EVALUATING A MOBILE APPLICATION FOR DEVELOPING STUDENTS’ ENVIRONMENTAL COMPETENCIES: A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL STUDY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37943/MRCC6435%20Keywords:
environmental competencies; environmental education; mobile learning; mobile application; sustainable development; digital learning; higher education.Abstract
The integration of digital technologies into environmental education creates opportunities to link theoretical knowledge with practical activities and environmentally responsible behavior. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate the Green IQ mobile app as a supplementary educational tool for fostering environmental competencies among students and to determine whether its integration into traditional environmental education is associated with an increase in students’ environmental competencies. The study involved a quantitative quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test analysis in a control group. Sixty first-year students participated in the study. Participants were divided into an experimental group (n = 29) and a control group (n = 31). Both groups received comparable environmental education through lectures, training sessions, and practical assignments, while the experimental group additionally used the Green IQ mobile app. The Eco Index was assessed using a 10-item instrument developed by the author on a five-point Likert scale, covering environmental awareness, attitudes toward the environment, and environmentally responsible behavior. The results of the study showed that the mean Eco Index for the entire sample increased from 2.53 (SD = 0.769) on the pre-test to 4.03 (SD = 0.727) on the post-test. Both groups demonstrated significant within-group improvement: in the experimental group, it increased from 2.55 to 4.43 (mean change = 1.88), t (28) = 13.10, p < 0.001, Cohen’s d = 2.42, while in the control group it increased from 2.52 to 3.65 (mean change = 1.13), t(30) = 5.35, p < 0.001, Cohen’s d = 0.960. A mixed-effects analysis of variance revealed a significant time-by-group interaction, F(1,58) = 8.39, p = 0.005, indicating greater improvement in the experimental group.
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