Exploration of children’s value patterns in relation to environmental education programmes
During childhood we begin to develop values, including valuing the natural environment (biospheric values). Although biospheric values are believed to provide the foundation for pro-environmental behavior throughout the course of one’s life, little research has investigated these values in children....
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1264487/full |
| _version_ | 1797629322758979584 |
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| author | Tim Kelly Thijs Bouman Simon Kemp Franka Wijngaarden Randolph C. Grace |
| author_facet | Tim Kelly Thijs Bouman Simon Kemp Franka Wijngaarden Randolph C. Grace |
| author_sort | Tim Kelly |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | During childhood we begin to develop values, including valuing the natural environment (biospheric values). Although biospheric values are believed to provide the foundation for pro-environmental behavior throughout the course of one’s life, little research has investigated these values in children. The present study aimed to investigate the relationships between children’s endorsement of biospheric values, their pro-environmental behaviors, and their perception of their friends’ and peers’ endorsement of biospheric values. Moreover, we investigated whether these values and behaviors, as well as the hypothesized relationships, were affected by educational programmes that were already implemented at schools. The results showed that children generally strongly endorse biospheric values, and that biospheric values were positively related to some personal and group pro-environmental behaviors. The study also found that, as in previous research with adults, the participants believed that their friends and peers endorsed biospheric values significantly less than they themselves did. Environmental educational programs were partially effective in reducing the participants’ underestimation of their friends’ biospheric values and increased the likelihood of some group pro-environmental behaviors. Our findings highlight the need for further research to investigate the effects of group pro-environmental behaviors and the perception of group values. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T10:51:44Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-133cce6a94cf47469befef27df6f951f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T10:51:44Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-133cce6a94cf47469befef27df6f951f2023-11-13T15:11:20ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782023-11-011410.3389/fpsyg.2023.12644871264487Exploration of children’s value patterns in relation to environmental education programmesTim Kelly0Thijs Bouman1Simon Kemp2Franka Wijngaarden3Randolph C. Grace4School of Psychology, Speech and Hearing, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New ZealandDepartment of Psychology, Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, NetherlandsSchool of Psychology, Speech and Hearing, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New ZealandDepartment of Psychology, Faculty of Behavioural and Social Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, NetherlandsSchool of Psychology, Speech and Hearing, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New ZealandDuring childhood we begin to develop values, including valuing the natural environment (biospheric values). Although biospheric values are believed to provide the foundation for pro-environmental behavior throughout the course of one’s life, little research has investigated these values in children. The present study aimed to investigate the relationships between children’s endorsement of biospheric values, their pro-environmental behaviors, and their perception of their friends’ and peers’ endorsement of biospheric values. Moreover, we investigated whether these values and behaviors, as well as the hypothesized relationships, were affected by educational programmes that were already implemented at schools. The results showed that children generally strongly endorse biospheric values, and that biospheric values were positively related to some personal and group pro-environmental behaviors. The study also found that, as in previous research with adults, the participants believed that their friends and peers endorsed biospheric values significantly less than they themselves did. Environmental educational programs were partially effective in reducing the participants’ underestimation of their friends’ biospheric values and increased the likelihood of some group pro-environmental behaviors. Our findings highlight the need for further research to investigate the effects of group pro-environmental behaviors and the perception of group values.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1264487/fullbiospheric valuespro-environmental behaviorchildrenpeersenvironmental education |
| spellingShingle | Tim Kelly Thijs Bouman Simon Kemp Franka Wijngaarden Randolph C. Grace Exploration of children’s value patterns in relation to environmental education programmes Frontiers in Psychology biospheric values pro-environmental behavior children peers environmental education |
| title | Exploration of children’s value patterns in relation to environmental education programmes |
| title_full | Exploration of children’s value patterns in relation to environmental education programmes |
| title_fullStr | Exploration of children’s value patterns in relation to environmental education programmes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploration of children’s value patterns in relation to environmental education programmes |
| title_short | Exploration of children’s value patterns in relation to environmental education programmes |
| title_sort | exploration of children s value patterns in relation to environmental education programmes |
| topic | biospheric values pro-environmental behavior children peers environmental education |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1264487/full |
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