Do biocentric and anthropocentric type of moral reasoning for nature conservation really means to children

Abstract

Moral reasoning regarding wildlife provide a relevant locus for exploring the students environmental ethical perception in inculcating the importance of environmental awareness and preservation. This study was conducted to examine the type of moral reasoning prevalent among children on their world view on environmental issues. The study was conducted in the state of Perak in Malaysia on two age groups -13 year old school children and 16 year olds from schools situated. The researcher believes that to create an effective environmental education, it must be based on the actual way in which students interpret their experiences and more often than not, this is closely tied to their own upbringing (of which religion and culture play major roles). This is supported by other authors such as Mordi, (1987) and Jasmi Abdul,(2002) This study demonstrates that Malaysia children were more likely to choose a theocentric perspective in dealing with environmental issues compared to anthropocentric or biocentric point of view. However an analisis on the way the environmental issues is presented in textbooks is more to anthropocentric view. This is the glaring conflict that this study has been able to elucidate. This study concludes that the call for nature conservation in Malaysia is better presented within a theocentric disposition and this has been demonstrated successfully from this study.