Attitudes of university students towards environmental responsibility (original) (raw)
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Revista de Humanidades
This article forms part of a Teaching Innovation Project subsidised by the Directorate General of Training and Innovation and the Vice-Rectorate for Culture and Social Commitment of the Pablo de Olavide University (UPO) in collaboration with all the Andalusian Universities. Our work is performed at the UPO and recipients will be first-year students of a core subject of the Degree in Environmental Sciences and the third-year students of the Degree in Social Education. Our purpose is to analyse the knowledge of university students with respect to the Environment and Environmental Education to find out their behaviour and the actions they would take to improve the environment around them. This is all for the purpose of developing an Environmental Education according to the findings obtained and to reinforce the teaching work in university classrooms.
Revista Latinoamericana de Psicología, 2013
Abstract Encouraging the adoption of a pro-environmental behavior is critical in order to reduce the environmental impacts and to move toward a more sustainable future. Higher education plays an important role in training professionals who have an important role in protecting the environment in the future. e aim of this study is to identify whether there are significant differences between college students depending on their diploma of specialization, related to the environment or not, the year in which they are studying and gender. e sample consisted of 383 engineering students in first, third and sixth year, with two instruments designed to measure environmental attitudes and behaviors. Significant differences were found between students pursuing diplomas related to the environment and those who are not. Otherwise, no significant differences were observed between students enrolled in different levels. Perceived effort, positive environmental attitude or perceived positive consequents predict the frequency of pro-environmental behaviors in students, the former (perceived effort, negative) being the most influential variable. Key words: environmental attitudes, environmental behavior, environmental education, college students Resumen Alentar la adopción de comportamientos pro-ambientales es crítico para reducir impactos ambientales y encaminarse hacia un futuro sustentable. La educación superior es relevante para la formación de profesionales que jugarán un rol central en la protección del ambiente. El propósito del presente estudio es identificar si hay diferencias en comportamientos pro-ambientales entre los estudiantes universitarios dependiendo de su diploma de especialización (si ambiental o no), nivel de estudios y género. La muestra incluye a 383 estudiantes de ingeniería que cursan 1, 3 y 6 año, quienes respondieron instrumentos para medir actitudes y comportamientos pro-ambientales. Se observan diferencias significativas entre quienes cursan diplomas de especialización de tipo ambiental respecto de los otros. No hay diferencias según el año o nivel de estudios. El esfuerzo percibido para la realización de comportamientos pro-ambientales, las actitudes pro-ambientales positivas y la percepción de consecuencias positivas por la realización de aquellos, predicen la realización de comportamientos pro-ambientales, donde el esfuerzo percibido es la variable de mayor influencia. Palabras clave: actitudes ambientales, comportamiento pro-ambiental, educación ambiental, estudiantes universitarios
Environment and environmental awareness: how university students conceive and act
Acta Scientiarum. Biological Sciences, 2011
This exploratory study had the objective of analyzing issues concerning environmental themes among students coming from four different areas of knowledge, at a public university in the State of Minas Gerais. By the use of drawings, the students' environmental concepts were identified. Global environmental and campus problems, as well as actions towards minimizing them, were investigated by using an open questionnaire. Independent of their performing area, a high number of students presented a reductionist view of the environment. Those from the areas related to natural sciences identified a higher number of problems at local and global levels than those from the areas known as humanities and math. The obtained data suggest the need for environmental education programs, which angle for greater student awareness in the search for sustainability and foster them to think about the current social model that we live in.
Investigation of the Environmental Attitudes and Approaches of University Students’
The purpose of this study is to determine university students' approach to environment and nature, and their awareness of environmental protection. For this purpose, a survey with sample of 12% applied to the students of the Faculty of Architecture, Gazi University. Approaches and attitudes of students evaluated according to variables of age, gender and their attended programs and grades within the scope of protection of the environment, human-environment-nature relationship, the use of natural resources, environmental issues, economic growth and industrialization issues. Descriptive statistics and quantitative methods were used in the process of analysis and evaluation of the data collected. In the conclusion of study, It has been determined that students participated to this study are indecisive about environmentalist and nature-centered approaches. Students were also found to be indecisive about sensitivity related to environment, nature and environmental issues, in taking individual responsibility and changing their attitudes and behaviors. When approaches and sensitivities of students analyzed according to their gender; sensitivities of girl students were higher, and according to their department; sensitivities of students at the department of urban and regional planning were found to be higher. There is no significant relationship found between the environmental awareness of students and courses taken by these students about ecology and the environment.
