Attitude of staff and students towards littering in second cycle schools in the Sefwi Wiawso Municipality

Abstract

Littering is considered a major environmental problem. This problem is growing steadily and is attracting great concerns among the public, scholars and educational institutions. Human attitude is said to be the main contributor to littering as an environmental sanitation problem which, if urgent attention is not taken to address this phenomenon, it might pose serious threats to sustaining life on earth. This study investigated staff and students’ attitude towards littering in second cycle schools in the Sefwi Wiawso Municipality of Ghana. The objectives of the study were to explore staff and students’ perception on waste; examine staff and students’ knowledge on the constitutuents of littering; examine the factors that contribute to littering behavior among staff and students’ and to explore the possibilities on the schools ability to shape up staff and students attitudes towards littering. This study investigated staff and students’ attitude towards littering in second cycle schools in the Sefwi Wiawso Municipality of Ghana. Guided by the social learning theory, the mixed method approach was employed for this study by combining interview and questionnaire. Purposive sampling was used in selecting the schools studied. Simple random sampling was adopted in selecting the students for the study whereas convenience sampling was used for the teachers. A sample size of 198 consisting of 188 students’ and 10 teachers were selected for the study. The quantitative data was analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS version 23.0) computers software. The data keyed into the software were converted into frequency counts and percentages which were used to address the research questions posed in the study. The qualitative data were gathered, organised and analysed manually using emerging themes. The study identified that both teachers and students litter though, they know that littering poses a danger to the environment. It was also revealed that students litter due to laziness, absence of waste bins, less sensitization on littering and lack of law enforcement or litter or no environmental law. The study recommended the provision of enough waste bins on the school compounds and formation of waste clubs to educate the students on littering. In addition, students and staff with good waste management practices should be rewarded as a measure of addressing littering problem in second cycle schools’.