Environmental Education: A Correlational Study among Environmental Literacy, Disaster Knowledge, Environmental Sensitivity, and Clean-Living Behavior of Post Tsunami Disaster in Aceh Communities, Indonesia

Abstract

This research aims to determine the correlation between literacy, disaster knowledge, and environmental sensitivity towards clean living behavior of communities in disaster-prone areas. The data was collected through questionnaires and analyzed by statistical software. 385 respondents from three different regions, coastal, urban, and inland took part as respondents. The results indicated that more than half of the people have a very high attitude towards cleanliness (%) 63.10, environmental literacy 61, and environmental sensitivity 52.70. but less than half respondents 45.50% had good knowledge about disaster. Environmental education variables have marginal homogeneity between environmental literacy and disaster knowledge (49%), disaster knowledge with environmental sensitivity (28%), and environmental sensitivity with clean living behavior (23%). There are no significant differences in coastal, urban, and inland communities’ attitudes towards environmental literacy, environmental sensitivity, and disaster knowledge. However, the perspective of clean-living behavior was significantly different between the three areas. The people aged 46-65 years have a better clean-living behavior and disaster knowledge. Based on gender, the male group had a better knowledge of clean-living behavior, environmental literacy, and disaster knowledge, while the female group had a better environmental sensitivity. The research revealed that there is a common understanding of environmental literacy, environmental sensitivity, and disaster knowledge in coastal, urban, and inland communities. The results also indicated that people in cities have a better understanding of clean living compared to rural and coastal communities.