Examining the Causal Relationships Among Selected Antecedents of Responsible Environmental Behavior

Abstract

Attitude models have been widely applied to natural resource management to ensure responsible environmental behavior. For a variety of applications, the causality among selected antecedents, such as knowledge of environmental issues, locus of control, attitude, personal responsibility, and intention to act on responsible environmental behavior has not yet been tested empirically. A hypothesized causal model based on Hine's (1986) model on responsible environmental behavior was developed. The data from 523 visitors to the urban forest trail in the Kwang-Reung Arboretum, Korea, during September 1995 were used for testing the suggested causal model. Path analysis using the LISREL program tested the model fit and statistical effects of variables. In terms of the effects on intention to act, locus of control and attitude are more important than knowledge and personal responsibility. Our findings suggest that in order to enhance responsible environmental behavior, environmental education and interpretation systems need to focus on changing the internal locus of control. Several recommendations, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.     

Outdoor Education,Dayton Style

Abstract

The authors assessed the effects of an extended case study that focused on wetland issues with 7th and 8th graders. The extended case study is an instructional method that incorporates the issue investigation-evaluation and action training model. A modified pretest-posttest nonequivalent control group design was used with 15 intact classes from Illinois and Missouri. Posttest data were collected on the following variables: overt environmental behavior, knowledge of ecological foundations, individual locus of control, group locus of control, knowledge of citizenship action skills, and perceived skill in use of citizenship action skills.     

To shine or not to shine? – The relationship between environmental knowledge of preteens and their choice among plastic and non-plastic materials for a manual task

Abstract

Since education aims to offer applicable knowledge, studying knowledge–behavior relationship is of key importance in promoting environmental education. But there is scarcity of studies addressing the relationship between knowledge and real behavior choices. We examined the connection between environmental knowledge and behavior (self-reported and measured in an operative way) among 10-12-year-old students, with special focus on the potential mediating role of attitudes. The main research question was whether knowledge (measured with an achievement test) correlates with actual environmental behavior, and how mental accessibility of environmentalism is related to the relationship between knowledge and actual behavior (i.e. choosing a material for completing a manual task). The study with 325 persons revealed that although the positive connection between knowledge and self-reported behavior was fully mediated by environmental attitudes, knowledge was just slightly related to actual behavior, even when the topic of environmentalism appeared before the behavior choice. However, behavior was related to school, suggesting that school-level socialization (beyond the knowledge transfer) is highly influential in forming environmental behavior. The difficulties of studying actual behavior and implications of our findings for practitioners from the field of environmental education are discussed.     

Development of a Metric to Test Group Differences in Ecological Knowledge as One Component of Environmental Literacy

Abstract

Environmental literacy has been defined in numerous ways and attempts have been made to measure how environmentally literate people are. Many attempts to measure literacy have instead measured people's knowledge about pollution and their attitudes toward the environment. According to many environmental education experts, knowledge and attitudes are important components of environmental literacy, especially if the goal of environmental education is to change behavior. However, the experts also indicate that, to change an individual's behavior, knowledge about the environment must be associated with environmental sensitivity, personal beliefs, and decisionmaking and problem-solving skills. The research presented in this article contributes to environmental literacy research by offering a tested, valid survey instrument to measure ecological knowledge—one component of environmental literacy. In this article, we provide an example of how this instrument can be applied by comparing knowledge levels among diverse groups of Ohio citizens.     

A Proposed Framework for Facilitating Social and Environmental Responsibility in Life Orientation through Environmental Education in the South African Context

Abstract

Life Orientation (LO) is judged by the Department of Basic Education to be critical for the development of social and environmental responsible behaviour among South African schoolchildren. Despite this crucial role, the research revealed that the participants in the study reported on do not succeed as expected with the fostering of competencies regarding social and environmental responsible knowledge, values and skills, as required by the South African Curriculum and Policy Assessment Statement. The research findings as obtained through structured classroom observations and semi-structured interviews and reported here, inspired the researchers to develop a generic and holistic framework which can assist LO teachers with the facilitation of social and environmental responsible knowledge, values and skills in a more positive and learner-centred way through environmental education.     

