Assessing Junior High School Students' Energy Literacy Using Structural Equation Modeling

This study aimed to look into the performances of junior high school students, particularly Grades 9 and 10 students and the two types of schools where they are studying (an integrated science high school (SHS) and a regular junior high school (RJHS)) in regard to the domains of Energy Literacy (EL) - Knowledge, Affect, and Behavior and to see if they are significantly different. The students answered online the Energy Literacy Questionnaire (ELQ) developed by DeWaters et al. (2013b) in the comfort and safety of their homes. The differences in their EL were investigated using Mann–Whitney U test. Behavior had the highest mean, followed by Affect and least is Knowledge. The Grade 10 students fared better than the Grade 9 students and their performances are significantly different in all aspects of EL except for Attitude. The ELs for the two types of schools are significantly different in all aspects except for Behavior with the SHS students performing better. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was employed to show the interconnection among the components of EL. The two models showed mostly moderate and bad fit index values (between 0.52 and 0.899) which may be due to the study's data being highly skewed. Family Behavior in Model 2 for both grade levels and school types had the highest impact on Personal Behavior. The students' means for each of the survey items can help educators in verifying whether the curriculum standards for energy topics are being properly implemented. An improved ELQ must be developed and the EL of the adults in the family could also be surveyed to examine their role in Family Behavior.