From comfort to climate action: exploring sustainable ergonomic awareness among school teachers in Terengganu, Malaysia

Aim: This study explores school teachers’ awareness, perception, and practices concerning sustainable ergonomic intervention products in Terengganu, Malaysia. Given the critical role teachers play in shaping environmentally responsible behaviours and influencing institutional procurement choices, promoting sustainable ergonomic awareness among educators could catalyse broader climate action within the school environment. Methodology: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 200 randomly selected school teachers from primary and secondary schools across Terengganu. The structured questionnaire comprised three main sections: socio-demographics, work-related aspects, and ergonomic awareness, perception, and practices. Content validity was assessed by four subject-matter experts (CVI range: 0.82–1.00). Results: Results showed that while 91% of respondents had general awareness of ergonomics and 89.5% recognized its role in reducing discomfort, only 32% reported using ergonomic products regularly. Ergonomic chairs were the most known (72.5%), whereas awareness of other ergonomic tools remained low. Teachers exhibited strong positive perceptions of ergonomic and sustainable products, with mean scores between 3.95 and 4.55, particularly in preventing long-term health issues and supporting a healthy teaching environment. However, ergonomic practice adoption was moderate, suggesting a gap between awareness and consistent behavioral change. Conclusion and future work: In conclusion, despite high knowledge and favorable attitudes, sustainable ergonomic product use remains limited. Future efforts should focus on increasing institutional support, broadening access, and integrating ergonomic education into school policies. Future research should employ qualitative methods and longitudinal designs to better understand adoption dynamics and develop context-specific interventions. Key words: Ergonomics, School Teachers, Sustainability, Product Awareness, Climate Action

Slideshow 119671.pdf - Presentation Restricted to Repository staff only Download (2MB) | Request a copy

Actions (login required)

View Item