Indigenous Knowledge as a Predictor of Green Practices among College Students in a Philippine Local College
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.69569/jip.2026.413xKeywords:
College students, Green practices, Indigenous governance, Indigenous knowledge, Sustainability educationAbstract
Indigenous knowledge systems provide culturally grounded approaches to environmental sustainability, yet their relationship with college students’ green practices remains understudied in Cagayan de Oro City. This study determined students’ levels of indigenous knowledge and green practices, examined the relationships between these variables, and identified which dimensions of indigenous knowledge significantly predicted green practices. A quantitative cross-sectional correlational-predictive design was used. A researcher-developed questionnaire, reviewed by experts and pilot-tested, was administered to 372 college students enrolled in a local government-run higher education institution during the first semester of Academic Year 2025–2026 through total enumeration. Data were analyzed using means, standard deviations, Pearson product-moment correlation, and multiple linear regression. Students reported high levels of indigenous knowledge (M = 3.67, SD = 0.52) and green practices (M = 3.96, SD = 0.71). Indigenous Governance and Knowledge Transfer had the strongest overall correlation with green practices (r = .81) and was the only significant unique predictor in the reported regression model (coefficient = .56, t = 4.04, p < .001). The full model’s adjusted R² was .68. These findings indicate that indigenous knowledge, particularly communal governance and intergenerational knowledge transmission, is associated with environmentally responsible behavior. Sustainability education may be strengthened through respectful, community-engaged integration of indigenous governance, collective responsibility, and knowledge-transfer practices.
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