The purpose of the study was to assess 5th grade Turkish students&rsquo / environmental literacy (EL) level by considering six EL components, and explore the factors predicting the environmentally responsible behaviors (ERB) of these students. The research design of the study was nation-wide survey. The sample of the survey consisted of 2412 fifth grade students selected from 78 elementary schools (26 private and 52 public) in 26 provinces across Turkey. Developed by the researcher, Elementary School Environmental Literacy Instrument (ESELI) including five parts and total 81 items was used as data collection instrument. To analyze quantitative data, descriptive statistics, ANOVA, multiple correlation and path analysis were conducted. The responses to open-ended question were subjected to content analysis. The results of the study revealed that EL score of the students was found 149 (SD=26.19) suggesting moderate level of EL and 64.1% of the students (n=1545) had moderate level EL. The factors significantly affecting 5th grade students&rsquo / ERB and the effect size of these factors were as follows / school type (partial =.007), taking pre-school education (partial =.002), mother education level (partial =.007), father education level (partial =.012), residence (partial =.008), experiences in the natural regions (partial =.046), curiosity toward environmental information (partial =.048), mother environmental concern (partial =.023), father environmental concern (partial =.031) and sibling environmental concern (partial =.014). Furthermore, a combination of environmental knowledge, willingness to take environmental action, cognitive skills, and environmental attitude and environmental sensitivity explained 12% of the variance in ERB. As a conclusion, the results of the presents study will shed light on the attempts on policy making and curriculum development regarding environmental education.

abstract: For the last 10 years, the American Southwest has been experiencing the most persistent drought conditions on record. Based on future climactic predictions, there is a dire need to reduce water usage within Phoenix. An environmentally responsible behavior such as low water use landscaping (xeriscaping), has been shown to reduce household water consumption by 40%-70%. While much is known regarding the relationship between socio-demographics and xeriscaping choices, the influence of other variables remains to be explored. Using data from the 2017 Phoenix Area Social Survey, this study investigates the influence of two additional variables - ecological worldview and place identity on xeriscaping choice. Data was analyzed using two models - Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and Linear Probability Model (LPM). Ecological worldview and place identity, along with income, ethnicity, and gender, were all found to be positively related to xeriscape preference. Additionally, when compared to the LPM, the traditional OLS was found to still be the most robust and appropriate model when measuring landscape preference. Finally, results suggested that programs to foster identity with the local desert mountain parks may help to increase xeriscaping in the Valley and thus lower residential water use. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Community Resources and Development 2018

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I detta arbete undersöks attityder, motivation och tankar kring miljövänligt beteende på arbetsplatsen bland anställda inom skola och omsorg i tre Dalslandskommuner. Två av dessa har infört en arbetsprocess som låter de anställda, tillsammans i arbetslaget, sätta sina egna mål för miljövänliga arbetsrutiner på arbetsplatsen. Inspiration till studien kommer från Self-Determination Theory (Ryan & Deci 2000) och Value-belief-norm Theory (Stern 2000). Data samlades in och analyserades med både kvalitativa och kvantitativa metoder. Kvantitativa data från 169 frågeformulär som behandlade motivation och attityder användes främst som bakgrundsdata till fem stycken intervjuer. Resultaten visar att dessa offentliganställda är medvetna av konsekvenserna av sitt agerande. De är beredda att ta ansvar och har god motivation till att arbeta på ett ansvarsfullt sätt ur miljösynpunkt. Intervjuerna visade på en mer komplex situation där respondenterna gav uttryck för fem förutsättningar som främjar eller hindrar miljövänligt beteende. Dessa resultat diskuteras i relation till Theory of Planned Behavior (Ajzen 1991). De främsta hindren mot miljövänligt beteende upptäcktes inom faktorer som styr faktisk förmåga att utföra beteendet (Actual Behavioral Contro), och till viss mån uppfattad förmåga at utföra beteendet (Perceived Behavioral Control), som Ajzen beskriver dem i sin teori. De tydligaste var okunskap om vilka specifika ageranden man skulle företa sig, vilka ageranden som var bättre än andra, ekonomiska begränsningar och budget processer, men framför allt; fysiska faktorer som direkt hämmar beteenden.

