Action Competence towards Environmental Citizenship of College of Teacher Education Students

Abstract

This correlational study investigated the relationship between action competence and environmental citizenship in the context of teacher education. A sample of 324 teacher education students enrolled during the Second Semester of School Year 2022 - 2023 at the University of Mindanao, Philippines were selected as respondents, and they completed a modified survey instrument that collected data on their levels of action competence and environmental citizenship. The analysis of descriptive statistics using mean scores revealed high levels of both action competence and environmental citizenship. The results also determined teacher education students’ willingness to act and sustainability as key indicators of their action competence and environmental citizenship, respectively. Pearson's r correlation coefficient value of r = .688 (P = .000) showed a significant positive relationship between the two variables indicating that students with higher levels of action competence were more likely to exhibit environmental citizenship behaviors. These findings suggest that action competence is an important factor in fostering environmental citizenship among teacher education students. The researchers described these results about their implications for curriculum design, pedagogical approaches, and policy development, highlighting the importance of integrating sustainability education into teacher preparation programs to nurture action competence and empower future educators to contribute effectively to sustainable development efforts.