Investigating Primary School Teachers’ Behavior toward Energy Saving for Promoting Pupils’ Environmental Awareness

Understanding the role of educators in promoting sustainable practices is crucial for fostering long-term environmental awareness, particularly within the school setting. This study analyzes the behavioral component of primary school teachers’ attitudes toward energy saving in Pella Prefecture, Greece. Simple random sampling was performed by using the email list of all teachers in the study area. We set the final sample at 150 emails, that corresponds to a representative 10% of the population of 1500 teachers in the Pella region. The survey was conducted anonymously, with no identifiable information collected and participants were informed about the purpose of the study prior to their voluntary participation. Data collection took place between February and March 2025. This comes from relevant research on shaping the energy-saving behavior in the educational system. The questionnaire included statements on teachers’ behavior within the school setting concerning energy-saving actions and habits that could actively motivate students to incorporate energy-saving habits into their everyday routines. The applied descriptive and inferential statistical analysis showed that most teachers have adopted and promote the energy-efficient behavior. We discovered that the frequency and intensity with which the teachers implement and encourage energy-saving practices inside and outside the school context characterized the majority of the sample, but identifying energy savings more closely with electricity savings. Chi-square test found a statistically significant difference between the behavioral component of teachers’ attitudes toward energy saving and the number of environmental programs they have implemented. This finding highlights the positive impact of practical experience on the adoption of pro-environmental attitudes. Many groups benefit from the following research such as curriculum developers that may support the integration of more structured and behavior-focused environmental content and educational policy-makers and administrators that may use the findings to design or revise policies and training programs that support energy-saving initiatives, both for teachers and students.