Environment and Public Opinion

Abstract

Initiated by recommendations in the reports of the study groups that examined the status of science education in the United States early in this decade, science-technology-society (STS) education has become accepted as a viable part of the school science curriculum. The social responsibility perspective on STS education that was embodied in those recommendations has become the most widely accepted. Approached from a social responsibility perspective, the goal of STS education is to help students develop the knowledge, skills, and affective qualities to take responsible action on the myriad of STS issues facing humankind. That goal is congruent with the superordinate goal of EE. Given the parallel and the lack of a body of research in STS education, recent EE research on responsible environmental behavior was used to generate a goal structure for STS education that is similar to one prepared for EE by Hungerford et al. in 1980. The STS goal structure is further explicated in a set of fifty-three learner competencies.     

Action research – conceptual distinctions and confronting the theory–practice divide in Lesson and Learning Studies

ABSTRACT

The first part of the paper positions the action research movement in the context of other research and development concepts and describes its rationale and some basic quality criteria. Action research is regarded as an umbrella term defined by two generic characteristics: substantial practitioner control of both the practice situation investigated and the research process. These characteristics leave space for considerable variation of action research approaches, depending on the values the two defining criteria take. Selected approaches are described. In the second part, two far-eastern examples of action research are selected that are rapidly gaining ground in western countries: Lesson and Learning Studies. They appear to have potential to not only provide access to practical, mostly tacit routines but to also contribute to reconverting informed knowledge into practical knowledge. A shared characteristic of Lesson and Learning Studies, the iteration of cycles of action and reflection, could be, among other factors, responsible for this transformation. The possible contribution of this feature to overcome the theory–practice divide is discussed.     

Identifying Needs,Obstacles, and Solutions

Abstract

Residential environmental education camps provide a setting that can result in beneficial changes in participants' self-esteem, interpersonal relationships, and feelings of connection with the natural world, as well as stimulating greater interest in future low-impact recreation experiences in natural areas. When students learn how ecosystems function and about environmental action strategies that contribute to their maintenance, they develop more environmentally responsible behaviors. Wolf Creek Nature Camp is an environmental education program that integrates awareness of the natural environment, knowledge of environmental concepts and issues, and action on environmental problems. The 2-week program raises campers' self-esteem; increases their interest in, and curiosity about, nature, and fosters outdoor skills. Enhanced self-esteem is a major influence on their desire to take further environmental action.     

Looking Backward at Science Writing

Abstract

Different environmental education programs (field trips, hiking, camps, adventure activities) aim to develop pupils' affective relationship to the natural environment, their environmental sensitivity, and outdoor behavior, as well as their social relationships, through personal experiences. This study discusses the results of experiences from outdoor activities involving 11- and 12-year-old pupils in Rovaniemi and Vaasa, Finland. The qualitative research methods comprised case studies involving questionnaires, individual interviews, drawings, photographs of landscapes, and participant observations during camps. Nature experiences developed the pupils' self-confidence and feelings of safety, in particular, which in turn increased their willingness to participate in future outdoor activities. In this way, nature began to have new meanings for them on a personal level. Comparing pupils who were experienced in outdoor activities with pupils who were not, it was found that the former seemed to have a strong and clearly definable empathic relationship to nature. They also exhibited better social behavior and higher moral judgements. The reasons for conflicts between environmental attitudes and action, still observable in some experienced boys of the Vaasa group, are discussed in terms of conscious vs. unconscious action and applied knowledge. The role and possibilities of outdoor education in environmental education and natural studies are emphasized for schools as well as for teacher education.     

