A Social Learning Theory-Based Intervention to Promote Sustainable Waste Management Behaviour Among Students

Abstract India faces numerous challenges related to waste management, including inadequate disposal systems, a lack of awareness and willingness to segregate waste, and insufficient resources. Students are the future of society, and they learn fast. If we inculcate the SWM behaviour in the early ages of their lives, it will help society. This study examines whether SLT relationships hold true for children's environmental behaviour development, specifically in waste management education among rural students. This study evaluates the effectiveness of a Social Learning Theory (SLT)- based intervention designed to enhance sustainable waste management practices among middle-stage students. Using a pre-experimental pretest-posttest design, the study assessed 339 students (aged 10-15 years) from three rural schools in Halol, Gujarat. Students were evaluated on three SLT domains: cognitive understanding, outcome expectancies, and behavioural performance. A comprehensive, approximately 30-hour intervention was conducted. The findings showed a significant improvement across all three domains: cognitive understanding increased the most by 123.5% with p