Mapping Research on Environmental Awareness: A Systematic Literature Review (2000–2025)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58526/jsret.v5i1.1040Keywords:
Environmental Awareness, Bibliometric Analysis, Systematic Literature Review, ScopusAbstract
Environmental awareness has emerged as a strategic response to the triple planetary crisis of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss. Despite the rapid growth of related research, studies remain fragmented across disciplines, creating inconsistencies in concepts and measurement. This study aims to map research trends, effective teaching approaches, and key variables associated with environmental awareness in education through a bibliometric-based systematic literature review of Scopus-indexed publications from 2000–2025. Using PRISMA procedures and VOSviewer analysis, 43 selected articles were examined to identify publication patterns, keyword networks, and dominant research themes. The findings reveal a significant increase in publications, particularly after 2023, indicating growing global attention to environmental awareness as a priority research topic. Social sciences dominate the field, yet the literature shows strong interdisciplinary expansion involving environmental science, technology, energy, and health. Effective interventions include sustainability-based environmental education, learner-centered and participatory learning, knowledge–attitude–behavior frameworks, and technology-enhanced strategies such as gamification. Key associated variables include educational context, sustainability, environmental knowledge, attitudes, and pro-environmental behavior. Overall, environmental awareness is positioned as a multidimensional educational construct that bridges knowledge and attitudes with responsible environmental action, highlighting the importance of curriculum integration and future longitudinal research.
Downloads
References
Cederqvist, A.-M., Chaker, R., & Hajj-Hassan, M. (2025). Environmental citizenship among Swedish higher education students: Generational differences in perspectives on sustainability and environmental awareness. Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13412-025-01079-4
De Moya Martínez, M. D. V., & Syroyid Syroyid, B. (2021). Music as a Tool for Promoting Environmental Awareness. Experiences of Undergraduate Education Students on the Production of Video Tales in the COVID-19 Pandemic. Education Sciences, 11(10), 582. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11100582
ECHOES, Zuccarelli Freire, V., Ziegler, M. J., Caetano-Andrade, V., Iminjili, V., Lellau, R., Stokes, F., Rudd, R. C., Heberle Viegas, D., Maezumi, S. Y., Jha, G., Antonosyan, M., Jha, D. K., Winkelmann, R., Roberts, P., Furquim, L., & ECHOES. (2024). Addressing the Anthropocene from the Global South: Integrating paleoecology, archaeology and traditional knowledge for COP engagement. Frontiers in Earth Science, 12, 1470577. https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2024.1470577
Fang, L., Zhang, Q., Zhou, N., Chen, J., & Lou, H. (2025). Influencing factors and mechanisms promoting proactive health behavior intention: An integration of the health belief model and the theory of planned behavior. Frontiers in Public Health, 13, 1629046. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1629046
Kalaycı Alas, D., & Korutürk, K. (2024). Exploring the Impact of Values Education on Sustainable Environmental Awareness and Behavior Among Eighth-Grade Students. Sustainability, 16(21), 9302. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16219302
Kanaki, K., Chatzakis, S., & Kalogiannakis, M. (2025). Fostering Algorithmic Thinking and Environmental Awareness via Bee-Bot Activities in Early Childhood Education. Sustainability, 17(9), 4208. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17094208
Kramar, U., & Knez, M. (2025). Gamified Learning for Sustainability: An Innovative Approach to Enhance Hydrogen Literacy and Environmental Awareness Through Simulation-Based Education. Sustainability, 17(6), 2694. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17062694
Lucarelli, C., Mazzoli, C., & Severini, S. (2020). Applying the Theory of Planned Behavior to Examine Pro-Environmental Behavior: The Moderating Effect of COVID-19 Beliefs. Sustainability, 12(24), 10556. https://doi.org/10.3390/su122410556
Marini Govigli, V., Rois‐Díaz, M., Den Herder, M., Bryce, R., Tuomasjukka, D., & Górriz‐Mifsud, E. (2022). The green side of social innovation: Using sustainable development goals to classify environmental impacts of rural grassroots initiatives. Environmental Policy and Governance, 32(6), 459–477. https://doi.org/10.1002/eet.2019
Marzouki, A., Chouikh, A., Mellouli, S., & Haddad, R. (2021). From Sustainable Development Goals to Sustainable Cities: A Social Media Analysis for Policy-Making Decision. Sustainability, 13(15), 8136. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13158136
McNeil, D. W. (2023). Behavioural and cognitive‐behavioural theories in oral health research: Current state and future directions. Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology, 51(1), 6–16. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdoe.12840
