Promoting Pro-Environmental BEEhavior in School. Factors Leading to Eco-Friendly Student Action

Anne-Kathrin Sieg and Daniel Dreesmann
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Anne-Kathrin Sieg: Department of Biology Education, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
Daniel Dreesmann: Department of Biology Education, Institute of Organismic and Molecular Evolution (iomE), Johannes Gutenberg University, D-55099 Mainz, Germany

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 12, 1-17

Abstract: Many insects, including numerous species of wild bees, are currently threatened with extinction. Environmental education in schools is a suitable starting point to draw attention to this problem, to raise awareness of biodiversity, and to highlight potential actions to protect wild bees and other insects. This study examined the relationship between pro-environmental behavior intentions and knowledge, attitude, fear, interest, and enjoyment of learning in a school intervention involving hands-on activities with living bumblebees. In total, 188 German 10- to 14-year-old high-school students participated in the project and took care of bumblebee colonies. Environmentally friendly behavioral intentions increased significantly between the pretest and posttest; however, no significant increase was found between the pretest and follow-up test. Bumblebee-friendly, pro-environmental behavior intentions correlated highly with attitude and interest, and correlated with knowledge and learning enjoyment with a medium effect size.

Keywords: environmental education; bumblebees; pollinators; knowledge; attitude; interest; biology education; insect decline; biodiversity; environmental behavior (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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