Environmental Awareness and Sustainable Consumption as Predictors of Green Behaviour among Student Teachers of Assam

Environmental sustainability has become an important concern in the present world due to increasing environmental problems and unsustainable human practices. In this context, student teachers play a significant role in promoting environmental awareness and sustainable practices among future generations. The present study aimed to examine the level of environmental awareness, sustainable consumption and green behaviour among student teachers. The study also investigated the differences in these variables with respect to gender and locality, analyzed the relationship among the variables and examined the predictive effect of environmental awareness and sustainable consumption on green behaviour. The study adopted a descriptive survey method. A total of 163 student teachers from teacher education institutions were selected through convenient sampling technique. Data were collected using structured questionnaires. The environmental awareness tool was based on Multiple-choice questions (MCQ), While sustainable consumption and green behaviour were measured using a five-point Likert scale. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent sample t-test, Pearson’s correlation and multiple regression analysis with the help of SPSS software. The findings of the study revealed that student teachers possessed a high level of environmental awareness, sustainable consumption and green behaviour. Significant differences were observed in environmental awareness and green behaviour with respect to gender, whereas no significant difference was found in sustainable consumption. Significant differences were also observed in environmental awareness, sustainable consumption and green behaviour with respect to locality. The study further revealed a strong positive relationship between sustainable consumption and green behaviour. Regression analysis indicated that sustainable consumption significantly predicted green behaviour, whereas environmental awareness did not significantly predict green behaviour among student teachers. The study concludes that sustainable consumption plays an important role in promoting environmentally responsible behaviour among student teachers. Therefore, teacher education institutions should emphasize practical environmental education and sustainability-oriented practices in order to develop environmentally responsible future teachers.