Environmental action and student environmental leaders: exploring the influence of environmental attitudes,locus of control,and sense of personal responsibility

The Student Climate and Conservation Congress (SC3) is a joint educational effort between the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Green Schools Alliance that aims to develop the next generation of conservation leaders through fostering action competence in youth. Data from SC3 participants was used to investigate four predictors of adult environmental behavior (environmental attitudes, locus of control, sense of personal responsibility, intention) to explore their predictability of environmental action and intention toward future involvement in environmental action in student environmental leaders. Of the four variables explored, pre-program levels of environmental attitudes was a significant predictor of environmental action. Additionally, changes in levels of environmental attitudes significantly predicted environmental action, with an increase in environmental attitudes being associated with a decrease in environmental action. Pre-program levels of environmental attitudes and sense of personal responsibility, and an interaction between the two, potentially were predictors of intention toward future involvement in environmental action. Changes in pre- and post-program levels of environmental attitudes, locus of control, and sense of personal responsibility did not significantly predict intention toward future involvement in environmental action, nor did environmental action. Implications for programming and research, in light of the study’s limitations, are discussed.     

Caring about tomorrow: future orientation,environmental attitudes and behaviors

Almost any pro-environmental behavior arouses a temporal conflict, as protecting long-term interests requires the sacrifice of short-term ones. Similarly, many health promoting behaviors may involve present discomfort for the sake of future well-being. In both contexts, health or environmental, developed future orientation (FO) is required to succeed in achieving long-term goals. This study examined FO, measured by Zimbardo's time perspective inventory (ZTPI), in both contexts in a sample of 333 Israeli undergraduate students. FO correlated positively with health concern and behavior. In the environmental context, the results were different. Highly future-oriented (according to ZTPI) respondents did not express stronger pro-environmental attitudes, and their willingness to sacrifice for the sake of the environment was significantly lower. They adopted pro-environmental behavior only if it coincided with their personal benefit. The study suggests that the future of the environment may not be perceived in the same way as people's personal future health. The implications for environmental education and communication are discussed.     

试探庄子与梭罗自然观的异同

庄子认为“自然”是事物的本真状态,而梭罗所说的“自然”是荒野的大自然;庄子强调人的个体存在,而梭罗强调人对自然的依赖。但二者在对人和自然的关系的看法上却是内在一致的,具有惊人的相似。他们都对生命对人类的生存走向表示特别的关注,都认为人与自然能和谐相处,都主张人类应从人为存在回到自然存在。     

Sustainability education in a botanical garden promotes environmental knowledge,attitudes and willingness to act

Abstract

Creating behavior change to mobilize transitions toward sustainability is a significant challenge of our time. Inspired by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s Farmer Field School, we developed a novel community-based education program to engage people in local sustainability topics. In the Sustainable Communities Field School (Field School) program, advertised as team building tours, participants from local organizations are guided by instructors through University of British Columbia Botanical Garden, while receiving verbal and experiential education on topics of food systems and choices, biodiversity conservation, water conservation, and waste reduction. We found that after the Field School program, participants were significantly more knowledgeable about environmental issues, more connected to nature, showed greater intentions and willingness to engage in sustainability actions compared to garden visitors from the general public who did not go through the program. The results suggest that interactive sustainability education in a botanical garden setting can be a useful education model to mobilize public engagement on sustainability.     

The influence of the family,the school,and the group on the environmental attitudes of European students

The attitudes of young people arise from an intense interaction with their social groups of reference, and in this work we examine the extent to which this background conditions the individual environmental attitudes of the young. Using data provided by the PISA 2006 survey for the European Union, we test for the influence of the family, the characteristics of the school, and the social interactions or school peer group on attitudes toward the environment. The existence of social interactions, as well as the important role of family characteristics and school activities, are confirmed. The results allow us to emphasize the importance of the social context of the adolescent, and the need to take this into account as a channel that amplifies the influence of specific environmental education strategies.     

The development of attitudes and social characteristics of students attending predominantly black colleges: A longitudinal study

The study was designed to assess the development of Family Independence (FI), Peer Independence (PI), Liberalism (L), Social Conscience (SC), and Cultural Sophistication (CS) among students attending three predominantly black colleges. Responses to the Attitudes section of the College Student Questionnaires were obtained from 334 students when they were entering freshmen, end-of-year freshmen, and graduating seniors. The data were analyzed with a repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance design. College, Sex, and Time were the independent variables, and the five attitude scales were the dependent variables. The tests for the main effects of time revealed overall gains on all five scales. A significant Sex × Time interaction indicated that PI scores for males increased, while females' PI scores decreased, during the freshman year; the females' PI scores increased during the subsequent three year period. Significant College × Time interactions were found for FI and CS. College × Sex × Time interactions were significant for L and CS. The results indicated that students who attended these predominantly black colleges developed greater self-reliance and autonomy and broadened interests in political, social, and cultural affairs. The extent of change in these attitudes varied, however, according to the college attended and/or sex of the student.     