Many designers today are creating communication materials that encourage individuals to change their behavior related to environmental issues. The problem is that people are often unaware of existing research on effective methods for these communications. For example, environmental psychologists have studied best practices for creating persuasive communications for several decades. During this yearlong master’s thesis project, I conducted my own research studies, exploring how the emotional tone and medium of a communication piece affect a person’s decision to change his or her behavior. My second goal was to connect designers to existing research in the fields of psychology, decision sciences, and persuasive technology. In the end, I created a roadmap to behavior change: a compilation of research from my own studies and existing literature. The roadmap includes observations and practical tips people can use when designing for environmental issues, as well as a set of ethical principles that should be followed when designing for behavior change. I believe that my work will help designers use communication to empower individuals with knowledge, encouraging them to begin and sustain a journey toward positive behavior change.

nÃo hà / Entende-se a EducaÃÃo Ambiental como os processos por meio dos quais os homens e a sociedade edificam valores sociais, conhecimentos, habilidades, atitudes e competÃncias voltadas para a conservaÃÃo do meio ambiente. à a partir da inserÃÃo da EducaÃÃo Ambiental no processo educativo que a construÃÃo de valores, atitudes, habilidades e competÃncias sÃo construÃdas para que o indivÃduo possa atuar de forma proativa na proteÃÃo do meio ambiente. Valores e atitudes, nesse sentido, sÃo os construtos psicolÃgicos apontados pela literatura como preditores de comportamentos. Baseado nisto, esta pesquisa visa responder ao seguinte problema de pesquisa: qual a relaÃÃo existente entre a percepÃÃo da EducaÃÃo Ambiental e os valores, as atitudes e os comportamentos ambientalmente responsÃveis dos indivÃduos de uma InstituiÃÃo PÃblica Federal de Ensino (IPFE)? Nesse sentido, este trabalho consiste em examinar as relaÃÃes existentes entre aqueles construtos psicolÃgicos e a EducaÃÃo Ambiental de alunos e servidores de uma IPFE, por meio de um questionÃrio eletrÃnico aplicado aos alunos e servidores da InstituiÃÃo. A anÃlise dos dados foi realizada atravÃs de estatÃstica descritiva, anÃlise fatorial exploratÃria e confirmatÃria, da tÃcnica de modelagem de equaÃÃes estruturais, testes t para amostras independentes, anÃlises de variÃncia e Ãrvores de regressÃo. Os resultados da pesquisa apontam para uma correlaÃÃo significativa entre a percepÃÃo da EducaÃÃo Ambiental e a maioria das dimensÃes dos construtos dos valores, atitudes e comportamentos ambientalmente responsÃveis. Os mesmos resultados ainda mostram coerÃncia entre as anÃlises fatoriais, apresentando encaixe entre a literatura e o que se pretende discutir. Esses resultados contribuem para entender o comportamento dito como ambientalmente responsÃvel dos indivÃduos de uma InstituiÃÃo PÃblica Federal de Ensino, frente à percepÃÃo que tÃm da EducaÃÃo Ambiental. Nesta pesquisa, foram encontradas, ainda, relaÃÃes significativas entre os valores, atitudes e comportamentos. A partir dos resultados apresentados nesta pesquisa, pode-se traÃar estratÃgias para o ensino, pesquisa, extensÃo, capacitaÃÃo e conscientizaÃÃo dos futuros tÃcnicos, bacharÃis e tecnÃlogos e demais envolvidos acerca da problemÃtica ambiental. Assim, este estudo contribui com a instituiÃÃo pesquisada no sentido de que, a partir dele, podem ser traÃadas metas e estratÃgias para a capacitaÃÃo em educaÃÃo e gestÃo ambiental, valorizando temas que abordem a gestÃo de resÃduos, licitaÃÃes sustentÃveis, qualidade de vida no trabalho, sensibilizaÃÃo dos alunos, capacitaÃÃo dos servidores e uso racional dos recursos. O estudo contribui para identificar quais sÃo os valores, as atitudes e os comportamentos ambientalmente responsÃveis em um ambiente organizacional de ensino, servindo como ponto de partida para elaboraÃÃo de instrumentos que permitam a compreensÃo desses construtos no Ãmbito de outras instituiÃÃes. Dentre os fatores que influenciam o comportamento ecolÃgico dos indivÃduos, a variÃvel mais importante como preditora de um comportamento ecolÃgico geral à o gÃnero

Rock climbing has become a popular adventure activity, yet it poses a threat to the environment, particularly to the rare species that inhabit the lower vegetation density of rock faces. To address this concern, effective evironmental communication is necessary to provoke environmentally responsible behavior among climbers. This study explores what the most effective form of environmental communication is, that elicits a positive response from rock climbers. Regulatory Focus Theory as well as the nature values distinction (intrinsic, instrumental, and relational) are employed to assess the effect of value-based messages on rock climbers' environmental behavior. Moreover, this research investigates how personal values of rock climbers (biospheric, altruistic, and egoistic) impact their response to messages that highlight different nature values. Environmental messaging that resonates with the personal values of rock climbers can influence their response positively. Thus, crafting messages that are aligned with the target audience's environmental dispositions is essential for effective environmental communication. While the findings did not yield definitive results, the study indicates that messages emphasizing the instrinsic value of nature coupled with prevention-oriented foucus may be more effective for rock climbers. Moreover, altruistic and biospheric values significantly moderated climbers' response to environmental messages framed with nature values. Regulatory focus was not found to significantly influence rock climbers' environmental behavior. The study also shows that demographic characteristics such as age and gender can influence the environmental behavior of rock climbers. The study's insights provide a baseline for future research in persuasive messaging for adventure tourists. The research opens up new directions in tourism studies and identifies environmental values most relevant to the rock climbing community, providing guidance to climbing area managers and other stakeholders invested in safeguarding natural habitats. By shedding light on possible environmental communication strategies for the promotion of pro-environmental behavior among rock climbers, this research offers an important contribution to the protection of vulnerable ecosystems and the preservation of natural habitats.

