Approaches to teaching high school students about environmental protection in the Greater Bielsko-Biała Metropolitan Area (Poland)

The purpose of the present study is to assess the level of knowledge about local environmental protection among high school students in Bielsko-Biała and the surrounding areas. This sort of knowledge is part of the curriculum and is covered in various natural science school courses, such as geography, biology, chemistry, and social sciences. Various laws and regulations mandate that ecology is part of the secondary education curriculum – “Podstawa programowa kształcenia ogólnego” (2002, 2008 a, b). The Bielsko-Biała area is known for its valuable natural resources and natural attractions. It is home to twelve protected natural areas, including: two sanctuaries, two scenic landscape parks, four nature and landscape complexes, two unique endangered ecosystems, and two protected Natura 2000 areas, as well as 62 natural landmarks. The present paper presents results of a study that was conducted by means of a survey of Bielsko-Biała’s high school students with respect to their knowledge about these protected natural areas. The results of the study revealed that the vast majority of the students do not take an interest in environmental protection issues. Moreover, the high school students displayed unsatisfactory knowledge about the protected natural areas around their city. The survey revealed that the study subjects were unable to identify the types of natural protected areas surrounding their city, let alone list or name the specific sanctuaries or natural landmarks. These disappointing findings generalize for both the students who live in Bielsko-Biała, and those who live in the distant northern provinces of the region. The results of the study stress the need for field trips and other programs aimed at advancing students’ knowledge in this area. The need to incentivize teachers to organize field trips and other events of this kind is also highlited.