Audrey N. Tomera

Analysis and Synthesis of Research on Responsible Environmental Behavior: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract Despite the wealth of information which exists concerning environmental behavior, it is not known which variable or variables appear to be most influential in motivating individuals to take responsible environmental action. A meta-analysis of environmental behavior research was undertaken in an attempt to determine this. An exhaustive search of the empirically based environmental behavior research conducted over the past decade yielded a substantial number of studies representative of a broad academic base. The characteristics and findings of these studies served as the data for the meta-analysis. As a result of the meta-analysis, the following variables were found to be associated with responsible environmental behavior: knowledge of issues, knowledge of action strategies, locus of control, attitudes, verbal commitment, and an individuals sense of responsibility. A model of predictors of environmental behavior is proposed.

Selected Predictors of Responsible Environmental Behavior: An Analysis

Abstract In this study, we examined the relative contribution of eight variables in predicting responsible environmental behavior. Scores on a validated behavior instrument served as the criterion. High and low behavior groups selected from 171 respondents were compared using members of midwestern Sierra Clubs and Elderhostel programs as subjects. Multilinear regression analyses were used to determine the performance of each predictor variable and to ascertain the most parsimonious set of variables that predicts environmental behavior. Seven of eight variables were found to be statistically significant. They were: (1) level of environmental sensitivity, (2) perceived knowledge of environmental action strategies, (3) perceived skill in using environmental action strategies, (4) psychological sex role classification, (5) individual locus of control, (6) group locus of control, and (7) attitude toward pollution. The one nonsignificant variable was (8) belief in technology. Stepwise regression showed that the...

A National Survey of Curriculum Needs as Perceived by Professional Environmental Educators

Abstract The purpose of this study was to assess perceived environmental education (EE) curriculum needs in the United States (K-16). The Environmental Education Curriculum Needs Assessment Questionnaire (EECNAQ) was developed, validated, and direct-mailed to 169 randomly selected professional environmental educators (58.6% return rate). The EECNAQ elicited perceptions about the desired status and the current state of EE curricula, the need for curriculum development, the anticipated use of curricula teachers, and the need for inservice teacher education. These five major questions were posed relative to fifteen goals which reflected the Tbilisi objectives and four levels of environmental literacy. The findings reveal a consensus among the professional participants that the EE goals are important ones, that they are not being met to a large extent in existing curricula, that extensive needs exist for both goal-oriented curricula and teacher education, and that the goaloriented curricula would be used by t...

A Comparison of Environmental Perceptions and Behaviors of Five Discrete Populations.

Abstract This paper summarizes the perceptions and behaviors regarding environmental issues of five discrete and separate groups/populations. Assessments were made to determine the difference in perceptions held by these groups between issues of greatest importance to mankind, issues of greatest personal interest, and a control issue (noise pollution) with respect to perceived levels of: importance to mankind, information held, individual locus of control, group locus of control, and self-reported environmental actions (behaviors). Findings suggest that academically oriented/environmentally allied groups perceive overpopulation as the most important issue to mankind. Further, groups with environmentally allied characteristics perceive the most important environmental issues facing mankind with a greater degree of within-group homogeneity than the groups consisting of individuals that have few environmentally allied similarities. When comparisons on the data for the variables across issues of greatest inte...