Effects of Computer Application on Elementary Schook Student's Achievement: A Meta-Analysis of Students in Taiwan

ABSTRACT

A meta-analysis was performed to synthesize existing research comparing the effects of computer applications (i.e., computer-assisted instruction, computer simulations, and Web-based learning) versus traditional instruction on elementary school students' achievement in Taiwan. Forty-eight studies were located from four sources, and their quantitative data were transformed into Effect Size (ES). The overall grand mean of the study-weighted ES for all 48 studies was 0.449. The results suggest that computer application instruction is more effective than traditional instruction for elementary school students in Taiwan. However, none of the 14 individual variables, conjectured to be related to achievement, had a statistically significant impact on the mean ES.     

Environmental literacy and nature experience in Chengdu,China

Abstract

This research investigated environmental literacy and nature experience among 1433 children and adults in Chengdu, China. Utilizing a standard measure of environmental literacy modified to be culture- and age-appropriate, we found almost universal agreement that nature should be protected. Although our results showed that older groups were less likely to enjoy experiences in nature compared to the younger ones, this was not reflected in a reduced appreciation for nature, which was high in all age groups. Within each category of student, age was associated with increased knowledge but decreased enjoyment of nature experiences and environmental concern. In contrast, among the adult residents, increasing age was associated with less objective knowledge but with more liking and concern about nature. Based on these results, we provide recommendations for environmental education that incorporates time in nature in order to foster environmental concern and behavior as well as knowledge.     

Environmental education in transition: A critical review of recent research on climate change and energy education

Abstract

The transition from centralized energy systems based on fossil fuels to renewable-based systems is a macro-level societal shift necessitated by climate change. This review of recent environmental education (EE) research identifies gaps and opportunities for promoting environmental action in this new context. We found that environmental educators and researchers are currently focused on researching and promoting energy conservation behavior with an emphasis on children and youth. We also found an emerging research focus on energy transitions at the regional and national levels. We recommend that environmental educators and researchers adopt a vision and strategy for climate change and energy education that more explicitly addresses the role of collective action, multiactor networks, and sociotechnical innovation in shaping energy transition processes.     

Project R.A.C.E.

Abstract

Learning by doing may not be the most effective strategy for teaching environmental problem-solving skills. A survey of Michigan educators indicates that of the teaching strategies listed, case studies and talking about what others do to solve environmental problems are the most important. The implications of building familiarity with environmental issues and solutions from a variety of examples are discussed, and an explanation for the reported low success of classroom action projects is presented.     

The practice of Action Research on health in Latin America: a systematic review

ABSTRACT

Action research is an important methodology that promotes participatory processes in the community, enhancing community networks and empowering people to define their own health and generate actions. Here, we performed a systematic review using the Scopus, Web of Science (WoS) and SciELO databases to identify the studies carried out on health in Latin America under the category ‘Action Research’. The search terms used were ‘Action Research’, ‘Health’ and ‘Latin America’. We identified the following three areas of particular relevance: (a) action research is a necessary strategy to make health actions more efficient by adapting institutional actions to specific realities; (b) action research can increase the visibility of excluded groups and demonstrates the importance of being heard; and (c) action research can promote community empowerment by considering community members as knowledge agents who can transform their own reality. We report that action research processes which highlight the emancipatory and democratizing potential of community participation are subject to controversy regarding the production of and access to knowledge and the issues related to health. However, action research is not usually used in the development and implementation of institutional health interventions.     

Tallebudgera: A First Experience in Environmental Education

Abstract

The environment as an issue has been prominently before the public for almost two decades. Yet the question of how much the public knows about their environment or about environmental issues has seldom been considered in the research literature. Using data from a statewide survey, this paper examines the general level of public environmental knowledge and analyzes the sociodemographic characteristics correlated with such knowledge. The results indicate that public environmental knowledge remains painfully low, and that the major correlates of environmental knowledge are education, income, and sex. The need for the development of environmental knowledge scales that can be applied across a variety of research is discussed.     

