Effect of a Participatory Environmental Education Programme on Traders' Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices in Solid Waste Management in Oyo State, Nigeria

ABSTRACT

The problem associated with solid waste management in Oyo State, Nigeria has been traced by researchers to poor environmental awareness and low level of education among the populace, especially traders, who generated much of the waste. These traders however have been excluded from various environmental awareness education programme. This study, therefore, examined the effect of a participatory environmental education programme on traders’ knowledge, attitudes and practices in solid waste management in some selected markets in Oyo State, Nigeria. The study adopted a pretest-posttest, control group, quasi-experimental design with a 2x2x2 factorial matrix. The sample consisted of 1000 traders (560 female and 440 male) from twenty markets in Oyo State using the stratified random sampling technique. Three main instruments were used to collect data, namely, Environmental Knowledge Test (r=083), Environmental Attitude Scale and (r=0.85), Environmental Practices Scale (r=075). These instruments were translated into Yoruba language because majority of the participants had little or no formal education. Participants in the experimental group were exposed to a participatory environment method, while those in the control group were exposed to the placebo method. The treatment lasted for a period of twelve weeks. Seven hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). It was found that treatment had significant main effect on traders’ knowledge (F (1,480), =22.55; p < .05), attitudes, (F (1,480) = 75. 18; p