Exploring Malaysian University Students’ Awareness of Green Computing

Abstract

This study explored Malaysian university
students’ awareness of green computing in two aspects, i.e.
vocabulary and issues, and sought to ascertain whether these two
aspects were influenced by gender and field of study (ICT versus
non-ICT). A total of 224 university students from ICT- and non-
ICT related fields participated in the survey. Students filled out a
green computing questionnaire with 21 items measuring
awareness of vocabulary and issues. Descriptive statistics,
independent-samples t-test and Principal Components Analysis
(PCA) were used to analyze the data. Results show that a
majority of students lacked awareness of terms, ideas and issues
central to green computing, such as E-PEAT, Energy Star, green
PC, Malaysia Green Technology Policy, e-waste, and carbon-free
computing. The PCA analysis extracted two factors, named
Environmental Protection and Nature of Computers, that could
be used to explain students’ lack of familiarity with green ICT.
Field of study was shown to impact awareness in all the aspects
measured in favor of students educated in ICT-related fields, but
the findings produced mixed gender effects. The results indicate
the need for green computing education to be integrated into
higher education curriculum and for university-led green
initiatives to be implemented on Malaysian university campuses
to increase awareness in the subject matter.