A mixed questionnaire provided a guideline for the interview questions to gather data from the students at the university. The mixed questionnaire consists of both close-ended questions and open-ended questions.
After interviewing a 23-year-old female undertaking a master’s degree in International tourism management, I was able to discover the impact of education on awareness to environment and climate. The interviewee was an international and a part-time employee at a local zoo as a warden. The interviewee stated that she has to travel a distance of about 8 miles to get to school and her main means of transport is the intercity train. The interviewee states that the mode of transport she decides to use is not entirely up to her. The distance between her place of residence and where the University is located makes it impossible to use a bike which is her most preferred mode of transport. The interviewee neither agrees nor disagrees on the extent that university modules go to include sustainability teaching and learning among the students. The interviewee disagrees with the purported extent the school goes to teach sustainability to the students.
The interviewee claimed that the school only impacted the element of sustainability teaching and learning in classes and the same has not been transferred to the outside world where these teachings are supposed to apply. The interviewee felt that the University needed to change some policies to be more environmentally friendly. Due to the distrust that has been created between the interviewee and the school, the interviewee has not chosen an optional module which includes sustainability teaching. The interviewee feels that choosing a module related to sustainability will not have any impact on her life. However, the interviewee reckons that sustainability should be included in core modules. Tourism is highly correlated with climatic changes. The interviewee agrees that the degree program that she is undertaking needs to include sustainability as a core module.
The interviewee was well conversant with what is meant by climate emergency. The interviewee is part of various lobby groups for environmental conservation and lobbies for climate change. The interviewee defines a climatic emergency as a condition where global warming exists and the current measures that have been taken to counter global warming are not sufficient to stop the negative impact of global warming on the environment. The interviewee is well aware that most governments’ around the world have declared climate emergencies. The interviewee reasserts that the countries have now realized that global warming is a factor that affects the whole world and not an individual country as previously perceived. The interviewee is aware of the climate emergency declared by the university. However, the interviewee reasserts that the emergency declared by the university is not effective as no efforts are being made to counter climate change. The employee strongly disagrees with the levels that the university are ready to go to increase students’ awareness of climate emergency. The interviewee is not aware that the university has been acknowledged as one of the top universities in the UK with the greatest efforts in the reduction of its effects on the environment. The interviewee is not satisfied with the actions undertaken by the university to reduce its effects on the environment. The interviewee proposes better waste management by the University to reduce its effects on the environment. The interviewee states that she is putting in much effort to tackle climate change.
There is an agreement among most respondents’ that the university’s modules are inclusive of teaching and learning the concept of sustainability. When interviewed, most students agree that they have come across elements of sustainability within the modules theta they are taking in the University. Most students strongly agree that the modules have had an impact on their views concerning climate change. Most of the students interviewed have not chosen a module that includes sustainability. On further inquiry from students being interviewed, the modules on sustainability are not very lucrative to the students hence most students tend to shun them. Majority of those who chose an extra module that included sustainability did so because they had a passion for environmental conservation. However, the majority of these people who take modules that include sustainability feel that the module will be slightly important for their careers. Some reiterate that they think sustainability could help in their day to day living and interactions with the environment. Most of the respondents agree that a core module should be included in their courses. However, they still feel that this module is only slightly important.
Most students interviewed knew what climate emergency is and most described the phenomenon as the acknowledgment of the existence of global warming and the inefficiency of the efforts that have been put in to limit the negative impacts of global warming on the environment. Urgent action is also needed. Most of the students know the climate emergency declared by most countries in the world. The interviewees all had knowledge of the climate emergency that had been declared by the university. Most students disagree with the idea that the University has been doing enough to create awareness of climate emergency. The information on the acknowledgment of the University as one of the top ten universities in reducing the impact it has on the environment. The interviewees are dissatisfied with the actions that are being undertaken by the University on the issue of the environment. Most students disagree with the extent to which the university has been going to reduce its effect on the environment. Most interviewees have a problem with the way wastes are being managed in the University. They propose an improvement in waste management techniques at the University. Most students neither agree nor disagree on the role they have played in tackling climate change.
The questionnaire used does not have the option of multiple choices. Some opinion questions such as what aspects the university should improve should have the opinion of multiple answers. Most of the interviewees have more than one answer for such opinion questions.