The interconnection of the child with his environment can build assistance for him to learn its realities and withhold good attitude towards it. According to the Belgrade Charter which specified the goal of environmental education, the world population should be developed based on proper awareness and concern about the environment and the associated problems in terms of people's knowledge, skills, attitude, commitment, and motivations by working individually and holistically to solve current problems and prevent the new ones (Singh, 1999).

Glenn (2008) explained that the success of defining the problems and alarms leading the environment be subject to how well students appreciate and know the environment and its composite processes. The students' attitudes and observations toward the environment could significantly affect sustainability of the future life. Students can be better stewards in the future by being aware of the environment and also being able to comprehend it.

Education plays an important role in raising the environmental awareness of students. Considering that large part of students' time is spend in school. It is recommended that investment in environmental education should be as early as possible in children's schooling (Adejoke, Mji, & Mukhola, 2014). To educate the student about the environment, acquiring information is vital. Without cognition nothing can be learned (Sharma, 2004). The term environmental awareness has a broad meaning. It not only implies knowledge about environment, but also values and necessary skills to solve environmental problems.

Moreover, the teacher should put emphasis in the affective and psychomotor domains of teaching. In cognitive domain, we are merely concerned with the fact that a student knows and understands a task and can perform it satisfactorily, but it does not mean that he is interested in the task and feels positively about it and will do it (Sharma, 2004). Students' emotions should be stirred to be interested, to be favorable about it, and motivated to act. To do this, presentation of facts is not enough.

Another reason why it is important to promote environmental sustainability in education worldwide is because of the need to produce twenty-first century learners. The incorporation of environmental education into the curriculum is one way to encourage the educational institutions across the globe to consider the environmental changes.

As concluded by Gupta (2017) in the study about the environmental awareness of urban and rural school students, there was no significant difference in environmental awareness of urban and rural students at Raipur City of Chhattisgarh, India. It was mentioned in the study that teacher is an effective tool in this to strengthen the literacy of the students in terms of the environmental connection. The teachers were recommended to explore environmental issues and their solutions; they can also use the information technology by doing a lot of readings to increase their knowledge about global and local environmental concepts.

The pedagogical trends and issues pertaining to environmental education were addressed by those studies locally and internationally, but the continuous problems facing by the present academic community is still a concern that should be analyzed.

Sauvé (2005) studied the Currents in Environmental Education: Mapping a Complex and Evolving Pedagogical Field, which indicated the contribution of people in reflecting on the meaning, problems and possibilities of their relationship to the environment, and on the role of education in this regard. It also carried light and celebrated the richness of the environmental education field, thereby paying homage to the pedagogical creativity of its designers over the course of the last thirty years.

Moreover, Esa (2010) persuaded that in order for the educational institutions to educate their students for a sustainable future they should also increase their purposes. Teachers were mentioned as the most leading role in educating learners to be frontrunners of the future in protecting the environment. Hence, teacher aspirants should know how to establish pro-environmental behavior and attitudes if they want to incorporate ESD effectively in their instruction upon completion of the degree. Conversely, earlier studies expressed that many students and teachers exhibit positive attitudes towards the environment, but lack enough environmental awareness.

Education for sustainable development according to UNESCO (2017) comprises the incorporation of key sustainable development disputes into classroom strategies. This includes teaching about biodiversity, climate change, disaster risk reduction, ecological consumption, and poverty fall. These ideas endorse capabilities like critical thinking, imagining future scenarios, and making decisions in a cooperative approach.

An implication study conducted by Sindhu and Singh (2014) stated its significance through educational inferences for the teachers, educational planners, parent's educators, and educational administrators. It suggested undertakings for environment teachers, students, parents, and also the community like special awareness programs in the form of seminars symposium, camps, and community visits. Specifically, the formal system of education should provide environmental awareness to the youths and young children and develop the introductory course of environmental education in teacher education programs and their teaching subjects for teachers. The study also established that environmental education can play an important role in reducing and avoiding the present and future environmental inequities. Environmental education can be conveyed in the four stages of formal education like primary education stage, lower secondary education stage, high secondary education stage, and college education stage.