An Assessment of Environmental Literacy and Analysis of Predictors of Responsible Environmental Behaviour Held by Secondary Teachers in the Hualien Area of Taiwan

This study assessed teachers' environmental literacy and analysed predictors of teachers' responsible environmental behaviour (REB). A nine page instrument was administered by mailed questionnaire to 300 randomly selected secondary teachers in the Hualien area of Taiwan with a 52.3% effective response rate. As a result of stepwise multiple regression analyses, the most parsimonious set of predictors of REB for all teachers included: perceived knowledge of environmental action strategies (KNOW), intention to act, area of residence and perceived skill in using environmental action strategies (SKILL, total r² = 0.3867). For urban teachers, the most parsimonious set of predictors included: intention to act, SKILL, major sources of environmental information and membership in environmental organisations (total r² = 0.4711). For rural teachers, the most parsimonious set of predictors included: KNOW, intention to act and perceived knowledge of environmental problems and issues (total r² = 0.3200). Implications for programme development and instructional practice are presented. Recommendations for further research are also provided.     

Learning for Life: A Hermeneutical–Communicative Model for Worldview Education in Light of White Normativity

Abstract

In the project Learning for Life we developed a hermeneutical–communicative model for worldview education that answers the European challenges of worldview diversity and worldview illiteracy. We implemented the model in a participatory action research project at nine schools for primary education in the Netherlands and monitored the outcomes. A meta-analysis shows that the model can be fruitfully applied in confessional and public schools, as well as in cooperation schools, which are a merger of confessional and public schools. The model is demanding with regard to the skills and attitude of worldview teachers. We suggest improvements for two aspects of the model from the perspective of white normativity.     

Measurement of Group versus Educational Leaders’ Perception of Leadership Style and Administrative Theory Orientation

Abstract

Early studies of leadership traits proved inconclusive. More recent research has focused on behaviors and the interactions of leader traits with situational variables. Whatever the situational variables might be, however, leaders do project an image through behaviors which can be perceived by the groups they lead. In the present research it was hypothesized that educational leaders’ perceptions of their own task-human relations orientation would tend to be related to their group’s perception. It was hypothesized that the leaders’ administrative theory orientation, on the other hand, would not readily be perceived as behaviors but would nevertheless be related to their behavior. Analysis of the data from the present study supports the.se notions.     

Mindfulness-based meditation to decrease stress and anxiety in college students: A narrative synthesis of the research

ObjectiveThe primary purpose of this paper was to narratively review the research testing the effects of mindfulness meditation on stress and anxiety in the college students; reviewing the inclusion of mindfulness was a secondary purpose.MethodsA literature search resulted in 57 studies on the effectiveness of mindfulness meditation in reducing stress and anxiety in college students.ConclusionsResearchers examined anxiety in 40 studies, self-reported stress in 34, physiological stress in 11, and mindfulness in 24. Thirty-three of 40 and 25 of 34 studies showed significant decreases in anxiety and stress respectively; 22 of 24 showed an increase in mindfulness. Physiological stress had inconsistent results indicating a need for further research. Overall, mindfulness meditation shows promise in reducing stress and anxiety in college students. Additionally, there are a number of differences in mindfulness interventions including frequency, duration, instructional method, and inclusion of yoga, that need quantitative examination (meta-analysis) to determine which is most effective.     

Quality assurance,the educational standards debate,and the commodification of educational research

ABSTRACT

The idea of quality assurance dominates educational discourse at the present time. This is reflected in the emphasis placed on test and examination results, inspections and school performance indicators. It is argued in this article that this is not simply an attempt to legitimate traditional conceptions of knowledge. It is also an attempt to construct a new narrative of knowledge. School effectiveness research is an example of this as it applies a performativity criterion to educational research methodology. The article concludes by suggesting that action research may be subordinated to the logic of performativity, and as a result is less able to fulfil its proper purpose which is to create the conditions for innovative experiments in education.