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Counselling-informed environmental education in Nigerian Universities: A theory-based mixed-methods program
Maria Enemeba Ngwu1, Bridget Etengeneng Eyong2, Benjamin Ayua Ambe3
1Department of guidance & counselling, university of Calabar, Calabar-, Nigeria.
Evaluation and Program Planning
|August 10, 2026
Summary
Counselling-informed environmental education in Nigerian universities improved attitudes but did not directly increase pro-environmental behaviour due to implementation challenges. Further institutional support is needed to translate psychological gains into consistent action.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Education
- Psychology
- Higher Education Pedagogy
Background:
- Counselling-informed pedagogical strategies are increasingly used in environmental education to foster awareness, attitudes, and behaviour.
- Empirical evidence for their effectiveness, particularly in Global South contexts like Nigeria, is limited.
- This study evaluates a counselling-informed environmental education intervention in Nigerian universities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the outcome effectiveness of counselling-informed environmental education in Nigerian universities.
- To explore the implementation dynamics and contextual factors influencing its impact.
- To identify barriers and facilitators for translating educational gains into pro-environmental behaviour.
Main Methods:
- A convergent parallel mixed-method design was employed.
- Quantitative data were collected from 274 undergraduate students across five public universities.
- Qualitative data were gathered through surveys and interviews with 100 lecturers and student counsellors.
Main Results:
- While the overall model predicting pro-environmental behaviour was significant, counselling-informed pedagogies showed a negative predictive effect (R² = .093, p < .001).
- Qualitative findings revealed institutional constraints, including lack of policy support, insufficient training, and poor cooperation, created a behaviour gap.
- The intervention enhanced psychological preparedness and attitudinal orientation but did not directly increase pro-environmental behaviour.
Conclusions:
- Counselling-informed environmental education shows potential for enhancing psychological and attitudinal aspects of environmental engagement.
- Significant implementation-context constraints in Nigerian universities hinder the translation of these gains into pro-environmental behaviour.
- Greater institutional integration and faithful implementation are crucial for achieving lasting behavioural effects in environmental education programs.