The Effect of Healthy Environment Education on Primary School Students' Attitudes Towards Environment

June 17, 2026 updated by: Buşra ARIK ŞEN, Aydin Adnan Menderes University

The Effect of Healthy Environment Education on Primary School Students' Attitudes Towards Environment: A Randomized Controlled Experimental Study

It is important to explain environmental literacy to every age group and segment of society and to raise awareness. Environmental education provided to younger age groups in particular teaches children to live in harmony with nature and not to become disconnected from it. Educational interventions in younger age groups can lead to them growing up with an awareness that, when they reach adulthood, enables them to behave consciously towards both their own lives and their environment. This is, in a sense, an important investment in the future. For this reason, the aim is to investigate the effect of Environmental Education on the Environmental Attitudes of Primary School Students and to examine the impact of the environmental education program titled "I Love and Protect My Environment" on the environmental attitudes and awareness levels of third-grade primary school students. The study predicts that the experimental group students will achieve a significant increase in their environmental attitudes and awareness scores compared to the control group. Furthermore, this effect is expected to be sustainable in follow-up measurements. The research results are expected to emphasize the importance of environmental education at the elementary school level and contribute to its integration into educational curricula.The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of Healthy Environment Education on the environmental attitudes of elementary school students. This study was designed as a three-month follow-up randomized controlled experimental design with pre-test and post-test. The population of the study consists of third-grade students attending Atatürk Elementary School in the central district of Kütahya province. The sample size was calculated using the G*Power 3.1 program based on a 95% confidence level (α = .05), 80% test power (1-β = .80), and a medium effect size (Cohen's d = 0.5). According to these parameters, at least 57 participants are required for each group. In this regard, taking into account participant loss, 5% of participants will be added to each group, and 60 participants will be included in each group to increase the reliability of the analyses. The Introductory Information Form, Primary School Environmental Attitude Scale, and Primary School Environmental Awareness Scale developed by the researchers will be used as data collection tools. Data will be collected in the form of pre-tests, post-tests, and one- and three-month follow-up measurements. Descriptive statistical methods such as percentage, mean, mode, median, etc. will be used in statistical analyses. Depending on whether the study data are normally distributed, the Shapiro-Wilk or Kolmogorov-Smirnov test will be used to examine the sample size. If the study data show a normal distribution, t-tests (between two groups) or one-way ANOVA (for more than one group) will be used for group comparisons. If the data do not show a normal distribution, the Mann-Whitney U test or Kruskal-Wallis test will be used. Pearson or Spearman correlation analysis will be performed to determine the relationship between demographic factors and environmental attitudes. When it is necessary to examine the relationships between environmental attitudes and demographic and other independent variables, analyses will be performed using multiple regression analysis. Within the scope of the research, a 6-week "I Protect My Environment" education program will be implemented for the experimental group, while no intervention will be made for the control group throughout the study. It is planned to implement the education program for the students in the control group after the completion of the study.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
113

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
    • Merkez
      • Kütahya, Merkez, Turkey (Türkiye)
        • Aydın Adnan Menderes University, Faculy of Nursing, Division Public Health Nursing

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

  • Agreement by both the child and their family to participate in the study
  • Enrollment in the third grade at Atatürk Elementary School during the 2025-2026 academic year
  • Possession of the mental capacity to complete scales and forms and to participate in educational activities and events
  • Possession of sufficient language proficiency to understand and express themselves in Turkish

EXCLUSION CRITERIA

  • Preschool, 1st, 2nd, and 4th-grade students enrolled at Atatürk Elementary School during the 2025-2026 academic year
  • Student absences due to health or other reasons

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: experimental group
The "I Love and Protect My Environment" educational program, developed by researchers based on a literature review and expert opinions, was conducted for third-grade elementary school students over a six-week period, on the same day and during the same class period each week.
Behavioral: "I Love and Protect My Environment" Education Program
The "I Love and Protect My Environment" educational program, developed by researchers through a literature review and expert consultations, was implemented over a period of six weeks.
Experimental: control group
No intervention was performed on the control group.
Behavioral: Control Group
No intervention was performed on the control group

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Environmental Attitude Scale for Elementary School Students
Time Frame: Baseline, immediately after intervention, 1 month after intervention, and 3 months after intervention.
To measure elementary school students' attitudes toward the environment, we plan to use the "Environmental Attitude Scale for Elementary School Students," developed by Artvinli and Demir in 2018. The scale consists of three subscales-Positive Environmental Behaviors (27 items), Environmental Knowledge and Awareness (10 items), and Negative Environmental Behaviors (6 items)-for a total of 43 questions. The scale is a 3-point Likert-type scale rated as "1: Agree," "2: Somewhat Agree," and "3: Disagree." The Cronbach's Alpha coefficients for the scale's sub-dimensions and the scale as a whole are as follows: Positive Environmental Behavior: 0.94, Environmental Knowledge and Awareness: 0.75, Negative Environmental Behaviors: 0.71, and the overall Cronbach's Alpha coefficient for the scale is 0.93.
Baseline, immediately after intervention, 1 month after intervention, and 3 months after intervention.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Elementary School Environmental Awareness Scale
Time Frame: Baseline, immediately after intervention, 1 month after intervention, and 3 months after intervention.
To measure elementary school students' environmental awareness during the intervention phase, we plan to use the "Elementary School Environmental Awareness Scale," developed by Yıldız-Yılmaz and Mentiş-Taş in 2017. The scale is a 5-point Likert-type scale and is rated as follows: "1: Strongly Disagree, 2: Somewhat Disagree, 3: Undecided, 4: Agree, 5: Strongly Agree." The scale consists of 4 subscales. The subscales are: Living in Nature (15 items), Renewable Energy Sources and Their Uses (12 items), Environmental Responsibility (5 items), and Sustainability of Living Organisms (3 items), making a total of 35 items. The Cronbach's Alpha value for the scale was calculated as 0.84. This score indicates that the scale is reliable.
Baseline, immediately after intervention, 1 month after intervention, and 3 months after intervention.

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Information Form
Time Frame: Baseline, immediately after intervention, 1 month after intervention, and 3 months after intervention.
The Demographic Information Form was developed by researchers through a literature review. The form consists of a total of 15 questions. The purpose of the form is to identify sociodemographic characteristics. The questions include the student's age, gender, mother's educational status, mother's occupation, father's educational status, father's occupation, family's economic status, the home's heating source, whether there are pets in the home, whether the child attends daycare, whether the child spends time on the street during free time, family type, heating source, and whether the child participates in waste sorting at school. The questions are in multiple-choice format.
Baseline, immediately after intervention, 1 month after intervention, and 3 months after intervention.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Aydin Adnan Menderes University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
September 23, 2025

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
October 28, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
February 17, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
June 11, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 17, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
June 22, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
June 22, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 17, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • Healthy Environment Education

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

The data sets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

6 months after publication

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Relevance to the topic of the study and approval of all co-authors within 1 month of receiving the request.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • CSR

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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