Marine environmental protection knowledge,attitudes, behaviors,and curricular involvement of Taiwanese primary school students in senior grades

In recent years, rapid changes in the Earth's climate and environment have influenced our lives greatly. The ocean occupies 70% of the Earth's surface and is intimately related to the regulation of climate, fostering of life, and also to social economy, as well as sports and leisure. Students in the senior years of primary education are in a phase of developing value systems. Concurrently, these students are also constantly using the Earth's resources. More importantly, they will play leading roles in the next generation. From the perspective of education, the learning status of student's cognition, attitudes, and behaviors regarding protection of the marine environment must be understood more clearly to avoid future mismanagement of marine environmental problems on the part of these students. Hence, this study uses correlative, regressive, and path statistical analysis to examine data collected from questionnaires. Results show that student knowledge of and attitudes toward marine environmental protection do not have significant influences on behaviors; however, student's marine environmental protection knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors are all within the medium to high range. Because of relatively low student curricular involvement, and because involvement has no correlation with knowledge performance, this study infers that school curricula are not the main sources of student information and attitudes regarding marine environmental protection. Rather, building student attitudes toward marine environmental protection by increasing their involvement in field trips indirectly influences behaviors that are protective of the marine environment. Such an approach is comparatively more effective and can serve as a reference for modifying the implementation methods of marine protection curricula.     

Personal values and attitudes towards societal and environmental accountability: a study of MBA students

Efforts to promote corporate societal and environmental accountability (SEA) should be informed by an understanding of stakeholders’ attitudes toward enhanced accountability standards. However, little is known regarding current attitudes on this subject or the determinants of these attitudes. To address this issue, this study examines the relationship between personal values and support for social and environmental accountability for a sample of Indian MBA students. Selected contemporary social and environmental issues were used to assess the students’ support for social and environmental accountability. Principal component analysis was used to explore the underlying dimensions or factors that shape social and environmental beliefs and attitudes. Multiple regression models were run for each of the SEA dimensions to test the hypotheses and the relationship between the values and support for SEA. Exploratory factor analysis of the items revealed two distinct factors: (1) endorsement of the general proposition that corporations and executives should be held accountable for the social and environmental impacts of their actions and (2) agreement that the government should adopt and enforce formal SEA standards. The results indicate that the security and universalism value type is positively associated with general support for SEA but not with support for government enforcement of accountability standards. The study found that the benevolence value type is negatively associated with general support for SEA. Gender also has a significant impact on support for government enforcement of SEA standards.     

Conceptual and procedural approaches to mathematics in the engineering curriculum: views of qualified engineers*

The research interest underpinning this paper concerns the type of mathematical knowledge engineering students may acquire during their specialised education in terms of the conceptual and procedural dimensions of doing and using mathematics. This study draws on interviews with 25 qualified engineers from South Africa and Sweden regarding their views on the role of mathematics in engineering education, with special focus on the conceptual and procedural aspects of mathematical knowledge. A thematic analysis of the interview data led to the identification of two main themes. According to the conceptual view a predominantly conceptual approach is needed and valued more than procedural skills, while the balanced view emphasises a balance of conceptual understanding and procedural fluency as well as links between them. It is suggested that the mathematical education of engineers would need to be more conceptually oriented to prepare for the demands at the workplace.     

Potential conflicts between ownership rights and environmental protection: Swedish undergraduate students’ views

Abstract

This study examines the perspectives of Swedish undergraduate students regarding potential conflicts between ownership rights and environmental protection. Conceptions of ‘ownership’ are relevant in relation to the environment and environmental protection as they can highlight a more transboundary relationship between the individual/society and nature. Students studying economics, law and political science were chosen because of their potential future transformative roles as decision makers and policy makers. Content analysis was employed to examine the written responses of 747 students from seven different universities to the open-ended survey question: Can ownership rights and environmental protection come into conflict? Students’ responses were measured twice: at the very beginning of the first semester and then again at the end of the semester. The results show that students expressed a dominant view of ownership in terms of individual ownership, and associations to collective ownership were largely absent. In regards to the potential conflict between ownership rights and environmental protection, most students perceived such a conflict, and it was more common for the environment to be conceptualised as the losing party rather than the landowner. More research is needed regarding how teaching and instruction can deal with the potential conflicts between ownership (private/corporate/governmental) and environmental protection.     

Development and validation of scales to measure environmental responsibility,character development,and attitudes toward school

This investigation examines the use of structural equation modeling (SEM) procedures to develop and validate scales to measure environmental responsibility, character development and leadership, and attitudes toward school for environmental education programs servicing middle school children. The scales represent outcomes commonly of interest to environmental education programs and also to after‐school and positive youth development activities. First, we developed the scales using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and then we used multi‐group longitudinal CFA to cross‐validate the model with data collected before participation in the environmental education program, immediately after the program, and three months later. The results support a three‐factor model, producing three scales that appear to be valid and reliable.     

Ethnography and environmental education: understanding the relationships between schools and communities in Costa Rica

Environmental education has been at the centre of international and national policies of sustainable development for the last several decades, and has stimulated debate regarding both its inclusion in curricula and proposed methods for its implementation. Research has given critical attention to diverse theories and practices of environmental education, but has tended to take a narrow methodological focus on specific curricula and policies or on activities within strictly delineated sites such as classrooms or natural areas. In contrast, this research is based on anthropological fieldwork conducted in a rural community in Costa Rica, and argues that using a wider ethnographic approach allows for a fuller exploration of the ways in which environmental education programming is negotiated and practised.     

