Encouraging ecological behaviors among students by using the ecological footprint as an educational tool: a quasi-experimental design in a public high school in the city of Haifa

Abstract

The aim of the current study is to explore whether the ecological footprint is an appropriate tool for encouraging ecological behaviors in students. In the quasi-experimental research that we conducted, four classes from one of the public high schools in the city of Haifa (N = 130) participated in an environmental education (EE) program (intervention program) based on the theoretical and practical aspects of the ecological footprint and the action competence approach in EE. Two classes (N = 70) constituted a control group. Ecological worldview (EW), perceived behavioral control (PBC), behavioral intentions (BI), personal norms (PN), pro-environmental behavior (PEB), and self-reported behaviors were measured by means of questionnaires completed by the students in their classes before and after the intervention program. The results show statistically significant differences between the experimental and the control groups in the variables PBC, PN, and BI. However, no statistically significant differences were revealed in EW and PEB. The results indicate that incorporating the ecological footprint as an educational tool in high school might yield some predictors of PEB.

Keywords:

• pro-environmental behavior
• ecological footprint
• sustainability
• education for sustainability
• action competence

Notes

1. For details on school’s EF calculations, see: Gottlieb et al. (2012).

2. Sixteen pupils dropped out as they did not complete the pre or/and the post questionnaires.