Studiens mål är att bidra till kunskapsutveckling om hur unga människor utvecklar handlingskompetens för hållbar utveckling. Med handlingskompetens för hållbar utveckling avses i studien vilja och förmåga att påverka livsstil och levnadsvillkor på ett sätt sominkluderar intergenerationellt och globalt ansvar. I avhandlingen introduceras begreppet avståndsmoral för att beskriva detta ansvar, som utsträcker sig i både tid och rum, till kommande generationer och till nu levande människor globalt. En utgångspunkt för studien är att hållbar utveckling innefattar idén om avståndsmoraliskt ansvar. Studiens huvudfråga är: Hur erfar avståndsmoraliskt aktivt handlande unga människor att de utvecklat handlingskompetens för hållbar utveckling? Studiens teorigrund är livsvärldsfenomenologisk. En upplevd verklighet undersöks i studien via berättelser. Genom ett strategiskt urval har tre intervjupersoner, som motiverar sina handlingar med avståndsmoraliska argument, valts att ingå i studien. Datainsamlingen har skett genom en kombination av öppna livsberättelseintervjuer ochhalvstrukturerade intervjuer. Analys och tolkning har metodologiskt stöd i berättelseforskningstraditionen och empirisk fenomenologisk forskning. Resultaten presenteras som tre citatrika levnadsberättelser om Karin, Carl och Matilda, tre unga vuxna med flera års engagemang i hållbarhetsfrågor. Syftet med levnadsberättelserna är att bidra till förståelse av det speciella i en enskild individs upplevelse av attutveckla handlingskompetens för hållbar utveckling. En integrerande analys redovisar mönster i form av likheter och skillnader mellan de tre individernas berättelser om att utveckla olika aspekter av handlingskompetens i avståndsmoraliska frågor. Sex gemensammakärnpoänger framstår som betydelsefulla: känslomässiga reaktioner, upplevd kompetens, kontrasterande perspektiv och normativ grund, handlingsimpregnering, tillit från och tillit till vuxna samt social gemenskap kontra utanförskap. Som motiv och drivkrafterför engagemanget framstår känslomässiga reaktioner som initierar önskan om förändring och vilja till handling, längtan efter meningsfullhet, önskan om att komma till sin rätt och längtan efter gemenskap. Resultaten diskuteras i förhållande till tidigare forskningoch en modell av en möjlig väg att utveckla aspekter av handlingskompetens för hållbar utveckling presenteras. Diskussionskapitlet utmynnar i fyra didaktiska utmaningar för enutbildning för hållbar utveckling. / The aim of the study at hand is to develop knowledge about the process of developing action competence for sustainable development. The overall research question explored is: How do young people experience that they have developed aspects of action competence forsustainable development? For the purposes of this study, action competence for sustainable development is defined as willingness and capability to act for changes in individual life style, as well as for structural changes of society, in a way that includes responsibility for present and future generations,globally. Life-world phenomenology provides the theoretical foundation of the study. Through purposive sampling, individuals have been found who, through different action strategies, engage in sustainability issues as for example climate change, bio-diversity and social justice. From a larger sample, three young adults have been selected for several life storyinterviews. Data has been analyzed and interpreted by use of narrative methodology. The result is presented as three stories, presented as thick descriptions, through whichthe winding paths towards aspects of action competence, as experienced, appear. This is followed by an integrative analysis presenting six themes that have emerged in theanalyses as relevant in the process of developing action competence for sustainable development: emotional reactions; perceived competence; contrasts and normative foundation;action permeation; trust and faith from adults and in adults; and social belonging in contrastto outsidership. Major motives and driving-forces for sustainability actions that emerge inthe stories are: emotional reactions initiating a desire for change and a desire to act; longingfor meaningfulness; a desire to feel comfortable with what you can contribute; and longing for belongingness. The findings are discussed in relationship to previous research and a modelof a possible way to develop aspects of action competence for sustainable development is introduced. This dissertation is part of a project supported by Formas, The Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning.