members of their gender. Both genders have
a role to play, and they should decide on this
role according to their capacities and interests
(Haynes, Lassa, & Towers, 2010).
It has been observed that females have more
positive attitudes towards finding solutions to
environmental issues like global warming than
males (Uitto et al., 2004; Yilmaz et al., 2004;
Torgleret al., 2008; Tranter & Skrbis, 2011)
probably because they are more apprehensive
of the effects of global warming than the male
respondents (Kılınç, Boyes&Stanisstreet, 2011).
In the same vein, females have dominant roles
in society and this is so because they utilize a
significant portion of their time providing care
and kindness (Henderson, Bialeschki, Shaw,
& Freysinger,1996) and undergoing extensive
exposure to the protection of the environment
even during childhood (Zelenzy, Chua, & Aldrich,
2000).
Students with low economic status exhibit a
low understanding of global warming. Therefore,
interventions must be focused on and attuned to
the family income level of students. This emphasis
has implications on the learning strategies and the
Global warming
kind of hands-on activities (Chawla & Cushing,
2007) that promote collective environmental
accomplishment (Lester et al., 2006). Students
from low and middle-income families should
embark on and learn how to adapt to the effects
of global warming on their poverty, among
other aspects, make them vulnerable (Brown &
Dodman, 2014). This could include (a) acquiring
survival skills that will save them from typhoons,
floods and droughts, (b) obtaining basic skills
that will sustain life such as farming and fishing,
and (c) learning how to acquire information
on disaster preparedness and adaptation
through social media and other sources such as
government agencies (Back, Cameron & Tanner,
2009; Haynes & Tanner, 2015; Gautam & Oswald,
2008).Students from high-income families can
undertake mitigation measures such as (a)
recycling solid wastes into raw materials that
will potentially reduce greenhouse gas emissions
(Challcharoenwattana & Pharino, 2015), (b)
using public transport and bicycle to school
(Change, 2007), and (c) using energy saving
lamps (Gardner & Stern, 2008).
Therefore, the confluence of environment-
related strategies in the education system should
be designed to improve sources of income and
alleviate economic and social conditions ( Wilson,
Vellis & Cheeseman, 2006), a direction which may
be a central part of overall national development
strategies.
The findings also show that the student-
respondents in Integrated Science need to know
and understand facts about global warming
so that they can achieve a score higher than
the mean score of 11.95 (out of 30 items). In a
study conducted in India the level of knowledge
was determined to be average (Sah et al., 2015).
Obviously, more inputs on the basic concepts of
global warming are needed in lessons covered
by Integrated Science. As cited in related studies,
the low result may be traced to school- age
Yanger
children’s conceptions regarding the nature
of this phenomenon which are incomplete or
irregular when compared with common scientific
understanding (Meadows & Wiesenmayer, 1999).
A negative consequence is that this situation
could lead to confusion in recognizing ecological
problems (Punter, Ochando-Pardo & Garcia,
2011). Thus, there is a need for effective teaching-
learning instruction on environmental issues
so that first-year students will fully understand
the global warming phenomenon and be in a
position to help solve environmental problems
and consequently become conscientious youths
and mature persons (Lester et al., 2006).
In the analysis of the association of the
variables, it was indicated that there is a high
correlation between the profile variables (age,
sex, and socio-economic status) and students’
knowledge about global warming. This relation
can be construed to mean that older individuals
are more knowledgeable than younger ones
about environmental problems such as global
warming and may lead to an increase in caring
for the environment (Ogunbode & Arnold, 2012).
In addition, with regard to socio-economic
status, the higher the income of the family of
the respondent the higher is the understanding
on global warming. Perhaps, this relationship
exists because families with higher income could
provide their children with reading materials
and other facilities like computers to access
information related to global warming via the
Internet (Takahashi & Tandoc, 2015). Improving
such understanding would, therefore, need
emphasis on students’ coming from low-income
families. Also, class activities should consider this
factor so that method adapted does not involve
expenses on the part of the students. Moreover,
students from high-income families can help
their peers from low and middle-income families
by teaching them concepts on global warming
which would trigger discussions leading to an
51
increased awareness and knowledge. In this way,
students from different income classes can help
each other and understand better their strengths,
weaknesses, and limitations.
All of the findings mentioned above may
be considered trail-blazing in the Philippines.
Organization-based youth activities on global
warming have not been scrutinized from this
perspective. For one, the problems that contribute
to global warming are of a magnitude, as earlier
pointed out, that requires concerted, organized
and deliberately orchestrated actions. Unless this
is done on environmental issues, there is little
hope for any community effort to gain headway.
The low level of understanding of concepts
and practices associated with or as part of global
warming should raise alarm bells. From the
viewpoint of the local education system, the
secondary schools in Tacloban City, Philippines
may be a small part of the number of such schools
in the country, but the findings send a resonating
signal similar to those discovered in many areas of
the world. This result being the case, these students
cannot be expected to make any substantial effort
to alleviating this environmental malady unless
changes in the curriculum are undertaken to
make it relevant, updated and effective. As users
of the curriculum, teachers should exert sincere
efforts to adjust their pedagogical approaches
and enrich the content of their science subjects
by making them appropriate to the age, gender
and the economic situation of their students.