Sustainability
The university is an essential participant in education, a key place where societal change processes are developed. So, it must be a place to bring up current challenges and social requirements. That is the reason why it holds the responsibility to assure the creation of knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values in the students to achieve an effective solution to environmental issues. The objective of this research was the assessment of the attitudes, knowledge, and pro-environmental behavior in university students from different faculties, studies, and degrees, as well as their influence in this group. The results show that most of the students have previous concepts of environment, and they consider that a good environmental education is necessary to solve the environmental issues that they have around. This proves that key factors in attitudes become essential elements for changing them. The differences made by gender and studies in several fields in attitudes (cognitive and emoti...
Investigation of the Environmental Attitudes and Approaches University Students’
The purpose of this study is to determine university students' approach to environment and nature, and their awareness of environmental protection. For this purpose, a survey with sample of 12% applied to the students of the Faculty of Architecture, Gazi University. Approaches and attitudes of students evaluated according to variables of age, gender and their attended programs and grades within the scope of protection of the environment, human-environment-nature relationship, the use of natural resources, environmental issues, economic growth and industrialization issues. Descriptive statistics and quantitative methods were used in the process of analysis and evaluation of the data collected. In the conclusion of study, It has been determined that students participated to this study are indecisive about environmentalist and nature-centered approaches. Students were also found to be indecisive about sensitivity related to environment, nature and environmental issues, in taking individual responsibility and changing their attitudes and behaviors. When approaches and sensitivities of students analyzed according to their gender; sensitivities of girl students were higher, and according to their department; sensitivities of students at the department of urban and regional planning were found to be higher. There is no significant relationship found between the environmental awareness of students and courses taken by these students about ecology and the environment.
To the environmental responsibility among students through
Abstract This research explores interconnection between environmental values and environmental responsibility among young people. Basic question of this study was whether and to which degree the environmental values influence the development of the environmental responsibility? By answering on this question, we want to provide guidelines for educational activities in schools which aim to develop environmental awareness among the young people of Serbia. The survey covered a sample of 252 students from primary and secondary government schools from Belgrade. Students were tested on a five point Likert type scales which examined environmental responsibility and environmental values. To assess the reliability and validity of the scales standard statistical procedures were used. The results of our study confirmed positive linear dependence between environmental values and environmental responsibility. On the basis of students’ environmental values 48% of their environmental responsibility can be predicted On the basis of our results, it is possible to conclude that students who believe that efficient functioning of society and the survival of life on the Earth is unimaginable without environmental protection, display desirable attitudes towards environmental responsibility. The obtained results may help to identify future directions of formal education activities regarding the improvement of personal environmental responsibility among young people.
Environmental values and education in Spanish universities: a questionnaire validation
Purpose-To protect the environment and society, research on responsible behavior and personal values has increased. Values have been identified as important for understanding and predicting environmental preservation behaviors. The purpose of this study is to analyze the validity and reliability of the Environmental Portrait Value Questionnaire in the Spanish context. Design/methodology/approach-The new version of this questionnaire was administered to 742 university students (46.4% male and 53.6% female) from 16 regions in Spain. Findings-The results of adapting and testing the instrument's psychometric properties were consistent with accepted criteria for validity and reliability. Therefore, this updated and contextualized instrument has the potential to contribute to academic advances in the sense of expanding the empirical practice of studying environmental values. Fifteen items from the original version were retained, grouped into four factors as in the original version: Altruistic-five items; Egoisticfour items; Biosphericthree items; and Hedonicthree items. The final version showed adequate fit indices and reliability measures. Originality/value-This instrument is a powerful resource for the Spanish academic community because using this application it will be possible to assess the degree of commitment of young adults to the goals of sustainability and environmental protection.
Developing students' environmental attitude is being given more and more emphasis related to all generations. It was done the changes in secondary school students' environmental attitudes using the big project " Our Environment in the 21st century ". In my study my aim was to find answers to the question what effects the subprojects in the field of the environment have on shaping students' ecologically caring attitudes. There were ten sub-projects within the great project, with an environmental issue in the centre of each, such as air and soil pollution. At the beginning and end of the 12-month project the students were asked to fill in a 36-item questionnaire on attitudes. The questions belonged to one of three groups and twelve blocks. Evaluation of the answers led me to conclude that there were significant differences in several of the experimental blocks compared with the control group. As well as the control groups saw a positive change. Among the three components (emotional, behavioral, environmental) the highest means were measured in emotions, and the lowest in behaviours. Significant difference (p˂0.05) was observed in two cases in the experimental group. The data also shed light on the fact that students' long-term development in environmental awareness requires longer developing work.