Annotated Bibliography: Plastic Pollution Awareness and Behavior

This annotated bibliography presents two articles related to plastic pollution. The first article examines the awareness and attitudes of secondary school students in Sharjah, UAE, regarding plastic pollution, revealing a gap between recognizing the harm of plastic and actual knowledge levels. The study, conducted through questionnaires, found that factors like gender, grade, and mother's education influenced students' awareness. The second article investigates the application of the Theory of Planned Behavior in measuring the behavior of university students in Malaysia to reduce plastic consumption. This study utilized surveys to assess the relationship between variables affecting students' intentions and behaviors towards reducing plastic usage, highlighting the influence of subjective norms. Both studies offer valuable insights into the complexities of plastic pollution awareness and the factors influencing individual behaviors, providing a basis for educational interventions and policy development aimed at promoting environmental sustainability.

Running Head: ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Annotated Bibliography
Name of Student:
Name of University:
Author’s Note:

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ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
First Annotated Bibliography
Hammami, M. B. A., Mohammed, E. Q., Hashem, A. M., Al-Khafaji, M. A., Alqahtani, F.,
Alzaabi, S., & Dash, N. (2017). Survey on awareness and attitudes of secondary school
students regarding plastic pollution: implications for environmental education and public
health in Sharjah city, UAE. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 24(25),
20626-20633.
Reference:
Article Title: Survey on awareness and attitudes of secondary school students regarding plastic
pollution: implications for environmental education and public health in Sharjah city, UAE
Authors: Mohammad Bakri Alaa Hammami, Eman Qasem Mohammed, Anas Mohammad
Hashem, Mina Amer Al-Khafaji, Fatima Alqahtani, Shaikha Alzaabi and Nihar Dash
Date of Publication: 15 July 2017
Description:
The article elucidates the dangers of plastic pollution around the world, with focus on the
United Arabian Emirates (UAE). This study intends to assess knowledge and attitude of
secondary school students in the city of Sharjah about plastic pollution. A study was conducted
on 400 students in 6 secondary schools in the city, which showed the awareness and tendency of
the students to be involved in environmental practices. While a majority of the participants
(85.5%) consider plastic as harmful, the mean percentage of knowledge pertaining to numerous
aspects of plastic pollution was below 52.11%

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ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Evaluation:
This research is elaborate, covering aspects like students’ knowledge, perceptions,
attitudes and outlook towards plastic pollution. It helped to generate an idea about the mindset
and the attitude of school students of the city, towards the seriousness of plastic pollution. The
study revealed that plastic pollution awareness and its consequences among the different students
were influenced by numerous factors like gender, grade and education of mothers. Pro-
environmental behaviours require a suitable atmosphere to be practiced. Because of limited
access, the small sample size does not really reflect the population of the entire city or UAE.
Usefulness:
The study helps to understand the trends and awareness of the people of UAE at the
secondary school level. It shows how the government of UAE is educating their students on
matters like plastic pollution and the environment as a whole. It reflects the attitude of the
students towards protecting their environment, which is a determining factor of the ecological
future of the country. This study can help the education board of UAE and surrounding countries
to plan out a curriculum to make the students more environmentally conscious.

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ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Second Annotated Bibliography
Hasan, S. N. M. S., Harun, R., & Hock, L. K. (2015). Application of theory of planned behavior
in measuring the behavior to reduce plastic consumption among students at Universiti
Putra Malaysia, Malaysia. Procedia Environmental Sciences, 30, 195-200.
Reference:
Article Title: Application of theory of planned behavior in measuring the behavior to reduce
plastic consumption among students at Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia
Authors: Asmawati Desa, Nor Ba’yah Abd Kadir and Fatimah Yusooff
Date of Publication: 2015
Description:
Social behavior is the most significant factor leading to plastic waste generation because more
than plastic manufacturing, it is human nature that determines the use and discarding of plastic in
everyday life. The purpose of this study was to understand the relationship between variables
that influence behaviour and intentions of the students of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)
towards reducing plastic consumption. 393 university students participated in a voluntary survey.
While, there was no significant behavioral difference between the students of different academic
standards or streams, a notable difference in behavior was observed between genders.
Evaluation:
The study tries to establish a Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), which can be used to study the
behavior of students in the reduction of plastic usage. It detects the factors affecting university
students’ attitude towards plastic consumption and suggests corrective measures. The sample

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ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
size of the study was significantly small to reflect the behavior of the entire university. The study
showed that the level of education or stream did not really affect the plastic consuming attitude
of students. The findings signify that awareness must be imparted among the male students more
strictly.
Usefulness:
The theory can be used to study the plastic consumption behavior of other university students
and also office employees. University authorities, companies and governments can analyse the
findings and develop guidelines to reduce plastic consumption in the campus or workplace. This
work provides an understanding about the plastic consuming attitude of university students in
Malaysia. It shows their level of awareness and the importance of education impacting it. It
proved that the motive of young adults towards plastic consumption was directly influenced by
subjective norms.

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Reference List:
Hammami, M. B. A., Mohammed, E. Q., Hashem, A. M., Al-Khafaji, M. A., Alqahtani, F.,
Alzaabi, S., & Dash, N. (2017). Survey on awareness and attitudes of secondary school
students regarding plastic pollution: implications for environmental education and public
health in Sharjah city, UAE. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 24(25),
20626-20633.
Hasan, S. N. M. S., Harun, R., & Hock, L. K. (2015). Application of theory of planned behavior
in measuring the behavior to reduce plastic consumption among students at Universiti
Putra Malaysia, Malaysia. Procedia Environmental Sciences, 30, 195-200.