Students’ Environmental Attitudes in the Context of Education for Sustainable Development
Abstract
The results of two empirical studies of environmental attitudes and pro-environmental behavior of students studying in different fields (samples of 230 and 132 students) are considered. The features of ecological representations of students of ecological specialties at the beginning and at the end of vocational training are determined. Comparison of the effectiveness of professional ecological education and biological education as education for sustainable development indicates a more pronounced impact of ecological education on the formation of pro-environmental attitudes and readiness for pro-environmental behavior. The dynamics of the attitude to global environmental changes among students of the Faculty of Ecology is determined: from consumer attitude to nature, which is combined with a relatively strong belief that money is the key to solving environmental problems, environmental students come to believe in the priority of the world environmental problems. Changes in worldviews are accompanied by an intensification of pro-ecological behavior in everyday life. The impact of ecological education as the education for sustainable development on personality attitudes manifests itself in two ways - in attitudes to the problem of environmental change and in attitudes toward the natural world. The awareness of the importance of anthropogenic environmental change is accompanied by the clarifying of ideas about money as a universal means of solving environmental problems and the awareness of the importance of environmental change not only for humans but also for other species. An important result of these changes is the increased pro-environmental orientation of everyday behavior.
Downloads
References
Brudnyj, A. A., & Kavtaradze, D. N. (1993). Fundamentals of an ecological worldview as a task of education for sustainable development. Vestnik obrazovanija Ministerstva obrazovanija RF, 3, 1-26. [In Russian]
Deryabo, S. D., & Yasvin, V. A. (1996). Environmental pedagogy and psychology. Rostov-na-Donu: Feniks. [In Russian]
Kryazh, I. V. (1998). Psychosemantic study of everyday ecological notions. Voprosy psihologii, 1, 65-75. [In Russian]
Krjazh, I. V. (2001). From anthropocentrism to ecocentrism: on the possibility of the paradigm shift. Filosofija jekologicheskogo obrazovanija / Ed. I. K. Liseev (379-384). M.: Progress-Tradicija. [In Russian]
Kryazh, I. V. (2012). Psychology of global environmental change. H.: HNU imeni V. N. Karazina. [In Russian]
Kryazh, I. V., & Trushik, O. V. (2008) System analysis of environmental representations of high school students. Vіsnik Harkіvs'kogo unіversitetu. Serіja psihologіja, 793, 229-234. [In Russian]
Kryazh, I. V., & Andronnіkova, K. A. (2012). Proenvironmental attitudes as a manifestation of environmental concern. Vіsnik Harkіvs'kogo nacіonal'nogo unіversitetu іmenі V.N. Karazіna. Serіja: «Psihologіja», 1009(49), 36-40. [In Ukrainian]
Kryazh, I. V. (2013). Psychology of meaning regulation of ecologically relevant behaviour. Harkov. [In Russian]
Kryazh, I. V., & Klimkina, Y. V. (2013). Environmental concern and readiness for eco-friendly behavior among students of various specialties. Vіsnik Harkіvs'kogo nacіonal'nogo unіversitetu іmenі V.N. Karazіna. Psihologіja, 52, 33-37. [In Russian]
L'ovochkіna, A. M. (2011). Psychological principles of formation of ecologically-oriented consciousness. Zhitomir: Vid-vo ZhDU іm. І. Franka [In Ukrainian]
Nejmark, M. S. (1973). Psychological study of the personality orientation of an adolescent. M. [In Russian]
Panov, V. I. (2004). Environmental Psychology: The Experience of Building a Methodology. M.: Nauka. [In Russian]
Rudomіno-Dusjats'ka, O. V. (2003) The problem of internal regulation of environmental behavior. Aktual'nі problemi psihologії. Ekologіchna psihologіja. Zb. nauk. prac' Іnstitutu psihologії іm. G.S.Kostjuka, 7(1). [In Ukrainian]
Skrebec', V.O. (2004). Environmental psychology in the long-term effects of ecotechnogenic catastrophe. K.: Vidavnichij Dіm "Slovo". [In Ukrainian]
Shvalb, Ju. M. (2003). To the problem of determining ecopsychological systems. Aktual'nі problemi psihologії. Ekologіchna psihologіja: Zbіrnik naukovih prac' Іnstitutu psihologії іm. G.S.Kostjuka APN Ukraїni, 7(1), 426 433. [In Russian]
Shvalb, Ju. M. (Ed.) (2009). Ecologically-psychological factors of modern lifestyle. Zhitomir: Izd-vo ZhDU im. I.Franko. [In Russian]
Shmeleva, I. A. (2006). Psychology of Environmental Consciousness. SPb.: Izd-vo S.-Peterb. un-ta. [In Russian]
Yadov, V. A. (Ed.) (1979). Self-regulation and prediction of social behavior of an individual. [In Russian]
Jasvin, V. A. (2000). Psychology attitudes towards nature. M.: Smysl. [In Russian]
Balgopal, M. M., & Wallace, A. M. (2009) Decisions and dilemmas: using writing to learn activities to increase ecological literacy. The Journal of Environmental Education, 40(3), 13–26.
Berkowitz, A. R. (2007). Towards a definition of ecological literacy. Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies. Retrieved from www.ecostudies.org/people_sci_berkowitz_literacy.html
Casey, P. J., & Scott, K. (2006). Environmental concern and behaviour in an Australian sample within an ecocentric – anthropocentric framework. Australian Journal of Psychology, 58(2), 57-67.
Dunlap, R. E., Van Lier, K. D., Mertig, A. G., & Jones, R. E. (2000). Measuring endorsement of the new ecological paradigm: a revised NEP scale. Journal of social issues. 56(3), 425-442.
UNESCO (2016) Global Action Programme on Education for Sustainable Development (2015-2019) https://en.unesco.org/globalactionprogrammeoneducation
Hungerford, H. R., & Volk, T. L. (1990) Changing learner behavior through environmental education. Journal of Environmental Education, 21(3), 8-22.
Kollmuss, A., & Agyeman, J. (2002). Mind the Gap: why do people act environmentally and what are the barriers to pro-environmental behavior? Environmental Education Research, 8(3), 239-260.
Kryazh I. (2019). The Positive Effect of Nature Connectedness on Psychological Wellbeing: The Significance of Trust as a Mediator. Psychology. Journal of Higher School of Economics, 16(1), 27-49. https://doi.org/10.17323/1813-8918-2019-1-27-49
Monroe, M.C. (2003). Two Avenues for Encouraging Conservation Behaviors. Human Ecology Review, 10(2), 113-125.
Schultz, W. P. (2001). The structure of environmental concern: concern for self, other people and the biosphere. Journal of Environmental Psychology. 21(4), 327 339.
Short, P. C. (2010). Responsible environmental action: its role and status in environmental education and environmental quality. Journal of Environmental Education. 41(1), 7-19.
Stern, P. C. (2000). Toward a coherent theory of environmentally significant behavior. Journal of social issues, 56(3), 407-424.
Thompson, S., & Barton, M. A. (1994). Ecocentric and anthropocentric attitudes toward the environment. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 14, 149-157.