It is a great help for the students to discriminate evidence on how to practice environmental sustainability and conservation through suitable environmental teaching. The inordinate influence in the knowledge, skills and attitude of students towards environmental protection can be achieved by integrating the environmental education in the curriculum of all school levels (Raman, 2016).

One of the literatures by Grant (2012) illustrated the nine principles of environmental education, which provides suggestions on the implications of the level of environmental awareness to the education system. The nine principles included; 1) Education should highlight our interdependence with other people, other species and the planet as a whole. 2) Education should support students move from awareness to knowledge to action. Teachers, students, and schools in the world's richer countries should decrease their consumption of the world's resources. 3) Students must have prospects to improve a personal association with nature. 4) Education should be futureoriented. 5) We must relearn "old wisdoms" from native peoples to re-connect to the planet. 6) Teachers should integrate media literacy into every school subject. 7) Teachers should be facilitators. 8) Teachers should be good role models for their students and "walk their talk". 9) An environmental assessment is an important tool for measuring performance, assessing progress, and setting goals with respect to environmental practices.

Grimmette (2014) proposed recommendations to enlighten the youth with the concept of environmental education programs by identifying its effects on youth such as forming environmental awareness, constructing an association to the environment, and shifting the views and opinions of youth on the environment. There was significant positive effect in the three areas associated with camp curriculum based on the results of the study including the human's effect on the water cycle, the meaning of animals to humans, and outlaying time to fix harms present in nature.

Teachers can have the students watch videos not only showing the present condition of the environment that some are accustomed to see, but to let them feel how it affects humans in reality. They can show videos that contain interviews of people who experience the devastating effects of flood, climate change, and others. Stories from classmates who experienced it first-hand are also a better way to do so. Past experiences can permanently change the behavior of a person. For the same reason, psychomotor objectives acquire primacy because their attainment enables students to participate in environmental activities using their own hands, activities such as planting of saplings, maintaining a nursery, caring for a sick animal, keeping home and neighborhood and school clean, spreading environmental awareness in their community, and so on (Sharma, 2004).

A similar study on environmental awareness level of secondary school students: a case study in Balıkesir (Türkiye) by Altin, Tecer, Tecer, Altin, and Kahraman (2014) showed a high level of environmental awareness among student participants. Though, it was agreed that environmental admissions in schools were inadequate and the contribution level of students to environmental actions was low. Thus, students received environmental experiences from mass media (i.e. audio, printed, and visual media). The study revealed that female students have a higher level of environmental awareness and active participation level. In addition, there was a significant relationship between the family income with family education level and environmental awareness with active participation level of students.

Alexandar and Poyyamoli (2014) evaluated the effectiveness of environmental education for sustainable development based on active teaching and learning at high school level-a case study from Puducherry and Cuddalore regions in India. Environmental Education for Sustainable Development (EESD) is emerging as an important methodology to inspire students to conserve and protect the natural environment in their schools and in their community. It determined that the active teaching learning approach was more active in enabling environmental education for sustainable development among students.

Ghosh (2014) studied the environmental awareness among secondary school students of Golaghat district in the state of Assam and their attitude towards environmental education and it was found not significant; but in case of rural and urban student, the attitude towards environmental education was found significant. The relationship between environmental awareness and attitudes towards environmental education among the students was found strong and positive.

Hinojosa (1996) stated the absolute list of unifying themes of environmental education as distinguished by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Environment Management Bureau (DENR-EMB). These themes pronounced by the agency that protects the environment happened to be the basis of research problems solved by various professionals in the field. The list includes the following themes:1) Interdependence - Everything is related to everything; 2) Change - Everything changes. Some changes enhance the natural state of the environment, others degrade it; 3) Diversity and stability - Diversity is essential. It promotes stability; 4) Finiteness of Resources - Most of the earth's resources are finite. Therefore, they must be used prudently and wisely; 5) Materials cycle - Everything must go somewhere and ends somewhere; 6) Balance of nature - Nature has its own laws and processes to maintain it; and 7) Stewardship - Humans are part of nature. They are not masters, but stewards of the earth.

