ERIC Number: EJ1086549
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015-Dec
Pages: 25
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0814-0626
EISSN: N/A
Autonomous Motivation and Pro-Environmental Behaviours among Bedouin Students in Israel: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective
Kaplan, Haya; Madjar, Nir
Australian Journal of Environmental Education, v31 n2 p223-247 Dec 2015
Promoting pro-environmental behaviours (PEBs) among students is a major concern for educators. The present article presents an educational program based on a self-determination theory framework (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 2000) and a study demonstrating that working according to the theoretical principles presented in the program leads to the desired outcomes. The primary aim of the study was to test whether a hypothesised model in which autonomy support by students' parents and moderators in a large-scale intervention program would be associated with autonomous motivation, which would in turn lead to PEBs, over and above the contributions of the students' self-perceived competence and relatedness. The participants were 102 Bedouin high-school students (Grades 8 to 10) sampled from a cultural background characterised by a collectivist-hierarchical society in Israel. The results, based on structural equation modelling, indicated that moderators and parental autonomy support, as well as self-perceived relatedness and competence, were associated with students' autonomous motivation, which in turn was associated with pro-environmental behaviours (including cleaning behaviours, activism, and preserving behaviours). The study supported the hypothesised model and demonstrated that SDT can be utilised as a theoretical framework for educational programs aimed at improving students' self-determined PEBs.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Self Determination, Collectivism, Student Attitudes, Self Concept, High School Students, Guidelines, Environmental Education, Conservation (Environment), Correlation, Outcomes of Education, Minority Groups, Cultural Background, Structural Equation Models, Personal Autonomy, Parent Child Relationship, Student Behavior, Activism, Student Motivation
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools; Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Israel
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A