中小学生课外获得环境知识的不同渠道与其环境意识的关联程度

调查计算表明,中小学生课外主要从"环境保护宣传活动"和"广播电视"中获得环境知识的学生在环境意识的各个部分与综合表现明显高于其它渠道,可以认为,"环境保护宣传活动"和"广播电视"是课外提高中小学生环境意识的有效方式.     

Biotechnology learning in Slovenian upper-secondary education: gaining knowledge and forming attitudes

Purpose: One area of science that will increasingly influence our society is biotechnology. An increasing number of modern biotechnological applications have provoked consideration of the ethical and social issues; therefore, it is important that the public is well-informed about them. Formal education in upper-secondary schools should help students to become biotechnologically literate citizens. There is little published research data on Slovenian high-school students’ knowledge about and attitudes towards biotechnology, as well a lack of curriculum evaluation data.

Methodology: This study combines two research approaches. The first part is content analysis of current upper-secondary education programmes in Slovenia, in which all curricula were reviewed about 15 selected biotechnological topics. The second part of the research focused on assessing students’ knowledge of traditional and modern biotechnology and exploring their attitudes towards modern biotechnological methods and their products. The sample included 1163 students aged 17–18 from three different types of schools located in 12 different regions of Slovenia. A questionnaire to measure knowledge and attitudes was designed.

Results: The research results revealed that selected biotechnological concepts appeared most frequently in the curri- cula of bio-technical gymnasia. These students also showed the 30 highest level of knowledge and the most positive attitudes. Furthermore, a clear correlation between students’ knowledge of and attitudes towards modern biotechnology was found. On the other hand, no significant differences in attitudes to the state- ments, which dealt with ethics, were found among the students 35 involved in the research.

Conclusion: Biotechnology teaching in upper-secondary education in Slovenia is obviously very diverse and dependent on the programme.     

Responding to teacher shortages: relationships among mobility experiences,attitudes, and intentions of Dutch teachers

From all over the world there have been calls from governmental institutions to address a shortage of high quality teachers. As changing jobs generates new experiences, job mobility could be a way for teachers to adhere to the government’s call to develop themselves into the teaching force needed. The research question of this study was: How do the experience with mobility and the attitude towards mobility of Dutch secondary school teachers shape their intentions to be mobile? A secondary analysis was conducted on data collected among 1261 respondents. Attitudes towards mobility were found to be linked to past experience with mobility and there is a strong relationship between the attitude towards mobility and the intention to be mobile. The control variables age, experience in teaching, and type of employment seem to have an effect as well. Implications for the teacher shortage issue are discussed.     

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.     

Effects of vicarious experiences of nature,environmental attitudes,and outdoor recreation benefits on support for increased funding allocations

ABSTRACT

This study examined the effects of vicarious experiences of nature, environmental attitudes, and recreation benefits sought by participants on their support for funding of natural resources and alternative energy options. Using a national scenic trail user survey, results demonstrated that vicarious experiences of nature influenced environmental attitudes and experiential benefits. Support for increased funding allocations was directly influenced by both attitudes and experiential benefits, though attitude was a stronger predictor than benefits. Vicarious educational experiences and funding support were not directly related, but the relationship was mediated via both attitudes and recreation benefits.     

The Environmental Action and Philosophy Matrix: An Exploratory Study of the Environmental Attitudes of Recreation Management and Environmental Studies Students

This study is a comparative analysis of the environmental philosophies of college undergraduates enrolled in a Midwestern university. Two courses were used for the research, one from a recreation management curriculum and the other from environmental studies. The study utilized a survey instrument called the Environmental Action and Philosophy Matrix to determine the extent to which students’ environmental attitudes are based on scientific or religious rationale, as well as anthropocentric or biocentric perspectives. Findings show students to possess scientific underpinnings for their viewpoints, regardless of anthropocentric or biocentric tendencies. In addition, the environmental studies students displayed more biocentric attitudes than the recreation management students.     

Youth in a global world: attitudes towards globalization and global citizenship among university students in Hong Kong

Despite the wealth of theoretical literature on globalization and global citizenship, empirical studies on the topic are lacking, especially in the context of pedagogical needs in relation to global citizenship education. In order to address this gap, a study was conducted in Hong Kong to investigate the attitudes of university students towards various dimensions of globalization and global citizenship. The initial results indicate that Hong Kong university students are generally quite aware of globalization's impact on the economy and personal consumption choices and that while there is considerable apathy towards international affairs, there is also a great interest in cross-cultural service learning opportunities that is not being met by the available programmes. Moreover, this study finds almost no association between age, gender, and religion and any of the measured dependent variables on attitudes towards globalization and global citizenship, the only exception being the factor of past intercultural experiences, where a significant difference in measured attitudes was found between respondents who had and respondents who had not participated in such experiences before. Explanations of the findings and the implications of findings for policy and future research are discussed.