In an article about environmental awareness and action, Ramos (2016) emphasized that education is crucial to awareness and action to defend our dying Earth. The Republic Act No. 9512, known as the “National Environmental Awareness and Education Act of 2008”, which required the incorporation of environmental education in all courses and in all academic institutions, both formal and non-formal was also highlighted. Section 3 of the law provides that:

“The Department of Education (DepEd), the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), in coordination with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and other relevant agencies, shall integrate environmental education in its school curricula at all levels, whether public or private, including in barangay day care, preschool, nonformal, technical vocational, professional level, indigenous learning and out-of-school youth courses or programs.” (RA 9512, 2008, p.2).

An investigation about the environmental awareness, practices, and attitudes of the Tingguians of Abra by Balmaceda (2008) concluded a high level of awareness on the entire environmental themes. The research samples showed a very high level of awareness along stewardship, finiteness of resources, materials cycle, and balance of nature. On the other hand, they were only at high level of awareness along diversity and stability, change, and interdependence. The results also showed a relationship between the extent of practice of the respondents and the level of awareness.

Another study on the topic by Pardo (2012) identified that the depraved effect of environmental demolition is obvious and its future possibilities are enormous. It is a good concern that the youth who endure the future accountability for the stewardship of the environment can pass on their knowledge to future generations. The study showed a very high level of environmental awareness and good practices on the general environmental themes of the respondents. Activities such as cutting of trees, forest burning/forest fires, quarrying, hunting, road widening, squatting, mining, river drilling, use of inorganic fertilizer, and industrialization were not preferred by the respondents. The outcome of the study suggested a development of an environmental education program and firm execution of the laws and ordinances protecting the environment in the University to increase further the environmental awareness, practices, and attitudes of the learners.

In the same way, Ejem and Bello (2013) studied the environmental awareness, literacy and biodiversity conservation practices of freshmen students in Bukidnon State University, Philippines. BukSU college freshmen students were generally “very much aware” of the green ideas on balance of nature, pollution, stewardship, finiteness of resources, change, interdependence, diversity, and stability. The students are “moving on the way to mastery” on environmental knowledge, environmental attitudes and values and environmental actions and decision making skills. At home, in school and in the community, the students “often” practice biodiversity conservation measures.

Medallon and Gallardo (2014) considered environmental awareness campaign and the change it brings. The study specified that global warming was the usual issue in the environment. After the environmental awareness campaign was made, a significant increase in the level of knowledge was determined. Specifically, the right discarding and segregation of wastes was the highest level of action recommended by the students.

A similar approach by Cruz (2016) on the topic “Students' Environmental Awareness and Practices: Basis for Development of Advocacy Program” was directed through the joint effort of the participating school's organization to encourage the environmental awareness of the students by active contribution in the implementation of different environmental activities and programs.

As mentioned by Cosico (2012) in the book “Philippine Environmental Laws: An Overview and Assessment”, the Philippines which is situated right in the typhoon belt of the Pacific and more vulnerable to natural calamities and catastrophes should have an urgent necessity to regulate human activities aside from elevating the awareness of Filipinos. It was enlightened that the Philippine Environmental Laws should be incorporated in environmental education programs as it seeks to address a great number of environmental problems ranging from deforestation, biodiversity loss, and pollution types. This idea will give provisions for the students to become knowledgeable of environmental policies implemented in the Philippines by taking actions in disseminating these significant laws. The literature emphasized that the rights to the environment is necessar y for each person acknowledged in the international community as it has existed since the origin of humankind.