Modifications could be done at the
secondary level of the education system in the
Philippines to take into account the findings
of this study particularly in raising the level of
awareness of the concepts and realities of global
warming in a manner that will encourage and
motivate students to do their share in school and
community activities. Considering the importance
of the education system in mobilizing the youth,
any slack in this regard will be detrimental over
 52
the long term to the environmental conditions in
the country.
In the context of this study, it is important
to consider that environment- related strategies
should include a primordial role to organize
efforts to bring into motion a synergistic
approach. This course of action will rely on the
collective accomplishments needed for enhancing
understanding of global warming. Concerted
action of the youth will demonstrate a higher
level of pro- environment activism (Lester, Ma,
Lee,& Lambert, 2006). It is advisable to involve
students in activities conducted by organizations.
This participation in organizations will highlight
the role of the youth in community development
by actively taking part in social and civic activities
that improve the wellbeing of communities
(Brennan, Barnett,& Baugh, 2007). In this
manner, the youth can contribute to the fight
against global warming by engaging in actions to
safeguard the planet from deterioration (Pandve,
Deshmunk, Pandve & Patil, 2009).
In the Philippines, in an effort to encourage
the establishment of student organizations
which are pro-environment, the Department of
Education issued Order No. 72, series of 2003 that
established co-curricular clubs or organizations in
schools called — Youth for Environment Summer
( YES) with the primary objective of enriching
the active involvement of the youth in activities
that address environmental issues and concerns.
Following the line of reasoning in this study,
students are expected to be more active in efforts
towards environmental protection, particularly
the mitigation of the effects of global warming
since the majority of the students are 11 – 13
years old. It has been cited that the youth are
more conscious about addressing environmental
issues than people who are more advanced in age
(Howell & Laska, 1992). They can also focus their
efforts on adaptation measures given the findings
that the Philippines has one of the smallest carbon
Global warming
footprints in the world (UNFCCC, 2015).
The purposive sampling method used which
focused on public schools limits the ability of
this study to generalize the results but are very
instructive about the present weaknesses and sets
a path towards future research. This study has
described a situation and pointed to a scenario
that should be given weight. It provides a direction
that can be taken given the various facets of the
variables described and analyzed. Overcoming the
weaknesses will undoubtedly be beneficial to the
social, environmental and economic well-being of
the Philippines. This study has implicitly brought
forward the proposition that a multi-faceted
research approach is needed to enable secondary
school students to gain a better understanding of
and to actively engage in environmental action
and become environmental advocates who will
contribute significantly to mitigating the effects of
global warming or proactively reduce its impact.
However, since the Philippines has the least
carbon footprints in the world (UNFCCC, 2015),
it is also important to deepen the understanding
of climate change adaptation measures which
may be more relevant compared to mitigation
measures. Moreover, there is a need to look at
specific methods and particularize the topics in
the subjects that need to be enhanced to make the
phenomena of global warming comprehensively
understood at the secondary level.
It is also important to note that additional
research can be undertaken to include
respondents in the older age and high family
income brackets since only a few respondents
from this brackets participated in this study.
CONCLUSION
This study has three major and interrelated
findings of first-year secondary students about
knowledge of global warming. These are: (a) level
of knowledge is low, (b) knowledge is directly
 Yanger
related to age, gender and family income level,
and (c) membership in environment-related
organizations is absent. Specifically, the older the
student, the higher is his/her knowledge of global
warming. The younger students lagged behind.
Therefore, the younger students should be the
focus of interventions to improve knowledge.
When it comes to gender, female students have
a higher level of understanding than the male
students. Particular attention has to be directed at
the male students so they can catch up. Also, the
students from families who are poor need more
attention than those who are economically well off
since the former have a lower level of knowledge
than the latter. When it comes to organization-
based activities, the students have a lot of ground
to cover since their involvement is zero. There is
a glaring need to establish working organizations
in school and in the community where students
can be members and have a chance to take active
parts in preserving the environment.
Overall, the linchpin of the above efforts
is the Integrated Science subject. It is the focal
point so that the variables in this study can move
positively. The curriculum needs to be enhanced
to accommodate an extensive coverage of global
warming. It is also necessary to strengthen
other factors that influence the youth in their
transformation into agents of change. These
would include improving the capacity of teachers,
teaching methods, and access to education
materials (Amri, Bird, Ronan, Haynes & Towers,
2016; Johnson, Ronan, Johnston, & Peace, 2014),
and the role of adults, especially parents and
local leaders (Haynes & Tanner, 2015; Seballos &
Tanner, 2011; Tanner et al., 2009; Towers, Haynes,
Sewell, Bailie&Cross, 2014).Furthermore,
effective approaches have to be devised in a way
that would encourage secondary school students
not only to improve their knowledge but to take
action.
53
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The author wishes to recognize with
utmost appreciation, the Principals of the five
public secondary schools in Tacloban City,
Leyte, Philippines which participated in the
survey for this study, namely; Eastern Visayas
State University Integrated Laboratory School,
Philippine Science High School- Eastern Visayas,
Leyte National High School, San Jose National
High School and Sagkahan National High School.
Likewise, profound gratitude is extended to Dr.
Efleda K. Bautista of Tacloban City, for providing
her expertise and support on matters about
global warming and Mr. Guillermo Lagbo of the
Philippine Statistical Agency, Province of Samar,
Philippines for his professional assistance in the
analyses and interpretation of the data.
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