Abstract
In the current scenario, environmental justice and decision making towards sustainability have emerged as crucial and interconnected concepts, particularly in the education of higher secondary school students. Environmental justice is regarded as the equitable treatment and meaningful participation of all people in environmental policies, with the goal of ensuring that no group bears a disproportionate share of environmental harm or is denied environmental benefits. On the other hand, decision making towards sustainability involves the ability to make responsible choices that balance environmental, social, and economic needs for the well-being of current and future generations. For students, integrating awareness of environmental justice into their decision-making processes equips them to become informed, empathetic, and active citizens capable of contributing to sustainable development in a just and inclusive manner. This study explores the relationship between Environmental Justice and Decision Making towards Sustainability of Higher Secondary School Students. Utilizing a normative survey method, data were collected from a representative sample of 245 higher secondary school students. The data was collected using an Awareness test on Environmental Justice and a Test on Decision making through random sampling. The analysis revealed a significant positive relationship between Environmental Justice and Decision Making towards Sustainability of Higher Secondary School Students. The findings suggest that this relationship can provide insights into how students’ sense of justice informs their choices and actions regarding sustainable living; it aims to support the ongoing development of educational practices by fostering socially and environmentally conscious decision-making in our next generation. The findings will support the integration of justice-oriented environmental education in the teaching and learning process.
KEYWORDS
Environmental Justice, Decision Making, Sustainability, Environmental Learning Higher Secondary School Students.
Simi .M1, Pallavi Sasidharan Pillai2, Bindu R. L.3
1Post-Doctoral Fellow, Department of Education, University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram-695034, Kerala, India
2Research Scholar, Department of Education, University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram-695034, Kerala, India
3Professor, Department of Education, Dean Faculty of Education, University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram-695034, Kerala, India