The fact that there are inadequate studies involving the environmental awareness of students in rural and urban school settings and its implications in teaching Sciences, this research would like to address this specific trend and issue in pedagogy. The aim of this study was to determine the level of awareness on environmental issues among Filipino grade 8 students in rural and urban school settings during the year 2018 and its implications in teaching Sciences. Specifically, this study attempted to answer the following research questions; what is the level of awareness of selected Filipino grade 8 students in rural school setting on environmental issues in terms of seven environmental themes; namely steward, finiteness of resources, diversity and stability, change, material, cycle, balance nature, and interdependence?, what is the level of awareness of selected Filipino grade 8 students in urban school setting on environmental issues in terms of seven environmental themes; namely steward, finiteness of resources, diversity and stability, change, material, cycle, balance nature, and interdependence?, is there a significant difference between the environmental awareness levels of selected rural and urban Filipino grade 8 students?, and what are the implications of the difference between the environmental awareness levels of selected Filipino grade 8 students in teaching Sciences?

4.1 Participants

This research was carried out with 300 Filipino grade 8 students from three junior secondary schools in the Philippines. In order to obtain the significant difference between their levels of environmental awareness, 150 grade 8 students came from two urban private schools and the other 150 grade 8 students derived from one rural public school. The study group was made up through purposive-judgemental sampling as the group could correspond to the objectives of the study with appropriate knowledge and characteristics.

4.2 Research Design

This quantitative research study used a descriptive survey to determine the difference between the environmental awareness levels of Filipino grade 8 students in rural and urban school settings. This study suggested implications of these results in teaching science courses in order to propose recommendations on how to integrate environmental education topics in sciences and other courses.

4.3 Measures

The Environmental Awareness Questionnaire (EAQ) adopted from Pardo (2012) in a study concerning Environmental Awareness, Practices and Attitudes of Students was utilized in this study. It included matters on environmental awareness based on the different environmental themes, namely: stewardship, finiteness of resources, diversity and stability, change, material cycle, balance nature, and interdependence. The survey questionnaire on environmental awareness was distinctly validated by three university professionals in the Philippines in environmental education practice who are in the fields of environmental management, botany and ecology, and physical sciences. One of the items, production of cosmetics destroys the ozone layer under the theme Balance of Nature was suggested to be removed by one of the reviewers since that the issue is already outdated.

4.4 Procedure

The participants of this research were grade 8 students from two urban schools and one rural school in the Philippines shown in Table 1. The researchers administered the selfreport measures to the students inside the classroom environment with the permission of the school administrators. Students volunteered to fill the instruments out using the Environmental Awareness Questionnaire (EAQ) as shown in Table 2. All participants have been informed about the aim of the study before completing the measure. To test the difference between the environmental awareness levels of urban and rural students, the measure was provided to equal number of participants from rural and urban schools. The frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation values of the collected data were calculated from the responses of the participants both in rural and urban schools. The z-test statistical treatment was utilized in this study in order to measure the significant difference between the levels of environmental awareness of urban and rural schools students. The result of the analysis was employed as a basis for its implications in teaching science course with the support of the background literature.

Table 1. Demographic Profile of Urban and Rural School Students

Table 2. Descriptive Interpretation of Environmental Awareness Scale

The questions raised in this study were answered based on the responses of the participants according to the selfassessment survey concerning their levels of environmental awareness. These research questions would like to describe the level of environmental awareness among selected secondary school students, to measure the significant difference between the level of environmental awareness of participants in rural and urban school settings and to provide the teaching implications of the awareness levels of the students in science subject.

The researchers utilized different statistical analyses in order to obtain valid results from the participants' responses. The measure of central tendency which obtained the mean values of the awareness levels of the respondents from rural and urban school settings on the seven environmental themes was used in order to descriptively showcase their differences based from the reference table of descriptive interpretation. The standard deviation values among the average responses of the participants were also calculated to show the range of eccentricity of the values from the mean. Lastly, the z-test statistical analysis was adopted using the standard alpha level of 0.05 to measure the significant difference of the awareness levels between the selected rural and urban grade 8 students. The levels of environmental awareness of selected grade 8 students from rural and urban schools are presented in Table 3.

