Evaluating the Effectiveness of Environmental Education Programmes in Promoting Conservation Behaviour in Secondary Schools in Katsina State

Environmental education in schools is widely promoted as a strategy for building conservation awareness and shaping environmentally responsible behaviour in young people. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a structured environmental education programme delivered in secondary schools in Katsina State in changing students' knowledge, attitudes, and self-reported conservation behaviours. A quasi-experimental design was used, with twenty schools randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. The intervention consisted of a twelve-week structured environmental education curriculum incorporating field activities, participatory exercises, and community action projects. Environmental knowledge tests, attitude scales, and behaviour questionnaires were administered before, immediately after, and six months following the intervention. Results showed significant improvements in environmental knowledge scores in intervention schools, with mean scores increasing from 51 to 79 percent after the programme. Attitude scale scores also improved significantly and were retained at the six-month follow-up. Self-reported conservation behaviours, including tree planting participation, waste reduction, and water conservation, increased meaningfully in intervention schools but showed partial decay at the six-month follow-up compared to immediate post-test scores. Control school performance remained stable across all measurement points. The study identifies curriculum engagement intensity and teacher training quality as critical mediating factors in programme effectiveness. Recommendations include institutionalising the curriculum in Katsina State secondary school environmental studies and providing continuous teacher professional development in environmental pedagogy. Keywords: environmental education, conservation behaviour, secondary schools, Katsina State, behaviour change.