ENERGY LITERACY SURVEY AT HIGH SCHOOLS IN NORTHERN CYPRUS

Abstract

The main aim of the study is to collect data with a survey, evaluate the energy knowledge, behaviour and attitudes of students, and, at the end, interpret the resulting data. As it is known, the entire world is trying to prevent global warming, which is one of the major problems in the world. The easiest and effective solution to this problem is; using energy efficiently. Also, increasing the usage of renewable energy sources is another option. This study mainly depends on a survey carried out in two high schools in TRNC. This survey is used to evaluate the energy literacy, energy knowledge, awareness and behaviours. The objective of this study is to evaluate the energy awareness and knowledge level of the students about energy issues and also, propose some solutions to determined weaknesses. Therefore, a survey was done, which was used and validated in many scientific studies, and was applied in two high schools. A survey that has 61 questions and 4 main sections; personal information about energy, effectives, students’ and also their families’ behaviours on energy, and energy knowledge, was answered by 101 students. Results show that approximately 90% of the participants support the energy efficiency and also 68,30 % would like to save more energy. However, 45,50 % of the students are not sure if they can contribute to energy saving as an individual. In the knowledge section, only 27,70 % of the students was able to give correct answers to the energy efficiency related questions. This study reveals that the overall knowledge level of the students on energy issues is very low. Thus, an energy education program should be applied in Northern Cyprus as soon as possible.

Keywords: Energy literacy, energy education, survey, renewable energy, energy efficiency.

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