Table 3. Level of Environmental Awareness on the Seven Environmental Themes among Grade 8 Students in Rural and Urban Schools

In the first environmental theme which pertains to the stewardship or man as God's caretaker, results displayed that the grade 8 rural students have high level of awareness with a mean rating of 4.20 and agreed that they are tasked to protect the living things and its environment as stewards of the earth. On the other hand, the grade 8 urban students have high level of awareness with a mean rating of 3.78 and agreed that they should keep and maintain plants in their garden by removing pests merely with hands.

The second environmental theme measured the awareness level of the participants in terms of the finiteness of resources or the earth as place for the future generations as well. Results showed that the rural students have very high level of awareness with a mean rating of 4.66 and they strongly agreed that the earth and its resources must be sustainably used so that the future generations may still have enough sources of means for living. However, the rural students have very high level of awareness with a mean rating of 4.24 and they strongly agreed that cutting of trees decreases the volume of potable water.

The third environmental theme encompasses the awareness on diversity and stability and it showed that rural school students have very high awareness with a mean rating of 4.36 and strongly agreed that the earth is abundant with the natural resources from living and nonliving things. Nevertheless, urban school students have high environmental awareness with a mean rating of 3.84 and they agreed that the hobbies such as hunting and fishing contribute to species extinction.

The fourth environmental theme covers the changing phenomena on earth which disclosed that rural school students have high level of awareness supported by the mean rating of 4.16 and they also strongly agreed that the earth is in the present condition, where a lot of changes happen most particularly on the climate and environment. As for the result from urban school students, it was also a high level of awareness supported by the mean rating of 3.48, whereas the students agreed that the use of indigenous energy sources help regulate the environment.

The Materials Cycle or Everything Must Go Somewhere and Ends Somewhere is tackled in the fifth environmental theme. This indicated a very high level of environmental awareness of rural school students with a mean rating of 4.51 and strongly agreed that waste materials that are disposed properly can help save the environment, there is cash in trash, and kitchen wastes like fruits and vegetable peels can be converted into fertilizers. A mean rating of 3.94 indicated a high level of environmental awareness among urban school students and they agreed that soil degradation occurs due to poor farming methods on the use of inorganic fertilizers and travelers contribute to waste problem on the streets.

The Balance of Nature as sixth environmental theme obtained a mean rating of 4.78 for rural students, which is very high and therefore they strongly agreed with one of the experiential reflections like clean beaches and rivers are good place for picnics and recreation and fresh air entails good health. The obtained mean rating of 4.58 which is very high came from urban students who strongly agreed that open fields, hills and mountains are manifestation of God's magnificent work of art.

The last environmental theme about interdependence explained that the earth is fragile and dying. People must have to take care of it, heal and save it the best way they can. People can do a lot. This last theme was divided into three; at home, in public places, and in the community where people belong. The overall mean rating of 4.52 for interdependence theme which is equivalent to very high environmental awareness was obtained by the rural school students. This means that they strongly agreed with observations such as; a clean house promotes a healthy family, energy conservation is environment conservation, smoke belching vehicles can cause diseases, and Clean and Green Program of the government helps a lot in the maintenance of a clean community and extensive deforestation is the chief cause of floods and soil erosion. In the point of view of urban school students, a high environmental awareness with a mean rating of 3.98 was attained. Urban students were knowledgeable that the use of indigenous materials at home helps save environmental degradation, non-degradable substances like plastic bags are the chief land pollutants and noise is a form of pollution; it does not promote good health, and maintenance of health in the community is a concerted effort among the residents.

