Environmental Education to Change the Consumption Model and Curb Climate Change

Leticia-Concepción Velasco-Martínez, Juan-Jesús Martín-Jaime, Ligia-Isabel Estrada-Vidal and Juan-Carlos Tójar-Hurtado
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Leticia-Concepción Velasco-Martínez: Department of Research and Psychology in Education, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Juan-Jesús Martín-Jaime: Department of Research Methods in Education, University of Malaga, 29071 Malaga, Spain
Ligia-Isabel Estrada-Vidal: Department of Research Methods in Education, University of Granada, 52005 Granada, Spain
Juan-Carlos Tójar-Hurtado: Department of Research Methods in Education, University of Malaga, 29071 Malaga, Spain

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 18, 1-15

Abstract: Environmental education plays a fundamental role in the fight against climate change and the transformation towards a more sustainable and environmentally friendly socio-economic model. This study shows how to evaluate the effectiveness of a program for compulsory education students in Spain. The subject of the program focused on the effects of climate change in relation to our consumption model and the generation of waste. A mixed research methodology is proposed that combines a quantitative (10 items on the Likert scale, n = 714) and qualitative approach (category construction and analysis on open-ended questions). A study of the reliability and validity of the measure was carried out through a categorical principal component analysis (CATPCA). The multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) correlates the gender and educational level of the students to the learning acquired in the program. For example, the results show how students are convinced that adopting minimal pro-environmental habits (turning off lights and unplugging electronics, choosing public transport to get around, or using solar and wind power to produce electricity) can help mitigate climate change. The conclusions show the difficulties and challenges of education for responsible consumption, emphasizing the development of environmental education programs for reducing the effects of climate change.

Keywords: environmental education; consumption; climate change; program evaluation; sustainable development; compulsory education (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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