Niu, Y., Wang, X., & Lin, C. (2022). A Study on the Impact of Organizing Environmental Awareness and Education on the Performance of Environmental Governance in China. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(19), 12852. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191912852
Oe, H., Yamaoka, Y., & Ochiai, H. (2022). A Qualitative Assessment of Community Learning Initiatives for Environmental Awareness and Behaviour Change: Applying UNESCO Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) Framework. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(6), 3528. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19063528
Oláh, J., Aburumman, N., Popp, J., Khan, M. A., Haddad, H., & Kitukutha, N. (2020). Impact of Industry 4.0 on Environmental Sustainability. Sustainability, 12(11), 4674. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12114674
Pada, A., Chanunan, S., & Rahmat, I. (2025). Fostering Environmental Awareness Through Sustainable Development Goal-Oriented Ethno-STEM Approach in Elementary Education. Jurnal Pendidikan IPA Indonesia, 14(3). https://doi.org/10.15294/jpii.v14i3.24420
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (Chile), Núñez Tobar, J., Vargas Navarrete, N., Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (Chile), Valdebenito Pérez, A., Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (Chile), Lizama Orellana, A., Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (Chile), Oyarzún Morel, J. D. D., & Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (Chile). (2023). Análisis de la integración de la conciencia ambiental en la educación ambiental del currículo chileno. Pensamiento Educativo: Revista de Investigación Educacional Latinoamericana, 60(2). https://doi.org/10.7764/PEL.60.2.2023.5
Pozo-Muñoz, M. P., Martín-Gámez, C., Velasco-Martínez, L. C., & Tójar-Hurtado, J. C. (2023). Research and Development of Environmental Awareness about Water in Primary Education Students through Their Drawings. Education Sciences, 13(2), 119. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13020119
Punzalan, C., & Escalante, L. (2021). Museum Trip to Enrich Environmental Awareness and Education. International Electronic Journal of Environmental Education, 11(1), 13–23. https://doi.org/10.18497/iejeegreen.759224
Rasyid, R., Agustan, A. T. P., Aryuni, V. T., Maru, R., Mufiana, I., & Soamole, H. (2024). Validity of Environmental Education E-Module Based on Education for Sustainable Development Using Flipcreator Platform to Develop Environmental Awareness in Geography Education Students at Khairun University. Journal of Applied Science, Engineering, Technology, and Education, 6(2), 105–117. https://doi.org/10.35877/454RI.asci3093
Saefudin, S., Kusnadi, Tri Suwandi, Najira, Rahmat Baharudin, & Hening Triandika Rachman. (2025). Integration of Permaculture to Reinvent Students’ Interest in Nature and Environmental Awareness for Quality Education under SDG-4. Jurnal Pendidikan IPA Indonesia, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.15294/jpii.v14i1.22122
Shetty, S. V., & Nayak, S. (2025). last decade: A review of research perspectives from Asia.
Sigmund, G., Ågerstrand, M., Antonelli, A., Backhaus, T., Brodin, T., Diamond, M. L., Erdelen, W. R., Evers, D. C., Hofmann, T., Hueffer, T., Lai, A., Torres, J. P. M., Mueller, L., Perrigo, A. L., Rillig, M. C., Schaeffer, A., Scheringer, M., Schirmer, K., Tlili, A., … Groh, K. J. (2023). Addressing chemical pollution in biodiversity research. Global Change Biology, 29(12), 3240–3255. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16689
Thor, D., & Karlsudd, P. (2020). Teaching and Fostering an Active Environmental Awareness Design, Validation and Planning for Action-Oriented Environmental Education. Sustainability, 12(8), 3209. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12083209
Wang, H. (2024). The Effect of Environmental Awareness on the Management of Higher Education: International Journal of Web-Based Learning and Teaching Technologies, 19(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.4018/IJWLTT.361892
Yang, B., Wu, N., Tong, Z., & Sun, Y. (2022). Narrative-Based Environmental Education Improves Environmental Awareness and Environmental Attitudes in Children Aged 6–8. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(11), 6483. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116483
Yeşilyurt, M., Ozdemir Balakoğlu, M., & Erol, M. (2020). The Impact of Environmental Education Activities on Primary School Students’ Environmental Awareness and Visual Expressions. Qualitative Research in Education, 9(2), 188–216. https://doi.org/10.17583/qre.2020.5115
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Dewiyanti Fadly, Dedy Setyawan

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright @2022. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) which permits unrestricted commercial used, distribution and reproduction in any medium
JRSET is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.