Generally, the Level of Environmental Awareness on the Seven Environmental Themes among rural school grade 8 students found to be “very high” with an overall mean rating of 4.47 while “high” level from urban school grade 8 students with an overall mean rating of 3.96. Moreover, the theme with the highest environmental awareness level among the rural school grade 8 students was “Balance of Nature” (= 4.78), which is contrary with “Change” as the lowest (= 4.16). Furthermore, the theme with the highest environmental awareness level among the urban school grade 8 students was also “Balance of Nature” (= 4.57) which is also opposing with “Change” as the lowest (= 3.48).

Comparatively, the urban and rural grade 8 students from two private schools and one public school have the same responses on their highest and lowest environmental awareness according to the seven environmental themes. The two groups of students agreed together that they both have the highest level of awareness in terms of Balance of Nature and lowest level of environmental awareness in the theme Change.

The overall level of environmental awareness on the seven environmental themes of 150 grade 8 students from rural school showed a “very high” interpretation with an overall mean rating of 4.47 while the 150 grade 8 students from two urban schools revealed a “high” interpretation with an overall mean rating of 3.96. This shows that there is a big difference between the level of environmental awareness among the rural and urban grade 8 students using the overall mean values and as supported by the descriptive interpretations.

Meaningfully, the researchers utilized the z-test statistical analysis to know if there is a significant difference between the levels of environmental awareness among the rural and urban grade 8 students. The analysis indicated a pvalue (two-tail) of 0.72, which is greater than 0.05 level of confidence. Hence, the analysis stated that there is no significant difference in environmental awareness between the rural and urban grade 8 students as presented in Table 4.

Table 4. Overall Environmental Awareness of Grade 8 Students in Rural and Urban School Settings

The researchers concluded that regardless of the difference on the descriptive interpretation using the overall means of the two sample groups, there is still no significant difference between their levels of environmental awareness. This is evident since that urban school students have high level of environmental awareness while the rural school students have very high level of environmental awareness based on the themes of environmental education. Urban school students are environmentally aware as they pursue to live in an environment with healthful lifestyle. Likewise, rural school students who are commonly linked with nature are environmentally aware as they are directly benefitting from it.

In connection to its implications in Science teaching, educating the people about the environment is not only the task of Science teachers. Every teacher should incorporate environmental education in multidisciplinary areas of learning. Education does not only stop in the four corners of the classroom, it should cut across not only the boundaries of the classroom but the school as well.

Field trip is one activity that can bring the students in the reality of experiencing and interacting with the environment that eventually will lead to appreciation. This is recommended especially to urban school students. The involvement in environmental education is also the task of the government. The school and the government officials should support each other to have collaborative actions in order for the students to participate in programs that will cultivate the commitment to care for the environment.

Recommendation

This research undertaking showcases the present state of environmental awareness of the students in secondary level and with that it highlights the weak implementation of the government to practice the approved policies pertaining to environmental legislations. One of these laws which should be well-reinforced is the RA 9512 or the Environmental Awareness and Education Act of 2008 as it seeks to provide the learners and students of the country the suitable knowledge, attitude and skills in living sustainably, and solving problems related to worldwide issues.

Schools can provide a head start by adapting educational implications. This includes the following suggestions; practical exercises and projects should inculcate environmental awareness, extra burden must not be given to teachers so that they can organize scientific activities to develop environmental awareness among students, including environmental education subject in every year level, allocation of funds to organize camps, tours or excursions, a well – equipped laboratory in schools, extension lectures, seminars, workshops, and conferences on different issues of environment or disaster management by experts and environmentalists, activities (e.g. quiz competitions, painting, extemporaneous speech, exhibitions) should be organized in schools on the theme related to environment, and important environment days (e.g. World Environment Day, Earth Day, Energy Conservation Week, etc.) should be celebrated in schools.

Lastly, the educators from basic education to higher education institutions are recommended to become involved with professional developments including research activities, trainings, workshops, environmental exposures, and graduate education in order to attain supportive and substantial ideas in imparting environmental sustainability to the students for the achievement of quality education leading to sustainable development.